Alisa Weilerstein Premieres Two Concertos Written For Her, Releases Duo CD, and More in 2015-16

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Alisa Weilerstein Premieres Two Concertos Written For Her, Releases Duo CD, and More in 2015-16

“Weilerstein is truly a phenomenon”

The Telegraph (UK)               

For MacArthur “genius grant” fellowship-winning cellist Alisa Weilerstein, the 2015-16 season holds world premiere performances of two significant new concertos written especially for her. With the Chicago Symphony, she premieres Pascal Dusapin’s new concerto, titled Outscape, before giving its first European performances with the Stuttgart State Opera Orchestra. The premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s concerto with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra will feature the composer on the podium, and is followed by a reprise with Cologne’s WDR Symphony Orchestra. On October 2, she releases her first recording with longtime and exclusive duo partner, pianist Inon Barnatan, on Decca, featuring the Chopin and Rachmaninov cello sonatas as well as shorter works by both composers. Following the release of the album, the two artists will embark on a seven-city tour in November, in venues ranging from London’s Wigmore Hall to the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, with stops in Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, Bonn and Hamburg. In early February they reunite in the U.S. for two more appearances: in Fort Worth for one of the Cliburn Concerts and at Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall.

Filling out Weilerstein’s fall lineup are performances of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Barcelona Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Pablo Heras-Casado, where it will be recorded live and paired with Shostakovich’s first cello concerto for future release. In January, she presents the Elgar concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra – Weilerstein’s debut with the company – again under Heras-Casado.

In the spring, she will give two accounts of the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.  Her season schedule also includes one performance each of the Hindemith, Dvorák and Barber concertos; and two performances of the Prokofiev Sinfonia concertante, including one with the Czech Philharmonic and Jirí Belohlávek, her partners for last year’s Decca recording, Dvorák. She plays the Schumann concerto with the Orchestre de Paris and Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as in three German cities with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.

An exclusive Decca recording artist since 2010, the cellist’s debut release included both the Elgar and Elliott Carter concertos, and was named “Recording of the Year” by BBC Music, which featured her on the cover of its May 2014 issue.

In a review of a duo performance with Barnatan that included the Chopin sonata, the New York Times characterized Weilerstein as “a throwback to an earlier age of classical performers: not content merely to serve as a vessel for the composer’s wishes, she inhabits a piece fully and turns it to her own ends.” As attested by the concertos written for her by Pascal Dusapin and Matthias Pintscher to be premiered this season, this quality as a performer is as valuable for new compositions as for the canonical works the Times had in mind. Reflecting on the opportunity to premiere new music, Weilerstein confesses:

“Bringing these two new concertos to life is both a wonderful and scary challenge. These are two of today’s greatest musical voices, and being handed a freshly inked score that these composers wrote specifically for me is a huge privilege and responsibility. Matthias [Pintscher] frequently refers to the concerto as ‘our baby’ – and that describes the weight of responsibility I feel for the work. Matthias and Pascal [Dusapin] are very different in many ways, but both are true collaborators, who are very open to working with a soloist. I take great pride in their confidence in me.”
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Alisa Weilerstein 2015-16 season highlights:

  • Oct: Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 in Munich with Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado
  • Oct: Prokofiev Sinfonia concertante in Prague with Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Jirí Belohlávek.
  • Nov: Duo recitals with pianist Inon Barnatan in seven European cities: Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Bonn, Hamburg and London. Works by Beethoven, Barber, Janácek, and Rachmaninoff.
  • Jan: Elgar Cello Concerto at her London Symphony Orchestra debut, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado.
  • Feb: Recitals with Inon Barnatan in Fort Worth and Stanford.
  • Feb: World premiere of Pintscher Cello Concerto, written for Weilerstein, with Danish National Orchestra conducted by Matthias Pintscher.
  • May: World premiere of Dusapin Cello Concerto, written for Weilerstein, with Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Cristian Macelaru.
  • June: European premiere of Dusapin Cello Concerto with Stuttgart Opera Orchestra.

