ORPHEUS
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
ANNOUNCES
35th NEW YORK SEASON
The Bleimann Series at
Carnegie Hall
Opens on October 23
|
ORPHEUSCHAMBER ORCHESTRAANNOUNCES The Bleimann Series at Opens on October 23 |
Orpheus continues The New Brandenburgs commissioning project
with a new work by Christopher Theofanidis in December
Season features world premieres by Charles Wuorinen and Tania León
Guest soloists include Sarah Chang, Dame Felicity Lott, Yefim Bronfman,
Christian Zacharias, and Nikolaj Znaider
“A virtuosic whole . . . They’re fast. They’re together. They’re aggressive.
They can be electrifying.” —Los Angeles Times
“Orpheus, whose string players perform with the physical verve of members of a string quartet,
managed to produced a convincingly full-blooded sound.” —The New York Times
New York, NY — The internationally renowned Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, famous for its unique and highly-collaborative approach to music-making, announces its 35th New York season. The orchestra’s five-concert season at Carnegie Hall, called the Bleimann Series, opens on October 23 with a concert featuring works by Brahms and Schoenberg, and powerhouse pianist Yefim Bronfman. Other guest soloists this year include violinists Sarah Chang and Nikolaj Znaider, soprano Dame Felicity Lott, and pianist Christian Zacharias. Season highlights will include three world premieres – Christopher Theofanides’ new piece modeled on Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and new works from Charles Wuorinen and Tania León. In addition, the orchestra will release its first disc on EMI Classics – a recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Sarah Chang – in the fall of 2007, after a recording hiatus of more than six years.
Eric Wyrick, Artistic Coordinator for Orpheus and a violinist with the orchestra remarked, “This year, we have created a season with overarching themes and ideas. Each concert was approached with pairings in mind: of composers (Brahms and Schoenberg), of musical influences (Latin American and French), and of soloists with the music they have chosen to perform (Sarah Chang and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons). The programming itself re-examines Orpheus favorites that speak to our unique strengths. We are juxtaposing music that we’ve had successes with on stage and in recordings with new works by highly-respected composers, and feel this presents an interesting context in which listeners can experience the time-honored and the contemporary together.”
General Director Graham Parker said of the upcoming season, “We are thrilled to be continuing our annual series at Carnegie Hall, and about the opportunity to work with established and emerging solo artists and composers. The continuation of the The New Brandenburgs commissioning project is certainly one of our highlights, and we look forward to the release this fall of Orpheus’ first recording with Sarah Chang on EMI Classics. Our touring activities this season will again take us throughout the United States, and following our successful 2007 spring tour of South Korea, plans are underway for a larger-scale tour of multiple Asian countries in May 2008. Orpheus is very grateful to MetLife Foundation for making our travels possible. We are also extremely appreciative of Kim Bleimann, whose extraordinary generosity has allowed Orpheus to continue its world-class artistry. It is in Kim’s honor that we have named the 2007-2008 Carnegie Hall series.”
Mr. Kim Bleimann, a loyal patron of Orpheus since the mid-1970’s, was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000. Of his support for the ensemble, Mr. Bleimann said, “Orpheus has played with one collaborative voice for the past 35 years, and it has been the orchestra’s artists whose shared vision of excellence that has not only elevated their music, but has ferried us, the audience, to extraordinary places. It has been my honor and good fortune to serve this splendid organization.”
THE NEW BRANDENBURGS PROJECT & TWO MORE WORLD PREMIERES
Orpheus will present three world premieres during its 35th season at Carnegie Hall. Orpheus’ commissioning project, The New Brandenburgs, will continue with a new work by Christopher Theofanidis which is inspired by J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Orpheus’ New Brandenburgs project will create six new concertos inspired by the original six “Brandenburg” Concertos by the 2009-2010 season. Each of the new pieces will use instrumentation closely matched to that of the related Bach Concerto. All twelve new and original “Brandenburgs” will be performed on one concert during the 2009-2010 season. In addition to Mr. Theofanidis, composers Stephen Hartke (06-07 season); Paul Moravec (08-09); Melinda Wagner (08-09); Aaron Jay Kernis (09-10); and Peter Maxwell Davies (09-10) have also been commissioned.
