| 92nd Street Y Announces Programming for 2016/17 Season HANNA ARIE-GAIFMAN, DIRECTOR |
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February 24, 2016
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Six New York premieres including 92Y co-commission from Pat Metheny, works by Mohammed Fairouz, George Tsontakis, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Jörg Widmann and an arrangement by Peter Serkin of Brahms’ Eleven Chorale-Preludes, Op. 122; and 20 artist debuts Opening Night with Jeremy Denk and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, October 15 Art of the Guitar & Guitar Marathon Art of the Guitar Special Event Bach Odyssey Soundspace Distinguished Artists Masters of the Keyboard Chamber Ensembles Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists *See below for chronological listing of concerts* |
| New York, NY—92nd Street Y today announced concert programming for the 2016/17 season, which features some of the world’s most renowned artists in 92Y’s acoustically rich Kaufmann Concert Hall and atmospheric Buttenwieser Hall. 92Y is proud to present performances in which artists are able to engage and inspire audiences through a wide and varied repertoire from across musical eras.
Pianist Angela Hewitt begins her Bach Odyssey—a four-year survey of the complete keyboard works by J.S. Bach, which will also be presented by London’s Wigmore Hall. Soundscape returns for its second season, presenting three concerts of both young and established musicians in boundary-pushing programs. Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists continues in its third season, offering recitals by three young artists selected by Sir András Schiff. The 2016/17 season also features New York premieres of a 92Y co-commission by Pat Metheny, and of works by Mohammed Fairouz, George Tsontakis, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Jörg Widmann, as well as an arrangement by Peter Serkin of Brahms’ Eleven Chorale-Preludes, Op. 122; and debuts by 20 distinguished artists on the 92Y stages. In addition to this broad array of artists and programming, 92Y continues to present its established and highly-regarded series, such as Distinguished Artists, Masters of the Keyboard, Chamber Ensembles, and Art of the Guitar. These series continually reinforce 92Y’s position as a presenter that collaborates closely with its performing artists to bring audiences engaging and passionately performed programs of a rich variety of repertoire from the past and the present. The excellence in quality and program innovation continues to be a standard bearer in New York’s cultural community. Ms. Arie-Gaifman notes: “We have an exciting season planned, which runs the gamut from renowned virtuosi to fast-rising artists of the new classical generation. I am particularly pleased that we are offering six New York premieres and the 92Y debuts of over ten artists. There is a wide range of artistic vision—from complete Bach cycles to juxtapositions of Renaissance and 21st century music—and high-quality musicianship represented this season, with something for everyone to enjoy.” 92Y continues to extend the reach of its concert series with the Concerts Schools Project, which provides public high-school music students greater access to musical performances and world-renowned artists—both at 92Y Concerts and in their classrooms. This is just one of the offerings from 92Y’s Center for Educational Outreach, which includes the flagship Musical Introduction Series as well as programs in visual arts, literature and dance. SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: |
| Full program details are available in the chronological listing. |
| OPENING NIGHT CONCERT Jeremy Denk and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra—October 15, 2016 The 2016/17 season at 92Y opens with the 92Y debut of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO), with illustrious pianist Jeremy Denk, the SPCO’s current Artistic Partner, as soloist. The program features the New York premiere of a new work for chamber orchestra by George Tsontakis, Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 2. This performance marks the first in New York by the SPCO in five years, and its exclusive NYC appearance in 2016/17. |
| BACH ODYSSEY Angela Hewitt, piano—October 27 and 30, 2016; April 4, 2017 Angela Hewitt, “the outstanding Bach pianist of her generation” (The Sunday Times, London), showcases her skills as one of the world’s foremost performers and interpreters of Bach’s music with a four-season survey of his complete keyboard works, which she previously recorded for the Hyperion label to great acclaim. In 2016/17, the first season of the project, three recital programs include the six complete French Suites (October 30), Partitas and Sonatas (April 4) and a varied program of Inventions, Sinfonias, Cappriccios and Fantasias (October 27). |
| SOUNDSPACE
Soundspace is a series of three concerts in Buttenwieser Hall that showcases innovative and boundary-pushing programs by the next generation of great artists in an informal setting. |
| Variation Trio—February 8, 2017 Comprised of violinist Jennifer Koh, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and cellist Wilhelmina Smith, the Variation Trio makes its 92Y debut in 2016/17. The Variation Trio’s program opens with György Kurtág’s Selections from Signs, Games and Messages, a set of 19 small pieces, followed by Kaija Saariaho’s Cloud Trio. Los Angeles-based composer Andrew Norman’s The Companion Guide to Rome closes the program. |
| Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord—March 21, 2017 The Times of London wrote, “…the Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani gave a revelatory recital…extraordinary performances of extraordinary works.” Esfahani offers a unique program that juxtaposes early and modern music for harpsichord in his 92Y debut: Cowell’s Set of Four, Tomkins’ Pavan, Bull’s Hexachord Fantasia, Farnaby’s Woody-Cock, Kalabis’ Three Aquarelles, Kaija Saariaho’s Le jardin secret II for harpsichord and tape, Bach’s Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911, and Steve Reich’s Piano Phase. |
| Ariel Quartet—April 26, 2017 Formed in Israel 16 years ago when the artists were students there, the Ariel Quartet has since performed extensively throughout Europe, Israel and North America. The Quartet serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where they direct the chamber music program and perform their own annual series of concerts. For their 92Y performance this season, they present a program featuring the NY premiere of a work by American composer Mohammed Fairouz, as well as works by Israeli composer Menachem Wiesenberg (Between the Sacred and the Profane) and Beethoven (String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132). A recent New York Times review praised their performance of a Beethoven quartet, saying, “It was in Haydn and early Beethoven that the group was most potent, with a gift for filling the pristine structures of Classicism with fire.” |
| DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS SERIES |
| Isabelle Faust (92Y debut) with pianist Alexander Melnikov—November 19, 2016 German violinist Isabelle Faust is joined by her recital and recording partner, Alexander Melnikov, for her 92Y debut. Described as having a sound with “passion, grit and electricity but also a disarming warmth and sweetness” by The New York Times, Faust offers a program of sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms and Busoni. |
| Kremerata Baltica and Gidon Kremer, violin—February 2, 2017 In 1997, violinist Gidon Kremer presented the first-ever performance by Kremerata Baltica, a new chamber orchestra comprising outstanding young players from the Baltic states—Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia—selected by Kremer through a rigorous audition process. Since then, the group has become known for its adventurous and creative programming and its acclaimed recordings. In 2016/17, the group returns, with Kremer as soloist, to 92Y for a program celebrating Kremer’s 70th birthday. Repertoire for this evening reflects Kremer’s personal take on Russia and its artistic heritage, featuring music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, Polish-Russian composer Mieczysław Weinberg, and Tchaikovsky, as well as Mussorgsky, whose Pictures at an Exhibition is arranged for chamber orchestra and features visuals of original paintings by Russian painter and philosopher Maxim Kantor. |
| Christian Tetzlaff, violin and Lars Vogt, piano—February 15, 2017 Distinguished violinist Christian Tetzlaff and frequent collaborator, pianist Lars Vogt—both of whom have earned reputations for inquisitive and fearless programming—present a recital at 92Y that features the New York premiere of a new work by Jörg Widmann, as well as music by Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. Of a recent performance together, the Chicago Tribune reported that, “Whatever the time period and style of the music, violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt excelled.” |
| Alisa Weilerstein, cello—April 22, 2017 Recipient of a 2011 MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship, Alisa Weilerstein returns to 92Y to perform Bach’s complete Suites for Solo Cello in a single evening. Ms. Weilerstein has established herself as one of the foremost artists of her generation. “She and the cello seem simply to be one and the same,” said the Los Angeles Times, a sentiment that recurs wherever she performs, on both sides of the Atlantic. |
| MASTERS OF THE KEYBOARD SERIES |
| Marc-André Hamelin—November 12, 2016 Hamelin’s 2015 appearance at 92Y prompted The New York Times to ask, “Is it possible for a pianist to be too good? If anyone faces jeopardy with that question, it’s Marc-André Hamelin…” He returns to 92Y to kick off the 2016/17 keyboard series with an all-Mozart program. His affinity for this composer is evident; his most recent recording release, in 2015, on the Hyperion label, was a disc of Mozart’s Sonatas and other short piano pieces. |
| Julia Hsu (92Y debut) and Peter Serkin—December 10, 2016 Taiwanese pianist Julia Hsu makes her 92Y debut in a piano four-hands recital with the inimitable Peter Serkin. Their program, which includes the NY premiere of Serkin’s arrangement for four hands of Brahms’ Eleven Chorale-Preludes, Op. 122, also features works by Beethoven and Schubert, as well as Brahms’ Five Hungarian Dances. |
| Yefim Bronfman with Musicians from the New York Philharmonic—January 29, 2017 Co-presented by 92Y and the New York Philharmonic as part of Beloved Friend—Tchaikovsky and His World: A Philharmonic Festival, revered pianist Yefim Bronfman and his Philharmonic colleagues perform Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 and Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50, as well as other works to be announced. The Los Angeles Times has described Bronfman as a “prodigious performer in action, increasingly willing to plumb music’s soul.” |
