Thursday March 6, 7:30 pm at Morphy Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison.
The UW-Madison Jazz Ensembles, Johannes Wallmann, director.
Performances by the Blue Note Ensemble, Jazz Composers’ Septet, Contemporary Jazz Ensemble.
Friday March 7, 7:30 pm at Overture Center-Overture Hsll, 201 State Street, Madison (repeated at the same location at 8 pm on 3/8 and 2:30 pm on 3/9).
The Madison Symphony Orchestra with piano soloist Yefim Bronfman. An all-Beethoven program.
No conductor’s anniversary is complete without Beethoven, the composer at the heart of the orchestral experience. On March 7, 8, and 9, conductor John DeMain (in his 20th year at the podium) and the Madison Symphony Orchestra will welcome internationally renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman to perform two concertos in an all-Beethoven program in Overture Hall.
Bronfman has been a star of the classical music stage since his teenage years. The Soviet-born, Israeli-American was a student at the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute. He has since fashioned a career as a seasoned soloist with decades of prestigious orchestral engagements and critically acclaimed recitals. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1989 and won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his recordings of three Bartók piano concertos. He is consistently praised for his commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts.
Bronfman will take the stage twice per concert. First he will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece that reflects the early Classical period techniques of Beethoven’s major predecessors, Mozart and Haydn. He will then perform Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”), also by Beethoven, a virtuosic and grand work reflecting the more Romantic leanings that Beethoven acquired during his “Heroic” period. Two additional orchestral works are programmed for the symphony performance: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, and Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus.
The concerts are Fri., March 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 8, at 8 p.m.; and Sun., March 9, at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
Beethoven’s early career seems to have been a period of systematically mastering successive genres. While a teenager, he produced mostly Lieder, piano works, and chamber works, thoroughly Classical in character and embodying the style of Mozart and his teacher Haydn. Symphony No. 1 was composed later in 1799-1800, when Beethoven was almost 30 years old, yet remained true to the relatively more conservative style of works by his predecessors. Still, the piece hints at the individuality that would blossom in Beethoven’s subsequent music.
Viennese audiences of the late 1700’s demanded piano concertos at their concerts. As Beethoven began to make his way in the city, he recognized that Mozart’s successes a decade earlier rested largely on his piano concertos. In 1795 he presented his earliest concerto (misleadingly named Piano Concerto No. 2 due to publishing date). Like Symphony No.1, the youthful concerto largely retains conventions of Classical form. However, Beethoven could not resist tweaking it. The surprisingly intense orchestral exposition gives way to a piano entrance with unexpectedly new material and a lengthy development section.
The other piano concerto Bronfman will perform is Beethoven’s fifth and final one, Concerto No. 5, also titled “Emperor”. The 1809 composition represents the unabashedly dramatic and self-assured side of Beethoven’s “Heroic “period. Several writers have commented on the “military” side of the concerto. The key of the piece, E-flat Major, commonly had associations with heroism and grandeur for Beethoven and his contemporaries. Written out cadenzas (an innovative technique, soloists usually improvised these in performance) seem to signify Beethoven’s heightened sense of artistic control and individuality at this stage in his career.
Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus is a compact piece–originally the opening of an hour long ballet. Shortly after the premier of his first symphony in 1801, Beethoven was approached by the dancer Salvatore Vigano to write music for a new ballet. Beethoven was the perfect match for Vigano (who would dance the title role)—both were seen as somewhat of radicals in their respective arts. The final product, depicting a titan who defies authority for the benefit of all humankind, resonated with the revolutionary feeling that was present even in Imperial Vienna in 1800, and was a smash hit. Then and today the overture enjoys frequent performances on the symphonic stage.
Tickets are $16.50 to $82.50 each, available at www.madisonsymphony.org/singletickets and through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street or call the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Groups of 15 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734.
For more information visit, www.madisonsymphony.org/groups
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Box Office at 201 State Street. Full-time students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $12 or $15 tickets. More information is at: www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush On advance ticket purchases, students can receive 20% savings on seats in select areas of the hall.
Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra marks its 88th concert season in 2013-2014 by celebrating John DeMain’s 20th anniversary as music director. The Symphony engages audiences of all ages and backgrounds in live classical music through a full season of concerts with established and emerging soloists of international renown, an organ series that includes free concerts, and widely respected education and community engagement programs. Find more information at www.madisonsymphony.org.
Friday March 8, 7:30 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison
The UW-Madison Contemporary Chamber Ensemble featuring Jordan Wilson, baritone; Peter Miliczky and Lydia Balge, violins; Ju Dee Ang, viola; Philip Bergman, cello; Nicole Tuma, flute; Alissa Ladas, clarinet; and Yosuke Yamada, piano.
In C, Terry Riley
Trio for clarinet, violin, and cello, Ben Johnston
Cottage Flowers for solo flute, Jonathan Posthuma
Serenade for flute, viola, and piano, Andrew Imbrie, Leo Kraft
Friday March 7, 8 pm at Morphy Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison
The UW-Madison Guest Artist Series presents pianist Ilia Radoslavov.
Piano Sonata Op. 10, No. 3 in D Major, Ludwig van Beethoven
Improvisation, Pancho Vladigerov
Pictures at an Exhibition, Modest Mussourgsky
A native of Bulgaria, pianist Ilia Radoslavov obtained his doctorate in piano performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with Christopher Taylor and received the Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. In 2009, Radoslavov was the gold medalist in the 2009 Seattle International Piano Competition and also earned first prize in the American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition, followed by a performance at Carnegie Hall’s Weil Recital Hall. At present, Dr. Radoslavov is piano faculty at Truman State University
Saturday March 8, 1 pm at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue, Madison,
The UW-Madison Guest Artist Series presents the Sibelius Academy Resident Musicians Concert. The concert includes a world premiere of a work for two voice and organ
followed by gathering in church basement to talk with audience.
Three revered Finnish musicians from the faculty of the Sibelius Academy (Helsinki) will be in residency at the School of Music during the first week of March, 2014, to present master classes, workshops, discussions on Finnish music education, and a concert at Luther Memorial Church on Saturday, March 8th. This residency is made possible by support from the Vilas Trust, the Kemper Knapp Bequest, the Finlandia Foundation, the Department of Scandinavian Studies, Luther Memorial Church, and the Association of Church Musicians.
AULIKKI EEROLA is Professor of Voice at the Sibelius Academy, and has had a distinguished career in opera, concert, and recording, including singing Pamina at Savonlinna, and winning awards in the Robert Schumann Competition and the Hugo Wolf Competition in Salzburg. Her studies include two years at the Vienna Academy of Music and the Vienna Conservatory, where she worked with legendary pianist and coach Erik Werba. She has presented concerts of lieder in Europe, Canada, the United States and Russia. She has performed live and for radio recordings on the BBC as well as the Austrian, French, German, Danish, Polish and Swedish radios. Her discography includes thirty recordings (Finlandia, Fuga, APJH).
PERTTI EEROLA is music director of Johannes Church in Helsinki, where he serves as organist and conductor of the chamber choir and orchestra. He has performed in lieder recitals with artists including Martti Talvela and Jorma Hynninen. He has been the official competition pianist for the Lappeenranta Singing Competition, the Timothy Black Rock competition, and the Hugo Wolf Competition. He has performed in concert as a piano soloist, organist and chamber musician throughout Europe, the US, China and Singapore. Pertti Eerola is featured on more than 30 CD recordings with artists including Martti Talvela, Soile Isokoski, Jouko Heikkilä and Aulikki Eerola. He has worked in recordings as a pianist, organist and conductor. He has served as coach of the Finnish National Opera and the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and has been on the faculty of the Sibelius Academy since 1984.