In addition to the New Brandenburgs commission, Orpheus will present the world premieres of Synaxis by Charles Wuorinen and a new work by Tania León. Alan Kay, program coordinator and a clarinetist with the orchestra, described the ensemble’s anticipation of these pieces. “Charles Wuorinen is in many ways a ‘musician’s composer.’ His music is always interesting to listen to and perform, and it has garnered much respect within the field,” he said. “Many Orpheus members are fans of his work, which is serial in nature and not ascribed to a tonal essence, but has always displayed a highly energetic quality that is superbly well-orchestrated. We are looking forward to hearing how he incorporates a thematic idea of the ‘four elements’ into his compositional style,” he continued. “Tania León is a tremendously diverse musician, ranging from roles as conductor, composer, and teacher. Orpheus is proud to partner with SUNY Purchase in a co-commission of León’s new piece, which in addition to the Carnegie Hall premiere will be performed on the SUNY Purchase campus by the SUNY Purchase Orchestra and Orpheus.”
CARNEGIE HALL 2007 – 2008 SEASON
Thursday, October 23, 2007 at 8 p.m. - Orpheus will launch its Carnegie Hall season with a performance by pianist Yefim Bronfman, known for his “technical command and tireless energy” (The New York Times). The program includes two virtuosic and lively works of Brahms—Hungarian Dances No. 1, 3 & 10,and Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 in D minor—coupled with Schoenberg’s harmonically dynamic Chamber Symphony, an Orpheus favorite.
Of the upcoming concert, Bronfman said, “Brahms’ first piano concerto is such a symphonic partnership of equals between the piano and the orchestra. To play this piece with Orpheus, to really dig into the opposing forces in this amazing work, and to recreate Brahms’ inner journey to deal with the symphonic form promises to be an amazing experience.”
Yefim Bronfman is widely regarded as one of the most talented virtuoso pianists performing today. His commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide, whether for his solo recitals, his prestigious orchestral engagements or his rapidly growing catalogue of recordings. Recent career highlights include performing at the season opening Gala of the New York Philharmonic in with Emanuel Ax in Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, the world premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's Piano Concerto, written for Bronfman and commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic’s 70th birthday celebration in concerts conducted by Zubin Mehta and Valery Gergiev. Other highlights include appearances with the Boston, Bamberger, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, and National symphony orchestras; Los Angeles and Vienna philharmonics; Orchestre de Paris and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; performances at the Salzburg Easter Festival with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle; and a European tour with flutist Emmanuel Pahud. Mr. Bronfman was born in Tashkent, in the Soviet Union in 1958, and emigrated to Israel at age 15. In Israel he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro, and the Curtis Institute, and with Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher and Rudolf Serkin. Yefim Bronfman became an American citizen in July 1989.
Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 8 p.m. – For its second Carnegie Hall appearance of the season, Orpheus will perform the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ new Brandenburg Concerto, alongside J. S.
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Also featured is pianist Christian Zacharias, hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “superior and sparkling,” who will collaborate with Orpheus for the first time in a performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo and Finale, completes the concert.
Christopher Theofanidis said of his new work for Orpheus, “I think of Bach the way Beethoven described him – as the great ‘harmonist,’ and my language in this work will have a slightly more saturated harmonic palette. There is such a dynamism and kinetic energy in performances of Orpheus, that it is literally the ensemble itself which is sparking my imagination.”
