Piatigorsky International Cello Festival Opens May 13
Co-Presenters USC Thornton School of Music and LA Philharmonic Celebrate Continued Partnership
Select Evening Recitals to be Live Streamed Online
Festival Celebrates Living Composers
May 3, 2016
The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with their partner, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and sponsors The Strad and KUSC-FM, present the second Piatigorsky International Cello Festival in Los Angeles May 13-22. The 26 visiting international cellists, ten pianists, three conductors, nine chamber ensembles-in-residence and 37 fellows, together with classical music lovers from all over the world, converge on Los Angeles for this unprecedented 10-day, 38-event Festival of concerts, workshops, masterclasses, lectures, panel discussions, and exhibitions. In addition, select evening concerts will be streamed live and available through the Piatigorsky Festival website. About the Festival, Deborah Borda, CEO and President of the LA Phil, states: “The Los Angeles Philharmonic is pleased to continue its long and fruitful relationship with the USC Thornton School of Music – our orchestra would not be the same without our USC Thornton graduates, and our partnership in presenting the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival is an occasion for celebration of our shared ongoing local, regional, national, and international musical contributions.”
Pictured: CEO and President of LA Phil Deborah Borda
Photo Credit: Vern Evans
Highlights of the Festival include the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Baroque Conversations Concert on May 21, which serves as the series finale for LACO’s Baroque Conversations Series; cellists Colin Carr, Thomas Demenga, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and Giovanni Sollima join LACO, committed Partner of the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, for a program including works by CPE Bach, Boccherini, Leo, Platti, and Vivaldi. This will be preceded by a free pre-concert panel discussion featuring former students of Gregor Piatigoraky, moderated by KUSC Executive Director Gail Eichenthal. The Colburn Celebrity Recital at Walt Disney Concert Hall on May 17 features pieces composed and arranged for the mass cello ensemble which is comprised of over 100 cellists. This ensemble gives the world premiere of Threads and Traces by Grammy-nominated British composer Anna Clyne, 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hindemith Prize. Representing the wealth of contemporary classical music written for the cello, ten pieces written only in the last 50 years are featured on various concerts. Among these pieces are Anne Wilson’s Lament, In Memory of Matthew Sheperd written following the tragedy that took place near Laramie, Wyoming, and Brett Dean’s Twelve Angry Men, which musically depicts the twelve jurors in the 1957 film of the same name by Sidney Lumet. The tradition of Gregor Piatigorsky, who was also an arranger and composer in addition to his accomplishments as a cellist, is carried out by Festival artist Giovanni Sollima, who performs an original Improvisation at the Gala Opening Concert on May 15. On May 19, audiences will hear Piatigorsky’s own composition, Paganini Variations performed by renowned cellist Zuill Bailey; Jeffrey Solow performs three Piatigorsky arrangements on May 20 at the Quintet+ Concert.
