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PRESS CONTACTS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO TOUR TO CHINA AND JAPAN PERFORMANCES IN BEIJING (5/1 & 2), SHANGHAI (5/4), AND GUANGZHOU (5/6) MARK ORCHESTRA’S LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO CHINA SINCE ITS HISTORIC TOUR THERE IN 1979, WHEN THE BSO WAS THE FIRST U.S. ORCHESTRA TO VISIT CHINA AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BSO RETURNS TO JAPAN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1999, PERFORMING CONCERTS IN TOUR PROGRAMS TO FEATURE JANINE JANSEN IN TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO AND PIANIST BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV IN RACHMANINOFF’S RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI; TOUR REPERTOIRE TO INCLUDE MAHLER’S AND TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH SYMPHONIES, MOZART’S SYMPHONY NO. 38, “PRAGUE,” AND A BSO SIGNATURE WORK, BERLIOZ’SSYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE, AS WELL AS MUSIC THE 2014 BSO ASIA TOUR IS SPONSORED BY EMC CORPORATION, LEAD SPONSOR, AND STATE STREET CORPORATION, SUPPORTING SPONSOR The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Lorin Maazel, will make long-awaited returns to Japan and China, during a scheduled tour to those countries May 1-10. Performances in Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts (5/1&2), the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, (5/4), and the Guangzhou Opera House (5/6) will mark the BSO’s first performances in China since the orchestra made its historic 1979 tour there as the first U.S. orchestra to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Boston Symphony Orchestra will follow these performances with three concerts in Tokyo—the first BSO concerts in Japan since the orchestra’s last tour there with Seiji Ozawa in 1999—with performances in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (5/8) and Suntory Hall (5/9 & 10).
Violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Behzod Abduraimov will join the BSO and Lorin Maazel for several of the tour performances: Ms. Jansen’s will perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in Tokyo on May 8 and 9; Mr. Abduraimov will perform Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Beijing on May 1, Shanghai on May 4, and Guangzhou on May 6. Tour repertoire will also include symphonies of Mahler (No. 5), Tchaikovsky (No. 5), and Mozart (No. 38, Prague), and a BSO signature work, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, as well as Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Glinka’s Overture to Russlan and Ludmila. Click here for complete programs (full concert programs listed at end of release). Click here for a press kit for the BSO’s concerts in Japan, and here for a press kit for the BSO’s concerts in China. For further information about the Boston Symphony Orchestra, visit www.bso.org. QUOTE FROM MARK VOLPE, BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA “It is especially gratifying for the BSO to perform again in China after its historic trip there in 1979, as we will be returning to a country that has been dramatically transformed culturally and economically since our visit there 35 years ago. And it is always thrilling for the orchestra to perform for its loyal audiences in Tokyo, where the BSO appeared so often during Mr. Ozawa’s 29-year tenure with the orchestra. We promise not to let too much time go by before returning to these wonderful places again, including visits with the BSO’s new music director Andris Nelsons, who begins his tenure full time next fall. On an important final note, I must express our deep gratitude to EMC Corporation and State Street Corporation for all their support in making this tour possible.” QUOTE FROM JOE TUCCI, EMC CORPORATION QUOTE FROM JACK KLINCK, STATE STREET CORPORATION PREVIOUS BOSTON SYMPHONY TOURS TO JAPAN AND CHINA The BSO and Japan The BSO’s 2014 tour to China and Japan has been organized by Harrison Parrott, Ltd. (www.harrisonparrott.com); HarrisonParrott has been very active in China since the late 1990s and in Japan since the 1970s arranging in both countries an ever growing program of artists and orchestra tours. AMATI Inc. (www.amati-tokyo.com) has been an organizational partner for the BSO concerts in Tokyo. The BSO’s press representative for concerts in China is Joanna Lee; [email protected]. The press representative for concerts in Tokyo is Kayoko Inoue; [email protected]. The BSO’s Director of Public Relations is Bernadette Horgan; [email protected]; 617-638-9280. The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s website is www.bso.org. Lorin Maazel The years 2014 and 2015 will host events world-wide to celebrate Maestro Maazel’s 85th birthday and his 60 years as a performing artist. Among the participating orchestras: Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. From Beijing to St. Petersburg, from London to Hong Kong, the Maestro will be making music for his devoted fans. He has also agreed to perform his own music, which he has heretofore been reluctant to do despite its being so well received. The stats for 2013 show the Maestro conducting 111 concerts with 11 different orchestras on tour to thirty cities. 