Composer Christopher Theofanidis’ vibrant, engaging music – lyrical, highly expressive, and masterfully orchestrated – has been performed by over fifty orchestras and chamber ensembles worldwide, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, and the Alexander String Quartet, and by distinguished soloists including violist Kim Kashkashian. Theofanidis has also written extensively for the stage, with major works premiered by the Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, and the American Ballet Theatre. In 2006-07, Theofanidis served as composer-in-residence for the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the orchestra premiered his concerto for violinist Sarah Chang in the fall of 2006. A recent recipient of the prestigious Masterprize in Composition, Theofanidis has also received the Rome Prize, as well as fellowships from Tanglewood, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Guggenheim and Fulbright Foundations. Theofanidis teaches composition at the Peabody Conservatory and advanced orchestration at the Juilliard School. In addition to studies in Paris and Rome, Theofanidis holds degrees from Yale, Eastman, and the University of Houston.
Christian Zacharias is considered to be one of the great pianists of today and one of the most remarkable musical explorers of our time. Known for his consistent and uncompromising individuality, Zacharias achieved international attention as prizewinner in the Geneva Competition in 1969 and the Van Cliburn Competition in 1973. In 1975, he won the First Prize in the Ravel Competition in Paris and began an international career encompassing recitals in all the major international venues, award-winning recordings and concerts with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. Mr. Zacharias also appears in chamber music recitals with partners such as the Alban Berg Quartet, the Guarneri Quartet, the Leipziger String Quartet, Heinrich Schiff and Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 8 p.m. – For this Mozart and Tchaikovsky program, “soulful and impassioned” (The Strad) violinist Nikolaj Znaider will join Orpheus for two pieces—Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s Waltz Scherzo. A pair of the orchestra’s trademark pieces bookend the program: Mozart’s profound Wind Serenade in C minor, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, which was written as an homage to Mozart.
Nikolaj Znaider said of his upcoming appearance with Orpheus, “The violin entrance of the Mozart Concerto (a moment of adagio in an allegro movement) is so operatic, a reminder that Mozart was also a master of vocal writing. For me, to rediscover the many characters and moods of this piece, with musicians of the caliber of Orpheus, will be a pleasure.”
Celebrated as one of the foremost violinists of today, Nikolaj Znaider is regularly invited to work with the world’s leading orchestras including Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Symphony and enjoys artistic collaborations with acclaimed conductors including Barenboim, Chung, Sir Colin Davis, Dohnanyi, Dutoit, Gergiev, Jansons, Maazel, Masur, Mehta, Rostropovich, Temirkanov and Thielemann. An exclusive RCA Red Seal recording artist, Znaider’s latest recording of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn Violin Concerti with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta has been greeted with critical acclaim and was heralded in Grammophone as “high calibre artistry...tellingly exemplified by Mendelssohn’s first movement where the rise and fall of the phrasing, its yielding plasticity realises every vestige of lyricism inherent in the music.” Znaider recently returned to the studio to record the complete works for violin and piano of Johannes Brahms with Yefim Bronfman.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 8 p.m. – A fusion of musical influences is brought to life in this concert, which includes Copland’s Three Latin American Sketches coupled with the world premiere of a new work a commissioned from Cuban-born composer Tania León. The “radiant…shimmering” (The Plain Dealer) Dame Felicity Lott will perform Chausson’s exquisite work, Poème de l’Amour et de la Mer. Bizet’s precocious Symphony in C completes the program.
Artistic Director and clarinetist Alan Kay described the reasons for choosing this program. He said, “Copland’s Mexican and Latin American travels served as creative fodder for his Sketches while León meshed North American and European styles with her own native Cuban roots. Orpheus proudly collaborates with Dame Felicity Lott, one of the world’s premiere interpreters of the Chausson work, which offers a lush contrast to the Bizet.”