Pictured: Artistic Director Ralph Kirshbaum
Photo Credit: Steve Cohn
Cellists
Zuill Bailey
Colin Carr
Robert deMaine
Thomas Demenga
Sol Gabetta
David Geringas
Matt Haimovitz
Narek Hakhnazaryan
Frans Helmerson
Ralph Kirshbaum
Ronald Leonard
Laurence Lesser
Antonio Lysy
Yo-Yo Ma
Jens Peter Maintz
Mischa Maisky
Truls Mørk
Amit Peled
Li-Wei Qin
Jean-Guihen Queyras
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Andrew Shulman
Giovanni Sollima
Jeffrey Solow
Raphael Wallfisch
Wendy Warner
Pianists
Ayke Agus
Bernadene Blaha
Rina Dokshitsky
Kevin Fitz-Gerald
Jeffrey Kahane
Lily Maisky
Christopher O’Riley
Noreen Polera
Kathryn Stott
Robert Thies
Conductors
Matthew Aucoin
Uriel Segal
Leonard Slatkin
Ensembles
Attacca Quartet
Calder Quartet
Emerson Quartet
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles Philharmonic
SAKURA
Te Amo, Argentina
USC Thornton Wind Ensemble
USC Thornton Chamber Singers
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 13, 2016
LA Phil Concert
8:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Ralph Kirshbaum
Bloch: Schelomo
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Saturday, May 14, 2016
LA Phil Concert
8:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Truls Mørk
Rossini: William Tell Overture
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Sunday, May 15, 2016
LA Phil Concert
2:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Sol Gabetta
Rossini: William Tell Overture
Martinů: Cello Concerto No. 1 (1955 version)
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Gala Opening Concert – University of Southern California
4:30 PM | Bovard Auditorium
Jens Peter Maintz
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Giovanni Sollima
Antonio Lysy/Attacca Quartet
Haydn: Duo (Maintz and Schmidt)
Servais: Caprice sur des motifs de l’opéra Le Comte Ory, Op. 3 (Maintz and Schmidt)
Paganini: Moses Variations (Maintz and Schmidt)
Sollima: Improvisation (Sollima)
and: Te Amo, Argentina (Lysy and Attacca Quartet, featuring Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo, tango dancers, Benjamin Pendergrass, bass, Bryan Pezzone piano)
Colburn Celebrity Recital
7:30 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Yo-Yo Ma, with Kathryn Stott, piano
“Arc of Life” Suite:
BACH (ARR: GOUNOD): Ave Maria
SIBELIUS: Was it a dream?, Op. 37. No. 4
GADE: Tango Jalousie
DEBUSSY: Beau Soir
SCHUBERT: Ave Maria, D. 839
SHOSTAKOVICH: Sonata in D minor, Op. 40
Intermission
SOLLIMA: Il bell’Antonio
FRANCK: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
Monday, May 16, 2016
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Robert deMaine
Hindemith: Solo Sonata, Op. 25, No. 3
Cassadó: Suite
deMaine: Etudes-Caprices
Masterclass with Raphael Wallfisch
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Internationally lauded English cellist Raphael Wallfisch presents a masterclass.
Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Ronald Leonard, with Bernadene Blaha, piano
Calder Quartet/Giovanni Sollima
Bizet: Carmen Fantasy (arr. Werner Thomas-Methune) (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Boccherini: Adagio and Allegro (Leonard and Blaha)
Barber: Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 6 (Leonard and Blaha)
Boccherini: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 28, No. 4 (Calder Quartet and Sollima)
Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Frans Helmerson, with Kevin Fitz-Gerald, piano
Truls Mørk, with Bernadene Blaha, piano
Debussy: Sonate (Helmerson and Fitz-Gerald)
Rachmaninoff: Sonata (Helmerson and Fitz-Gerald)
Grieg: Intermezzo in A Minor (Mørk and Blaha)
Sibelius: Romance, Op. 78, No. 2 (Mørk and Blaha)
Grieg: Sonata in A Minor (Mørk and Blaha)
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Masterclass with Jens Peter Maintz
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Jens Peter Maintz, renowned German cellist, leads a masterclass.
Masterclass with Truls Mørk
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Distinguished Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk, awarded the 2010 Sibelius Prize, leads a masterclass.
Colburn Celebrity Recital
8:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Emerson Quartet/Ralph Kirshbaum
SAKURA Cello Ensemble and Guests
Mass Cello Ensemble/Matthew Aucoin, conductor
Schubert: String Quintet in C Major (Emerson Quartet and Kirshbaum)
Brett Dean: Twelve Angry Men (SAKURA Cello Ensemble and Guests)
Anna Clyne: Threads and Traces (Mass Cello Ensemble) (LA Phil Commission)
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 (Mass Cello Ensemble)
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Masterclass with Ronald Leonard
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Acclaimed American cellist Ronald Leonard, formerly holder of the prestigious Piatigorsky Endowed Chair in Violoncello at USC, leads a masterclass.
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, with Robert Thies, piano
Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Shostakovich: Sonata
Debussy: Beau Soir
Debussy-Becker: Minstrels
Masterclass with Mischa Maisky
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The celebrated Latvian-born Israeli cellist Mischa Maisky, who studied under Piatigorsky, leads a masterclass.
Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Laurence Lesser
Calder Quartet/Antonio Lysy
Dowland: M. George Whitehead his Almand (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Farmer: Fair Phyllis (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Gesualdo: Moro, Lasso (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Dowland: The Earl of Essex Galiard (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Bach: Suite No. 5 for Solo Cello, lute version (Lesser)
Onslow: String Quintet in C Minor, Op. 38, The Bullet (Calder Quartet and Lysy)
Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Sol Gabetta, with Kevin Fitz-Gerald, piano
David Geringas, with Rina Dokshitsky, piano
Calder Quartet
Chopin: Sonata, Op. 65 (Gabetta and Fitz-Gerald)
Chopin: Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 16a (Gabetta and Fitz-Gerald)
Schnittke: Sonata No. 1 (Geringas and Dokshitsky)
Vasks: The Book (Geringas)
Šenderovas: David’s Song (Geringas and Calder Quartet) (West Coast Premiere)
Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile (Geringas and Calder Quartet)
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Masterclass with Laurence Lesser
10:00AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The distinguished American cellist, former student and teaching assistant to Piatigorsky, leads a masterclass.
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Zuill Bailey, with Bernadene Blaha, piano
Boccherini: Sonata in C Major
Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
Piatigorsky: Paganini Variations
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp Minor
Foss: Capriccio
Masterclass with Thomas Demenga
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga, an internationally renowned soloist, composer and teacher, leads a masterclass.
Improvisation Workshop with Giovanni Sollima
5:30 PM |Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall (USC)
Italian composer and cellist Giovanni Sollima communicates music full of Mediterranean rhythms, with a melodic vein typically Italian in nature. He writes mainly for the cello and contributes significantly to the creation of new repertoire for the instrument. Sollima leads a workshop in improvisation geared towards helping cellists express themselves more fluently through their instruments.
Evening Concerto Concert
8:00 PM |Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Uriel Segal, conductor
David Geringas
Li-Wei Qin
Raphael Wallfisch
USC Thornton Chamber Singers
USC Thornton Wind Ensemble
Ibert: Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments (Wallfisch)
Gulda: Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra (Qin)
Gubaidulina: Canticle of the Sun for Cello, Chamber Choir and Percussion (Geringas)
Friday, May 20, 2016
Masterclass with Colin Carr
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Celebrated British cellist Colin Carr, who appears throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and teacher, shares his insights in a masterclass.
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Wendy Warner, with Rina Dokshitsky, piano
Brahms: Sonata in E Minor, Op. 38
Popper: Im Walde Suite, Op. 50
Masterclass with Jean-Guihen Queyras
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Internationally acclaimed French-Canadian cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras leads a masterclass.
Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Jeffrey Solow, with Ayke Agus, piano
Calder Quartet/Frans Helmerson
Anne Wilson: Lament, In Memory of Matthew Sheperd (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Haydn-Piatigorsky: Divertimento in D (Solow and Agus)
Schubert-Piatigorsky: Introduction, Theme and Variations, Op. 82, No. 2 (Solow and Agus)
Weber-Piatigorsky: Sonata in A (Solow and Agus)
Taneyev: String Quintet in G Major, Op. 14 (Calder Quartet and Helmerson)
Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Matt Haimovitz, with Christopher O’Riley, piano
Mischa Maisky, with Lily Maisky, piano
Philip Glass: The Orchard (Haimovitz and O’Riley)
Radiohead: Pyramid Song (arr. Christopher O’Riley) (Haimovitz and O’Riley)
Kino: Kukushka (arr. Christopher O’Riley) (Haimovitz and O’Riley)
Prokofiev: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 119 (Haimovitz and O’Riley)
Webern: Two Pieces for Cello and Piano (Maisky and Maisky)
Webern: Three Little Pieces, Op. 11 (Maisky and Maisky)
Messiaen: Louange à l’Eternité de Jésus (Maisky and Maisky)
Messiaen: Louange à l’Immortalité de Jésus (Maisky and Maisky)
Britten: Sonata in C, Op. 65 (Maisky and Maisky)
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Masterclass with Ralph Kirshbaum
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Piatigorsky International Cello Festival artistic director Ralph Kirshbaum leads students in a masterclass.
