CLARINETIST ALEXANDER FITERSTEIN TO GIVE WORLD PREMIERE OF RONN YEDIDA’S SPARX 2 AT BARGEMUSIC ON JULY 5 AT 2:00 PM; N JULY 6, MR. FITERSTEIN PERFORMS IN CHAMBER WORKS BY BEETHOVEN AND MESSIAEN AT MUSIC MOUNTAIN AT 3:00 PM

NEW YORK, NY (June 17, 2014) – Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, praised by The New York Times for possessing a “beautiful liquid clarity,” returns to Bargemusic to perform works for clarinet and piano by Chausson, Messiaen, Weinberg, and Weber with pianist Michael Brown on Saturday, July 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm. The program also features the world premiere of longtime collaborator Ronn Yedidia’s Sparx 2 for solo clarinet. The following day, the duo travels to Music Mountain in Falls Village, CT, joining cellist Nicholas Canellakis and violinist Miranda Cuckson to perform Beethoven’s Op. 11 Trio and Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps at 3:00 pm.

The July 5 performance will take place at Bargemusic at Fulton Ferry Landing near the Brooklyn Bridge. Tickets, priced at $35 ($30 for seniors, $15 for students), are available online at bargemusic.com, by phone at 800-838-3006 or in person at the box office at Bargemusic, which opens one hour prior to the performance. The July 6 performance will take place at Music Mountain at 225 Music Mountain Rd, Falls Village, CT 06031. Tickets, priced at $30 advance ($35 at the door), are available online at musicmountain.org, by phone at 860-824-7126, or in person at the door.

A noted chamber musician, Mr. Fiterstein recently stepped in for an injured Martin Fröst in recitals with pianist Marc-André Hamelin and violinist Anthony Marwood in San Francisco and Boston to critical acclaim. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “Fiterstein … took his part in a demanding program with the calm aplomb of a seasoned veteran. If there were any wrinkles introduced by this sudden shift in the lineup, they were nowhere in evidence.” San Francisco Classical Voice echoed, “Nothing about Monday night’s concert would have suggested that Fiterstein was a last-minute substitute … their ensemble playing transcended the expected level of professionalism and shot straight to musical camaraderie.”

Mr. Fiterstein was introduced to Ronn Yedidia’s music in 2006 through friend and pianist Alon Goldstein who was then performing one of Mr. Yedidia’s piano works in recital. Mr. Fiterstein premiered the first work in their ongoing collaboration the following year, and has since then recorded an album of Mr. Yedidia’s works, released on Naxos in March 2012.

Mr. Fiterstein is recognized for playing that combines flawless technique and consummate musicianship with graceful phrasing and a warm soulful tone.  Considered one of today’s most exceptional clarinet players, he has performed in recital and with orchestras and chamber music ensembles throughout the world.  Recipient of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Fiterstein has been praised by the Washington Post: “Fiterstein treats his instrument as his own personal voice, dazzling in its spectrum of colors, agility and range. Every sound he makes is finely measured without inhibiting expressiveness.”

This summer, Mr. Fiterstein premieres Chris Brubeck’s Clarinet Quintet at St. Timothy’s Summer Music Festival in Anaconda, MT with the Montana Chamber Music Society on July 13. Additional summer appearances include the Woodstock Mozart Festival July 24-27 and Music@Menlo August 1-2. Last October, his recording of Weber’s clarinet concertos with Martin West and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra was released on Bridge Records. Gramophone wrote of the album, “Fiterstein employs all of the suppleness and virtuosity at his beck and call to animate the narratives … the clarinetist pays meticulous attention to detail, placing his focused sound, velvety fluency and acrobatic vibrancy at the service of the music.” Earlier that year, his recording of Sean Hickey’s clarinet concerto with Vladimir Lande and the St. Petersburg State Symphony was released on Delos Records.

Saturday, July 5 at 7:00 pm
Bargemusic Fulton Ferry Landing near the Brooklyn Bridge