Tania León, who was born in Cuba, is a vital personality on today’s music scene and is highly regarded as a composer and conductor recognized for her accomplishments as an educator and advisor to arts organizations. She has been the subject of profiles on ABC, CBS, CNN, PBS, Univision (including their noted series “Orgullo Hispano” which celebrates living American Latinos whose contributions in society have been invaluable), Telemundo and independent films. Her recent commissions include Alma for flute and piano, The Atwood Songs for Soprano and piano with text by Margaret Atwood, and Raices for Latin Fiesta. León's work has been featured in celebrations of some of the most prestigious composers of our time including performances of Rituál and Mistica, during the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNow "Pierre Boulez's 80th Birthday Celebration." Duende, for Baritone, Bata ensemble and Orchestral Percussion premiered in September 2003 at the Fest der Kontinente in Berlin, Germany, and was commissioned by the festival in honor of Gyorgy Ligeti’s 80th birthday. León is the recipient of a 2005 commission from The Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University. In 1998 she was awarded the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award and in 1999 received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Colgate University. León has received awards for her compositions from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, NYSCA, the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest Fund, ASCAP and the Koussevitzky Foundation, among others. In 1998 she held the Fromm Residency at the American Academy in Rome.
The English soprano Dame Felicity Lott has appeared at all the great opera houses of the world - to name but a few: Vienna, Milan, Paris, Brussels, Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Berlin, New York and Chicago. Her many roles include the Marschallin (Rosenkavalier / Strauss), Countess Madeleine (Capriccio / Strauss), Arabella (Strauss), Christine (Intermezzo / Strauss) Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze Di Figaro / Mozart), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte / Mozart), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni / Mozart), Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes / Britten), The Governess (The Turn Of The Screw / Britten),Lady Billows(Albert Herring / Britten), Louise (Charpentier), Blanche (Les Dialogues des Carmelites / Poulenc) and Elle (La Voix Humaine / Poulenc). Dame Felicity's special love belongs to the song repertoire. She enchants with songs of Strauss, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms as well as with the masters of french Mélodies. As might be expected, she is also very fond of English songs, particularly those of Benjamin Britten.
Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 8 p.m. – Orpheus brings its 2007-08 Carnegie Hall season to a close with eminent violinist Sarah Chang performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, in a concert exploring nature in all its forms. The program features the premiere of Synaixs, new commissioned work based on the four elements from the esteemed composer Charles Wuorinen. Respighi’s The Birds, another Orpheus favorite, rounds out the program.
Charles Wuorinen is one of the world's leading composers. His many honors include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize (the youngest composer to receive the award). His compositions encompass every form and medium, including works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, soloists, ballet, and stage. His newest works include his Fourth Piano Concerto for Peter Serkin and James Levine, commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Ashberyana, chamber settings of poems by John Ashbery. His opera, Haroun And The Sea Of Stories based on the novel of Salman Rushdie was premiered by the New York City Opera in Fall 2004. The 2005-2006 season offered the premiere of Flying To Kahani, a concert piece for piano and orchestra commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and Theologoumenon, a tone poem commissioned for James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Wuorinen has been described as a "maximalist," writing music luxuriant with events, lyrical and expressive, strikingly dramatic. His works are characterized by powerful harmonies and elegant craftsmanship, offering at once a link to the music of the past and a vision of a rich musical future.
Violinist Sarah Chang is recognized the world over as one of classical music's most captivating and gifted artists. She was recently featured in Newsweek as one of “Top Twenty Women on Leadership.” Appearing in the music capitals of Asia, Europe and the Americas, she has collaborated with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the principal London orchestras and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Notable recital engagements have included her Carnegie Hall debut and performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston, the Barbican Centre in London, the Philharmonie in Berlin as well as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has reached an even wider audience through her many television appearances, concert broadcasts and best-selling recordings for EMI Classics. The remarkable accomplishments of her career were recognized in 1999 when she received the Avery Fisher Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given to instrumentalists. Ms. Chang recently recorded Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Orpheus for EMI Classics, for release in October 2007.
ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is internationally renowned for its fine artistry and distinctive approach to music-making, with a performing and recording legacy spanning 35 years. Performing with many of today’s most dynamic and esteemed soloists, Orpheus presents an annual concert series at Carnegie Hall that illuminates both classic orchestral repertoire and new works by contemporary composers. Noted by critics and audiences alike for its unsurpassed energy, sensitivity, and connection to listeners, Orpheus is considered one of New York’s cultural treasures. Orpheus tours on a regular basis throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and offers education and outreach programs for children and adults from diverse communities.