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Amit Peled, with Noreen Polera, piano
Handel: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor
Kopytman: Kaddish for Cello and Piano
Tsintsadze: Five Folk Pieces for Cello and Piano
Auerbach: La Suite del Ocells (West Coast Premiere)
Masterclass with David Geringas
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
One of the most versatile performers and respected teachers in the world today, Lithuanian cellist David Geringas leads a masterclass.
Remembering Piatigorsky
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Four of Piatigorsky’s outstanding former students – Laurence Lesser, Mischa Maisky, Jeffrey Solow, and Raphael Wallfisch – celebrate the career of their great teacher through film and panel discussion, moderated by KUSC Executive Director Gail Eichenthal.
Evening Concert – Baroque Conversations
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Colin Carr
Thomas Demenga
Jean-Guihen Queyras
Giovanni Sollima
Platti: Cello Concerto in D Minor, D-WD 657 (Queyras)
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in C Minor, RV 401(Carr)
Boccherini: Cello Concerto in G Major, G. 480 (Demenga)
Leo: Cello Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, L. 60 (Sollima)
CPE Bach: Cello Concerto in A Major, H. 439 (Queyras)
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Young Cellists Workshop
9:00 AM | Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall (USC)
Internationally recognized artist Antonio Lysy leads a workshop for young, emerging cellists. The Young Cellists will complete the workshop with a performance, free to the public.
Forum on Fine Instruments
11:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
This forum on fine instruments, hosted by Festival Artistic Director Ralph Kirshbaum and Festival artist Antonio Lysy, offers information and suggestions to help players find and purchase fine instruments. Expert advice will be provided by a distinguished panel of makers and dealers which includes Eric Benning, Simon Morris, Bruno Price, Jason Price, and Christopher Reuning.
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Narek Hakhnazaryan, with Noreen Polera, piano
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70
Brahms: Sonata in F Major, Op. 99
Ligeti: Sonata for Solo Cello
Khachaturian: Lullaby
Paganini: Variations on 1 String on a Theme by Rossini, “Moses”
Masterclass with Frans Helmerson
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The highly esteemed Swedish cellist and pedagogue, Frans Helmerson, leads a masterclass.
Lecture: Don’t be an Urtext Victim
6:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Jeffrey Solow
In this featured lecture, Jeffrey Solow challenges some of the assumptions that musicians make when relying on urtext editions to dig deeper into the composer’s work. Instead, he argues, musicians can reach a more informed place of performance through research, logic, and intuition.
Piatigorsky International Cello Festival: Closing Gala
Beethoven Sonatas and Variations for Cello
7:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Colin Carr, Thomas Demenga, Matt Haimovitz, Ronald Leonard, Laurence Lesser, Mischa Maisky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Andrew Shulman, with pianists Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Jeffrey Kahane, Lily Maisky, and Christopher O’Riley
The closing concert of the Festival presents the complete works for cello and piano
by Beethoven, each performed by a different renowned cellist.
Beethoven: Sonata in F Major, Op. 5, No. 1 (Leonard and Fitz-Gerald)
Beethoven: Variations in E flat Major (Lesser and Fitz-Gerald)
Beethoven: Sonata in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1 (Demenga and Blaha)
Beethoven: Sonata in A Major, Op. 69 (Carr and Blaha)
Beethoven: Variations in F Major (Haimovitz and O’Riley)
Beethoven: Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2 (Maisky and Maisky)
Beethoven: Variations in G Major (Shulman and Kahane)
Beethoven: Sonata in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2 (Queyras and Kahane)
For more information on purchasing single or package tickets, please visit piatigorskyfestival.usc.edu/tickets/.