| Rafał Blechacz (92Y debut)—March 26, 2017 Since being named the sole winner of the 2005 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw, Rafał Blechacz has been described by the great pianist, Martha Argerich, as “a very honest, extraordinary and sensitive artist.” Critics and audiences agree, and his career has skyrocketed since, taking him around the world to perform, and bringing him the 2014 Gilmore Artist Award. Blechacz is an exclusive recording artist with the Deutsche Grammophon label, only the second Polish artist—after Krystian Zimerman—to be so named. He makes his 92Y debut in 2016/17 with a program that includes several works by Chopin and Bach, as well as other composers to be announced. |
| CHAMBER ENSEMBLES |
| Jerusalem Quartet—November 2, 2016 Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and known for its unified tone and seamless blend of sound, the Jerusalem Quartet gives the first performance of 92Y’s Chamber Ensembles series in 2016/17. Their program opens with Haydn’s “Lark” Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5, and continues with Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor. Dvořák’s Quartet in G Major, Op. 106 closes the program. In the words of BBC Music magazine, “Their playing has everything you could possibly wish for.” |
| Pacifica Quartet with clarinetist Jörg Widmann—January 24, 2017 The Pacifica Quartet returns to 92Y in 2016/17, after its successful debut there in December 2015, which The New York Times called “an engrossing, characterful performance.” For this presentation, the group is joined by German composer and clarinetist Jörg Widmann in a program that includes his String Quartet No. 3, “Hunt Quartet,” Mozart’s String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421, and Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115. |
| Elias String Quartet (92Y debut)—February 18, 2017 Of the Elias Quartet, The Philadelphia Inquirer remarked, “Few quartets at any stage of their evolution have this much personality” and “this is real quartet playing…in every way a single stunning organism.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer commended, “the most satisfyingly and electrically alert performance of a Beethoven quartet that I have ever heard.” Formed while the artists were students together at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, the Elias has garnered rave reviews of its live performances and recordings from press around the globe. Known for their critically-acclaimed complete Beethoven cycles, presented in Wigmore Hall and elsewhere throughout the UK and the US, their 92Y debut takes place in 2016/17 with a program that features Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 with Grosse Fuge finale, Op. 133. Works by Purcell and Bartók are also included. |
| Nicola Benedetti, Leonard Elschenbroich, Alexei Grynyuk (92Y debuts)—April 6, 2017 Frequent collaborators Benedetti (violin), Elschenbroich (cello) and Grynyuk (piano) make their 92Y debuts together in a program of sonatas by Ravel and Debussy, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor, and the NY premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Duetti d’Amore for violin and cello. The 2015 work received its world premiere in Perth, Scotland, by Benedetti and Elschenbroich. Upon reading about Benedetti and Elschenbroich’s relationship, Turnage explains: “It was a very touching account of them meeting at music school and later falling in love. So I thought, why don’t I write a piece that celebrates them as a couple. Hence, five love duets. A few of them are a little fiery and passionate but most of them tender and lyrical.” |
| Los Angeles Guitar Quartet |
| ART OF THE GUITAR SERIES |
| Benjamin Verdery, Artistic Director The 2016/17 season marks the sixteenth installment of 92nd Street Y’s outstanding Art of the Guitar series, which champions classical guitar repertoire and performers from around the globe. The 2016/17 series includes recitals by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (November 5) with a program that includes the NY premiere of a 92Y co-commission by Pat Metheny; Croatian virtuosa Ana Vidovic (December 3) who performs a wide-ranging program featuring arrangements of works by Bach and Scarlatti to Lennon/McCartney; Spanish guitarist Pablo Villegas, who—in his 92Y debut (March 25) —gives a program inspired by his native country and Latin America; and the famed duo of Sérgio and Odair Assad (April 29) who offer works by Albéniz, Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Gismonti and Baden Powell. All concerts are presented in conjunction with 92nd Street Y’s Guitar Institute and include pre-concert talks with Art of the Guitar artistic director Benjamin Verdery of Yale University. 92Y Art of the Guitar is presented with major support from the D’Addario Foundation. Additional support is generously provided by The Leir Charitable Foundations in memory of Henry J. & Erna D. Leir and The Augustine Foundation. |
| Sérgio & Odair Assad |
| GUITAR MARATHON February 25, 2017 |
| 92Y’s sixth Guitar Marathon, The Art of the Arrangement, takes place in two parts, featuring performances by a roster of the world’s greatest classical guitarists in performances of their own groundbreaking transcriptions—from “Rhapsody in Blue” to works by Mussorgsky and Phillip Glass. Marathon participants include Sérgio & Odair Assad, Eden-Stell Duo, Paul Galbraith, and Benjamin Verdery, among others, as well as the 92Y debuts of the Brasil Guitar Duo, Jorge Caballero, Dublin Guitar Quartet, and the VIDA Quartet. |
| ART OF THE GUITAR SPECIAL EVENT March 15, 2017 |
| This special event spotlights the winner of the 2015 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artists Competition – and five previous international competitions – Thibaut Garcia, in his 92Y debut. The young French guitarist has received invitations to perform from around the globe; his debut recording was released in 2014 on the Contrastes Records label.
