Vladimir Feltsman returns to play Brahms 2 with symphony

Oct 13, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow: 464-7071

SPOKANE— Music Director Eckart Preu and the Spokane Symphony will perform a wonderful blend of the familiar and the unexpected on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.  World renowned Vladimir Feltsman, whom the New York Times called “Quite simply an amazing pianist,” will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.  

In the past, “Symphony on the Edge” attendees were delighted by one movement of Bohuslav Martinu’s Double Concerto for Strings, Piano and Timpani, and Preu treats us to the complete work.  With the support of Paul Sacher, one of the greatest benefactors of composers in the twentieth century, Czech composer Martinu completed the Concerto in 1938 on the day the Munich Pact was signed. The Concerto is patterned after the Baroque concerto grosso, featuring a piano solo in each movement. The first movement uses syncopated rhythms contribute to the sense of being swept up by a force over which one has no control. The second movement, marked Largo, is a lament based on a freely developed single theme. The violent mood returns in the final movement, but concludes with the theme from the lament, a final statement of mourning before the cataclysm of the inevitable war.

The first half of the program concludes with Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 5 a confection of fresh sounds, textures, dance rhythms and gorgeous melodies.  One of the foremost composers of the nineteenth century, Dvorák remained unknown until his discovery by of Johannes Brahms, who promoted Dvorák to his own publisher. Now in his thirties, Dvorák had composed a wide variety of work without recognition while playing principal viola in Prague’s new Provincial Theatre Orchestra, including his Symphony No. 5. Thirteen years later, after Dvorák had become famous, his publisher unabashedly released the symphony as a recently composed work. The Fifth is the first symphony in Dvorák’s own voice, freely incorporating folk elements into his music, utilizing characteristic peasant rhythms and melodic motives yet never actually quoting entire folk melody.

The second half of the program features Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, which blends the depth and breadth of a symphony with the virtuosity of a concerto. Unlike his first piano concerto, written when he was a young composer still very unsure of himself, especially in the art of orchestration, the Second was written by a revered master, “the foremost exponent in Germany of musical art” who was sure of his powers. One of the most gigantic piano concertos ever written with an "extra" fourth movement to boot, Brahms is said to have referred to it jokingly as "The long terror." In contrast to the stormy First Concerto, the B-flat Concerto is comparatively optimistic in mood, except for the passionate outburst of the Scherzo. In addition to the piano soloist, played by Vladimir Feltsman, if features the horn and the cello soloists, who enjoy a special intimate relationship with the principal soloist.

Pianist and conductor Vladimir Feltsman is one of the most versatile and constantly interesting musicians of our time. His vast repertoire encompasses music from the Baroque to 20th-century composers. A regular guest soloist with leading symphony orchestras in the United States and abroad, he appears in the most prestigious concert series and music festivals all over the world. Highlights of the last few seasons include performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Moscow Virtuosi Orchestra, the American Classical Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris. Festival appearances include the Hollywood Bowl Festival, the Caramoor Music Festival in upstate New York, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Born in Moscow in 1952, Feltsman debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11. In 1971, he won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris; extensive touring throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe and Japan followed this. In 1979, because of his growing discontent with the restrictions on artistic freedom under the Soviet regime, Feltsman signaled his intention to emigrate by applying for an exit visa. In response, he was immediately banned from performing in public and his recordings were suppressed.

After eight years of virtual artistic exile, he was finally granted permission to leave the Soviet Union. Upon his arrival in the United States in 1987, he was warmly greeted at the White House, where he performed his first recital in North America. That same year, his debut at Carnegie Hall established him as a major pianist on the American and international scene. Feltsman is now an American citizen and lives in upstate New York.

Tickets for either performance are $22, $32, $40, and $44. Tickets are available in advance at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, located at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.spokanesymphony.org Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT.

This concert has been underwritten by Harriet and William Fix and The Johnston Fix Foundation.