2014 and 2015 will see a major increase in these numbers. But, as he repeatedly states in his blog www.maestromaazel.com, it’s the quality of the music-making that counts and the passing on of his love for music to the young who must hold high in the coming years the torch of the Performing Arts. The Castleton Festival is where the Maestro’s heart is. As the music soars, he rejoices in seeing young players, singers and conductors be transported to unimagined realms. Maestro’s skills as Music Director and conductor were honed during the years of his tenure as Artistic Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and General Manager of the Vienna State Opera, as Music Director of the Radio Symphony of Berlin, the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. The Castleton Festival now benefits from his six decades at the helm. The Maestro has been awarded Commandeur de la Lgion d’honneur twice in France, the Bundesverdienstkreuz in Germany, the Premio Abbiati in Italy, the Commander of the Lion in Finland, the Groes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen fr Verdienste um die Republik sterreich as well as the Honorary Membership of the Wiener Philharmoniker and Wiener Staatsoper in Austria, the Honorary Life Membership of the Israel Philharmonic in Israel, and together with Mae West and Pope John Paul II, the title of Kentucky Colonel. Janine Jansen Particularly renowned for her success in the digital music charts, Ms. Jansen records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Future releases include an album of J.S. Bach concertos and sonatas. Past recordings include Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski; the Beethoven and Britten concertos with Paavo Jrvi; Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos with Riccardo Chailly, and Tchaikovsky’s concerto with Daniel Harding. Janine has also recently released a chamber project disc, including Schubert’s String Quintet and Schoenberg’s Verklrte Nacht, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of her International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht. Janine Jansen’s numerous awards include four Edison Klassiek Awards, three Echo Klassik awards, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the NDR Musikpreis for outstanding artistic achievement, and, most recently, the Concertgebouw Prize. She has been given the VSCD Klassieke Muziekprijs for individual achievement and the RPS Instrumentalist Award for performances in the United Kingdom. She studied with Coosje Wijzenbeek, Philipp Hirshhorn, and Boris Belkin. The outstanding instrument she plays is the “Barrere” by Antonio Stradivari (1727), on extended loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation. Behzod Abduraimov An exclusive Decca artist, Behzod Abduraimov released his debut recital CD on Decca Classics in 2012, earning both the Choc de Classica and the Diapason Dcouverte. At age eighteen, with a notable performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, he won first prize in the 2009 London International Piano Competition. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, Behzod Abduraimov began to play the piano at the age of five. He was a pupil of Tamara Popovich at the Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent, and is currently at the International Center for Music at Park University, Kansas City, studying with Stanislav Ioudenitch. A Brief History of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Today the BSO reaches millions of listeners, not only through its concert performances in Boston and at Tanglewood, but also via the internet, radio, television, educational programs, recordings, and tours. It commissions works from today’s most important composers; its summer season at Tanglewood in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts is among the world’s most important music festivals; it helps develop future audiences through BSO Youth Concerts and educational outreach programs involving the entire Boston community; and, during the Tanglewood season, it operates the Tanglewood Music Center, one of the world’s most important training grounds for young professional-caliber musicians. The Boston Symphony Chamber Players, made up of BSO principals, are known worldwide, and the Boston Pops Orchestra—with its cabaret style festive atmosphere and food and drink served during the concerts—setsan international standard for performances of lighter music. The BSO’s winter season and the Boston Pops holiday and spring seasons take place in Boston’s Symphony Hall, widely acclaimed for its great acoustics and considered among the top concert halls in the