Alisa Weilerstein 2015-16 engagements

Oct 1 & 2
Munich, Germany
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Pablo Heras-Casado (Live Recording)
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 2

Oct 7, 8, 9
Prague, Czech Republic
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Jirí Belohlávek
PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia concertante

Oct 16, 17, 18
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra / Diego Matheuz
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 2

Oct 22
Glasgow, UK
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Payare
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 2

Oct 24
Leeds, UK
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Payare
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 2

Nov 5
Brussels, Belgium
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (Bozar)
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A major
BARBER: Sonata for cello and piano
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Nov 6
Paris, France
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Auditorium du Louvre
SCHUBERT: Fantasie in C major, D. 934
HALLMAN: DreamLog
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Nov 10
Copenhagen, Denmark
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Mogens Dahl Koncertsal
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A Major
POULENC: Sonata or BARBER: Sonata
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Nov 12
Istanbul, Turkey
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A Major
POULENC: Sonata
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G Minor

Nov 13
Bonn, Germany
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Beethoven-Haus
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A Major
POULENC: Sonata
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Nov 14
London, UK
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Wigmore Hall
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A Major
POULENC: Sonata
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G Minor

Nov 15
Hamburg, Germany
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 3 in A Major
BARBER: Sonata
JANÁCEK: Pohádka
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Nov 23
Boston, MA
Trio in Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory of Music

Dec 4, 5
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Payare
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 2

Dec 8
New York, NY
Trio at Juilliard

Dec 11, 12, 13
San Diego, CA
San Diego Symphony / Jahja Ling
BRAHMS: Concerto in A minor for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 102 (with Jeff Thayer, violin)

Jan 7
Paris, France
Orchestre de Paris / Cornelius Meister
SCHUMANN: Concerto

Jan 13
Geneva, Switzerland
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Ilyich Rivas
TCHAIKOVSKY: Rococo Variations

Jan 14
Lausanne, Switzerland
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Ilyich Rivas
TCHAIKOVSKY: Rococo Variations

Jan 17
London, UK
London Symphony Orchestra / Pablo Heras-Casado
ELGAR: Cello Concerto

Jan 28
Liverpool, UK
Liverpool Philharmonic / Vasily Petrenko
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

Feb 4
Fort Worth, TX
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Van Cliburn Foundation/Cliburn Concerts
Kimbell Art Museum

Feb 6
Stanford, CA
Recital with Inon Barnatan
Bing Concert Hall
DEBUSSY: Sonata for Cello and Piano
CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G Minor
HALLMAN: DreamLog
RACHMANINOV: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 19

Feb 17
Birmingham, UK
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Payare
PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia concertante

Feb 25, 26
Copenhagen, Denmark
Danish National Symphony Orchestra / Matthias Pintscher
PINTSCHER: Concerto (World Premiere)

March 3, 4
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra / Marek Janowski
HINDEMITH: Cello Concerto

March 6
Munich, Germany
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
HAYDN: Cello Concerto in C Major
HAYDN: Cello Concerto in D Major
VERDI: Quartet for 2 Violins, Viola, and Cello

March 19
Florence, Italy
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino / Alpesh Chauhan
DUTILLEUX: Tout un monde lointain…

April 1, 2
Hamburg, Germany
NDR Symphony Orchestra / Fabien Gabel
DUTILLEUX: Tout un monde lointain…

April 7
Gävle, Sweden
Gävle Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Payare
DVORÁK: Cello Concerto, Op. 104

April 13, 14
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz / Karen Kamensek
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

April 15
Landau, Germany
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz / Karen Kamensek
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

April 16
Wiesbaden, Germany
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz / Karen Kamensek
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

May 7
Cologne, Germany
WDR Sinfonieorchester / Matthias Pintscher
PINTSCHER: Concerto

May 12, 13, 14
Washington, DC
National Symphony Orchestra / James MacMillan
BARBER: Cello Concerto

May 26, 27, 28, 29, 31
Chicago, IL
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Cristian Macelaru
DUSAPIN: Outscape (World Premiere, CSO co-commission)

June 13
Madrid, Spain
Solo Recital

June 19, 20
Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart Opera Orchestra / Markus Stenz
DUSAPIN: Outscape (European Premiere)

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