EIJA JÄRVELÄ is on the faculty in Vocal Arts and Vocal Pedagogy at the Sibelius Academy. She received her musical training at the Sibelius Academy, graduating with diplomas in Voice Performance and Vocal Pedagogy, Doctor of Music in Performing Arts. She studied German Lied in Vienna with Erik Werba, and completed her studies in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has appeared as soloist with the Finnish National Opera and other companies around Finland and also in recitals in Finland, many European countries, Brazil and México. Teaching engagements include master classes, lectures and workshops in Finland and also in Brazil, México and France. During her doctoral studies she broadened her knowledge to acoustical aspects of the singing voice leading to a paper Conveyed Intention, A study of some acoustic aspects as related to production and perception of certain sung vowels. Her interest in pedagogical research has led her into collaborative work with colleagues representing various instruments and aspects of teaching.
Saturday March 8, 4 pm at Music Hall, 925 Bascom Mall, Madison.
The UW-Madison Faculty Concert Series presents John Stevens, Tuba with guests from the Wisconsin Brass Quintet.
John Stevens has enjoyed a distinguished career as a teacher, orchestral, chamber music, solo and jazz performer and recording artist, composer/arranger, conductor and administrator. He has performed with every major orchestra in New York and was a member of the New York Tuba Quartet and many other chamber groups, principal tubist in the Aspen Festival Orchestra, toured and recorded with a wide variety of groups including Chuck Mangione, the American Brass Quintet and the San Francisco Ballet, and was the tuba soloist in the original Broadway production of BARNUM. He has released two solo recordings; an LP of his own compositions titled POWER (Mark Records, 1985) and a CD titled REVERIE (Summit Records, 2006). UW-Madison faculty in 1985 and, in addition to his other duties, was the Director of the School of Music from 1991 to 1996 and 2011 to 2013. As a composer and arranger with over 50 original compositions and almost as many arrangements to his credit, Stevens is internationally renowned for his works for brass, particularly for solo tuba, euphonium and trombone, tuba/euphonium ensemble, brass quintet and other brass chamber combinations. He is the winner of numerous ASCAP awards and has received many composition grants and commissions. In 1997 he was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to compose a tuba concerto. This work, entitled JOURNEY, was premiered by the CSO, with tubist Gene Pokorny as soloist. Recent compositions include the CONCERTO FOR EUPHONIUM AND ORCHESTRA, SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS, a composition for wind band commissioned by a consortium of 14 American universities, and MONUMENT for Solo Tuba and Strings.
Saturday March 8, 8 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison.
The UW-Madison Faculty Concert Series presents cellist Parry Karp with guest pianist Eli Kallman, Works by Beethoven, Ettore Desderi, and Shostakovich/Lera Auerbach.
Parry Karp is an active solo artist, performing numerous recitals annually in the United States with pianists Howard and Frances Karp. Mr. Karp has played concerti throughout the United States and gave the first performance in Romania of Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo with the National Radio Orchestra in Bucharest in 2002. He is active as a performer of new music and has performed in the premieres of dozens of works, many of which were written for him, including concerti, sonatas and chamber music. He has recorded many works as a solo recording artist, and has transcribed and performed many musical masterpieces for the cello. As cellist of the Pro Arte Quartet since 1976, he has performed over 1000 concerts throughout North, Central and South America, Europe, and Japan. His discography with the group has been extensive, and many of these recordings have received awards from Fanfare and High Fidelity magazines. The Pro Arte Quartet was one of five finalists (the others were the Juilliard, Tokyo, and Emerson Quartets, and the Beaux Arts Trio) for the First Annual Arturo Toscanini Award in the Chamber Music Category. Mr. Karp had a visiting professorship at the University of British Columbia, and has been a visiting fellow at Princeton University. Former students of Mr. Karp’s are members of professional string quartets, major orchestras, and teachers in the United States.
Sunday March 9, 2 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison
A Tuba/Euphonium Extravaganza. The UW-Madison Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble.
Presenting the works of Prof. John Stevens, performed by current and former students.
Sunday March 9, 7:30 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison
The UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra with guest tubist Gene Pokorny of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and John Stevens, composer and guest conductor.
