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EMERSON STRING
QUARTET
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tonight New Orleans Friends of Music welcomes back The
Emerson String Quartet for its 17th appearance. The
Emerson String Quartet stands alone in the history of
string quartets with an unparalleled list of
achievements over three decades: thirty acclaimed
recordings produced with Deutsche Grammophon since 1987,
eight Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical
Album), three Gramophone Awards, the coveted Avery
Fisher Prize, and cycles of the complete Beethoven,
Bartók, and Shostakovich string quartets in the world’s
musical capitals.
“With musicians like this
there must be some hope for humanity.” —
the times (london)
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SPECIAL PREMIERE
CONCERT: LERA AUERBACH and ANI AZNAVOORIAN
Friday, October 30, 2009 (Note: This is an extra
non-subscription concert)
Friends of Music has co-commissioned a new work by the
noted Russian-American composer and pianist Lera
Auerbach. She will play her transcription of the
Shostakovich 24 Preludes, Opus 34 with Ani Aznavoorian
as well as other works by Auerbach and Rachmaninov.
Auerbach is one of the most widely performed composers
of the new generation, with a stylistic freedom that
uniquely juxtaposes varied styles of musical language.
Her compositions have been performed by distinguished
artists including the Tokyo String Quartet, violinists
Gidon Kremer and Philippe Quint; and cellists Alisa
Weilerstein, David Finckel, and Wendy Warner. Ani
Aznavoorian is an acclaimed young cellist who has
appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras,
including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo
Philharmonic, and the Helsinki Philharmonic. She was
recently appointed the distinguished position of
principal cellist of Camerata Pacifica. She teaches at
the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana.
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KAVAFIAN-SCHUB-SHIFRIN CLARINET TRIO
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
After 25 years of friendship and music-making,
violinist Ani Kavafian, pianist André-Michel Schub and
clarinetist David Shifrin—each a true virtuoso and a
member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center—came together as a trio with undeniable
chemistry. “The spontaneity, the excitement and the fun
we have playing together is beyond what we ever
anticipated,” they said. Combined they have performed
with nearly every major orchestra around the world and
in recital at the major concert halls.
“Satisfying as their
individual music-making was, it was the quality of
collaboration that always came to the fore.”
–
San Antonio Express-News
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JUPITER STRING QUARTET
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Formed in 2001, the JUPITER STRING QUARTET, chose its
name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in
the night sky at the time of its formation, and the
astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number
four. The Jupiters have received several chamber music
honors, including first prize in the Banff
International String Quartet Competition, membership in
Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two, and Chamber
Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. Most recently,
they were honored to receive an Avery Fisher Career
Grant.
“String quartets, like fine
wines, get better with age; the Jupiters are a very fine
vintage indeed.”
–
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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DAVID FINCKEL,
cello, and WU HAN, piano
Monday, January 25, 2010
Ranked among the most esteemed and influential classical
musicians in the world today, cellist David Finckel and
pianist Wu Han appear in the world’s most prestigious
concert series and festivals as soloists, as a duo, and
in David’s case, as cellist of the Emerson String
Quartet. They also serve as co-artistic directors of the
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. With a
repertoire that spans virtually the entire literature
for cello and piano, the husband-wife duo has garnered
superlatives from the press and the public.
“When a pair of genuine
artists explodes on the stage, exuding not only glamour
and theatrical flair but also superb musical insight,
the audience’s thrill is twofold.”
– Chicago Sun-Times
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PACIFICA QUARTET
with MENAHEM PRESSLER, piano
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance
style, and often daring repertory choices, the Pacifica
Quartet swept top prizes in several leading
international competitions. Early in 2009 the group won
a Grammy Award for “Best Chamber Music Performance”. On
the occasion of this second visit to New Orleans, the
ensemble will be performing with renowned pianist
Menahem Pressler. who has made many appearances here. A
founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, Mr.
Pressler has established himself among the world’s most
distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that
spans over five decades.
"There's no point in predicting future greatness for the
young Pacifica Quartet. That future is already here.”
— Los Angeles Times
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WALSH-DRUCKER-COOPER
TRIO
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
At the conclusion of their first performance together
in 2002 at the Skaneateles Festival, the members of the
Walsh-Drucker-Cooper Trio received “a near-standing
ovation” (Syracuse Post Standard) for their rendering of
Dvorak’s Trio in f minor. Since then the group has
returned twice to that festival, appeared at a variety
of other series and festivals and on several radio
broadcasts, including NPR’s Performance Today.
“From the opening notes of
the Haydn Trio in e minor, there was an active, involved
musical communication going on.... and intelligent
shaping of the melodic content that in no way obscured
the clarity of the discourse.”
– Syracuse Post
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AHN PIANO TRIO
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella of the Ahn Trio are
redefining the art and architecture of chamber music,
breathing new life into the standard piano-trio
literature with commissioned works from visionary
contemporary composers. With an innovative spirit and an
ever-evolving vision of music, the three musicians are
in high demand throughout the world and were named three
of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003.
Their 1998 recording of trios by Dvorak, Suk, and
Shostakovich on the EMI label won Germany’s prestigious
ECHO Award.
“Together they coax a
collective, dynamically flexible sound that gets us
thinking about the bonding power of family.”
– Los Angeles Times
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