world. Launched in 1996, the BSO’s website, bso.org, is the largest and most-visited orchestral website in the United States, receiving approximately 7 million visitors annually on its full site as well as its smart phone-/mobile device-friendly web format. The BSO is also on Facebook and Twitter, and video content from the BSO is available on YouTube. An expansion of the BSO’s educational activities has also played a key role in strengthening the orchestra’s commitment to, and presence within, its surrounding communities. Through its Education and Community Engagement programs, the BSO provides individuals of all backgrounds the opportunity to develop and build relationships with the BSO and orchestral music. In addition, the BSO offers a variety of free educational programs at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, as well as special initiatives aimed at attracting young audience members. The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert on October 22, 1881, under Georg Henschel, who remained as conductor until 1884. For nearly twenty years, BSO concerts were held in the old Boston Music Hall; Symphony Hall, one of the world’s most revered concert halls, opened on October 15, 1900. Henschel was succeeded by the German-born and -trained conductors Wilhelm Gericke, Arthur Nikisch, Emil Paur, and Max Fiedler, culminating in the appointment of the legendary Karl Muck, who served two tenures, 1906-08 and 1912-18. In 1915 the orchestra made its first transcontinental trip, playing thirteen concerts at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Henri Rabaud, engaged as conductor in 1918, was succeeded a year later by Pierre Monteux. These appointments marked the beginning of a French tradition maintained, even during the Russian-born Serge Koussevitzky’s tenure (1924-49), with the employment of many French-trained musicians. It was in 1936 that Koussevitzky led the orchestra’s first concerts in the Berkshires; he and the players took up annual summer residence at Tanglewood a year later. Koussevitzky passionately shared Major Higginson’s dream of “a good honest school for musicians,” and in 1940 that dream was realized with the founding of the Berkshire Music Center (now called the Tanglewood Music Center). Koussevitzky was succeeded in 1949 by Charles Munch, who continued supporting contemporary composers, introduced much French music to the repertoire, and led the BSO on its first international tours. In 1956, the BSO, under the direction of Charles Munch, was the first American orchestra to tour the Soviet Union. Erich Leinsdorf began his term as music director in 1962, to be followed in 1969 by William Steinberg. Seiji Ozawa became the BSO’s thirteenth music director in 1973. His historic twenty-nine-year tenure extended until 2002, when he was named Music Director Laureate. In 1979, the BSO, under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, was the first American orchestra to tour mainland China after the normalization of relations. Bernard Haitink, named principal guest conductor in 1995 and Conductor Emeritus in 2004, has led the BSO in Boston, New York, at Tanglewood, and on tour in Europe, as well as recording with the orchestra. Previous principal guest conductors of the orchestra included Michael Tilson Thomas, from 1972 to 1974, and the late Sir Colin Davis, from 1972 to 1984. The first American-born conductor to hold the position, James Levine was the BSO’s music director from 2004 to 2011. Levine led the orchestra in wide-ranging programs that included works newly commissioned for the orchestra’s 125th anniversary, particularly from significant American composers; issued a number of live concert performances on the orchestra’s own label, BSO Classics; taught at the Tanglewood Music Center; and in 2007 led the BSO in an acclaimed tour of European music festivals. In May 2013, a new chapter in the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was initiated when the internationally acclaimed young Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons was announced as the BSO’s next music director, a position he takes up in the 2014-15 season, following a year as music director designate. Today, the Boston Symphony Orchestra continues to fulfill and expand upon the vision of its founder Henry Lee Higginson, not only through its concert performances, educational offerings, and internet presence, but also through its expanding use of virtual and electronic media in a manner reflecting the BSO’s continuing awareness of today’s modern, ever-changing, 21st-century world. For further information about the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s many activities, visit www.bso.org. EMC CORPORATION STATE STREET CORPORATION Boston Symphony Orchestra Tour Itinerary to China and Japan, May 1-10 Thursday, May 1 Friday, May 2 Sunday, May 4 Tuesday, May 6 Thursday, May 8 Friday, May 9 Saturday, May 10 |
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