Performing Journey, a concerto for tuba written by UW Prof. John Stevens, originally commissioned and premiered in 2000 by Gene Pokorny and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Also performing works by Johannes Brahms – Academic Festival Overture and Symphony No. 2
Gene Pokorny has been a tuba player in the Chicago Symphony since 1989 and previously was a member of the Israel Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to playing film scores in Hollywood such as Jurassic Park and The Fugitive, he has played in chamber music, opera orchestras and orchestra festivals worldwide.
John Stevens has been professor of tuba and euphonium at UW-Madison since 1985 and was director of the School of Music from 1991-1996 and 2011-2013. He is also a member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. As a composer and arranger Stevens is internationally renowned for his works for brass, particularly for solo tuba, euphonium and trombone, tuba/euphonium ensemble, brass quintet and other brass chamber combinations. In addition to Journey, Stevens’ other compositions include the Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra composed for Brian Bowman, Symphony in Three Movements, a composition for wind band commissioned by a consortium of fourteen American universities, and Monument for solo tuba and strings, commissioned by tuba icon Roger Bobo in memory of the great LA studio tubist, the late Tommy Johnson.
Stevens has been a member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA) Executive Committee and was recently been awarded the ITEA’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor in his field. He has been featured as a composer/arranger, conductor, performer and competition judge at many of the international tuba euphonium conferences that have taken place in the past two decades, including thirteen years at the U.S. Army Band Tuba Euphonium Conference in Washington, DC. In recent years he has been a performer, teacher, composer and competition judge at festivals in Italy, Spain, Finland and France. Prof. Stevens is an ASCAP composer and has been sponsored as a performer by Willson Instruments. Prof. Stevens will retire from UW-Madison at the conclusion of this year.
Part of the Wisconsin Union Theater Concert Series.
http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/Season13-14/Gene-Pokorny.html
Tuesday March 11, 7:30 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison.
The UW-MAdison Guest Artists Series presents Andy Harnsberger, solo marimba, performing with members of the UW Western Percussion Ensemble.
Andy Harnsberger has performed as percussionist with numerous American orchestras, as well as the contemporary music ensemble “Currents”, and has toured extensively as percussionist and xylophone soloist with The Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band. He has also made several guest appearances on National Public Radio, both in interviews, and live performances to bring public awareness to the marimba as a solo instrument. Andy Harnsberger is Assistant Professor of Music and Percussion Coordinator at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee and is active throughout the year as a freelance percussionist and recitalist. He is in demand as a clinician across the country and internationally, presenting clinics and masterclasses at many universities each year. His compositions have been performed at PASIC and around the world and he is a recipient of the ASCAP PLUS award for his contributions to American Concert Music. Dr. Harnsberger earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he also received the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. Andy is a performing artist and clinician for Pearl Drums and Adams Musical Instruments, Innovative Percussion, Inc., Evans Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, Ltd., and Grover Pro Percussion.
Tuesday March 11, 7:30 pm at Morphy Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison.
Mark Kosower and Jee-Won Oh in concert with Eugene Purdue and Sally Chisholm
On the program:
The Mozart G Minor Piano Quartet and the Brahms C Minor Piano Quartet.
Mark Kosower will also offer a cello master class on March 12 in the afternoon, time TBD.
Mark Kosower, Principal Cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra, will be at the School of Music from March 10-12, performing piano quartets on the evening of March 11 with his wife pianist Jee-Won Oh, violinist Eugene Purdue, and violist Sally Chisholm. Mr. Kosower is also on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and previously at the San Francisco Conservatory. Mark is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has performed in Madison on many previous occasions.
Wednesday March 12, noon at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue, Madison.
Organ concert by Bruce Bengston.
Wednesday March 12, 7:30 pm at Mills Hall, 455 North Park Street, Madison.
The UW-Madison chamber Orchestra conducted by James Smith.
Lucient Variations, Michael Torke
Gli uccelli, Ottorino Respighi
Serenade No. 2, Johannes Brahms