Garcia shares the bill with the European Guitar Quartet, also in its 92Y debut. The Quartet comprises guitarists Zoran Dukic, Pavel Steidl, Thomas Fellow, and Reentko Dirks; it made its debut in Dresden in 2012, an event that was subsequently called “…the birth of a sparkling new star in the concert sky” in the German press. This special event is presented with major support from the D’Addario Foundation. |
| L to R: Dinara Klinton, Michael Brown, Mishka Rushdie Momen |
| SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF SELECTS: YOUNG PIANISTS |
| With the 2016/17 season marking its third installation, Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists reflects both 92Y’s and Sir András’s dedication to championing the next generation of international performers by inviting promising young pianists, who have already garnered critical acclaim overseas, to make their 92Y debuts in programs of their choosing. This season, Sir András has chosen three young pianists to perform in this intimate series in 92Y’s Buttenwieser Hall.
British pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen opens the series on December 7, with a varied program of music by Mozart, Janáček, Schumann and Beethoven. Ukranian pianist Dinara Klinton has selected a program of music by Tchaikovsky, Scarlatti, Beethoven, and Liszt for her March 1, 2017, recital. Closing the series is pianist and composer Michael Brown, a native New Yorker and winner of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant. His program, on May 3, 2017, includes works by Mendelssohn, Bernstein, and Beethoven, as well as his own composition, Constellations and Toccata. |
| PREMIERES
92Y actively continues its devotion to presenting new works of the classical music canon. MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE: Duetti d’Amore for violin and cello (NYC Premiere) |
| 92Y ARTIST DEBUTS (in chronological order)
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (October 15, 2016) |
| Additional information:
Hanna Arie-Gaifman biography |
| Subscription ticket packages for 92Y’s 2016/17 season are now on sale. For more information, please visit 92Y.org/Concerts or call the 92Y Box Office at 212-415-5500.
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| 92nd STREET Y 2016/17 CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF CONCERTS All Concerts this Season are in Kaufmann Concert Hall unless otherwise noted Saturday, October 15, 2016, 8 pm GEORGE TSONTAKIS: New work for Chamber Orchestra (NY premiere) All-BACH: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906 All- BACH: HAYDN: String Quartet in D major, Op. 64, No. 5, “The Lark” PAT METHENY: New work (92Y co-commission, NYC premiere) Pre-concert talk at 7 pm with Benjamin Verdery All-MOZART: Saturday, November 19, 2016, 8 pm BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 12, No. 2 BACH: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (trans. by Valter Despalj) Pre-concert talk at 7pm with Benjamin Verdery MOZART: Fantasia in C minor, K. 475 BEETHOVEN: Adelaide, Op. 46 (arr. Czerny) MOZART: String Quartet in D minor, K. 421 TCHAIKOVSKY: Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 Co-presented by New York Philharmonic as part of Beloved Friend – Tchaikovsky and His World: A Philharmonic Festival “Another Russia” GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Selections from Signs, Games and Messages BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2 PURCELL: Selected Four-part Fantasias Program TBA Program TBA SCARLATTI: Sonata in B minor, K. 87 COWELL: Set of Four Works by GUTIÉRREZ, BONFÁ, BARRIOS MANGORÉ, LAURO, ALBÉNIZ, RODRIGO, TÁRREGA, GIMÉNEZ Pre-concert talk at 7 pm with Benjamin Verdery CHOPIN: Nocturne in F-sharp minor, Op. 48, No. 2 All-BACH: RAVEL: Violin Sonata BACH: Complete Suites for Solo Cello, BWV 1007-1012 MOHAMMED FAIROUZ: New work (New York premiere) Saturday, April 29, 2017, 8 pm Works by ALBÉNIZ, DEBUSSY, VILLA LOBOS, GISMONTI & BADEN POWELL Pre-concert talk at 7 pm with Benjamin Verdery MENDELSSOHN: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in E minor, Op. 35 |
| ABOUT 92Y
92nd Street Y is a center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Founded in 1874, it seeks to create, provide and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental growth of people throughout their lives. From its New York headquarters, 92Y offers thousands of programs, including talks with leaders in every field; outstanding performing, visual and literary arts presentations and classes; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y also creates community far beyond its four walls, bringing people from all over the world together through innovations like the award-winning #GivingTuesday and the Social Good Summit. Along with live webcasts and a growing online archive of free talks and performances, it’s transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92Y.org. |