The Orpheus recording legacy consists of more than 70 albums. Its numerous distinctions and awards include a 2001 Grammy Award for Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures, a 1998 Grammy nomination for a recording of Mozart piano concerti with Richard Goode, and the 1998 “Ensemble of the Year” award by Musical America. Orpheus resumes recording in 2007, after a hiatus of more than six years. The orchestra releases its first disc on EMI Classics – a recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Sarah Chang – in the fall of 2007.
Orpheus has collaborated with many of the great artists of our time including Isaac Stern, Gidon Kremer, Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Radu Lupu, Martha Argerich, Mitsuko Uchida, Peter Serkin, Frederica von Stade, Anne Sophie von Otter, Dawn Upshaw, Renée Fleming, Vadim Repin, Evelyn Glennie, Sarah Chang, and Jeremy Denk. Reflecting its commitment to expanding the chamber orchestra repertoire, Orpheus has premiered works by Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Mario Davidovsky, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Fred Lerdahl, Gunther Schuller, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Peter Lieberson, Marc Mellits, Joan Tower, Stephen Hartke, and Ingram Marshall.
Orpheus is in the vanguard of a growing national trend to provide conservatory students with experiences that enhance their professional competitiveness through the Orpheus Institute. By sharing their unique artist-centered philosophy, methodology, and skills with students at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, Orpheus musicians are building significant bridges between conservatory training and the professional music field. A year-long comprehensive set of seminars and courses provides opportunities for students to develop artistic and administrative leadership skills that will enhance their ability to participate fully in any performing arts organizations that might employ them.
Founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to present musician-led performances of standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire, Orpheus is a self-governing organization. Central to its distinctive personality is its practice of sharing and rotating leadership roles. For every work, the members of the orchestra select the concertmaster and the principal players for each section.
Orpheus Website and Blog
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra website, www.orpheusnyc.org, provides information on the ensemble, the musicians, performances, and special events. The Orchestra also maintains a web log, located at blog.orpheusnyc.org.
About Kim Bleimann
Kim Bleimann has been a loyal patron of Orpheus since the mid-1970’s, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000.
Mr. Bleimann serves as President of Berjé Inc., a supplier of essential oils and aromatic chemicals to the global flavor and fragrance industry. After joining the family-owned company in 1973, Mr. Bleimann purchased Berjé in 1981, and assumed an executive leadership role as President. Berjé Inc. is a member of numerous industry trade organizations, including the International Federation of Essential Oil and Aroma Trade (IFEAT) where Mr. Bleimann presently serves on the Board of Directors. Mr. Bleimann’s additional affiliations include 10 years as the Treasurer of Grace Church School, an independent Episcopal Church-related institution in New York City, a position he held until 2006. He is currently a founding member of this schools’ Audit Committee. Most recently, he has been elected to the Board of Observers of Muhlenberg College, the Allentown, PA-based institution which he had attended.
Funding Credits
Christopher Theofanidis’ new work was commissioned by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with funds provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust as part of The New Brandenburgs commissioning project.
Charles Wuorinen’s Synaxis was commissioned by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Synaxis is also commissioned as part of a national series of works from Meet The Composer’s Commissioning Music/USA program.
MetLife Foundation is the Official Tour Sponsor of Orpheus
TICKET INFORMATION
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Subscriptions: Subscriptions may be purchased for all five or any three of Orpheus' concerts at Carnegie Hall. Subscriptions are priced from $85 to $434 and may be purchased through the Orpheus Subscription Office, at 212-896-1704, or online at www.orpheusnyc.org.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall: Single tickets for certain concerts go on sale beginning August 24, and again on December 3. Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or online at www.carnegiehall.org. Carnegie Hall is located at Seventh Avenue at 57th Street, NYC.
Additional information about the season is available by calling the Orpheus office at 212-896-1700 or by visiting www.orpheusnyc.org.
For Press Tickets Contact:
Katherine Barna
917.339.7188
kbarna@cohndutcher.com
A copy of this release can be found here 
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