Cellist Inbal Segev Performs J. S. Bach’s Cello Suites
Presented by Bargemusic
September 25, 2015 at 8pm: Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 5
October 30, 2015 at 8pm: Suites Nos. 2, 4 & 6
1 Water St., Fulton Ferry Landing | Brooklyn, NY
Tickets: $35 ($30 Seniors & $15 Students) at www.bargemusic.org
PLUS: Segev’s Recording of Bach’s Cello Suites (Vox)
Release Dates: September 18 (US) & November 6 (worldwide)
Watch Segev Perform the Cello Suites: http://bit.ly/InbalBachVideo
“first class…richly inspired…very moving indeed” – Gramophone
Inbal Segev: www.inbalsegev.com
New York, NY – Cellist Inbal Segev performs J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites in two concerts on September 25 and October 30, 2015 at 8pm, presented by Bargemusic (1 Water St., Brooklyn). The concerts follow the US release of Segev’s recording of the Cello Suites on September 18 on Vox Classics (worldwide release, November 6). Known for her “warm, pure and beautiful tone” (Strings Magazine), Segev recorded J.S. Bach’s monumental Cello Suites over a period of six months, working with Grammy-winning producer Da-Hong Seetoo. The album will be available on CD and digitally, including in high resolution from HD Tracks, Classics Online, and other retailers.
In addition, Nick Davis Productions produced an accompanying documentary film of Segev’s journey recording the work, following her through the process – from readying her cello at an upstate New York luthier, through an emotional and exhausting period of study and rehearsal, and finally into the recording studio. The trailer for the documentary can be viewed at http://bit.ly/SegevBachTrailer.
Segev explains, “Performing and recording this work is one of the biggest challenges I have had as a cellist. It is the culmination of years of studying the suites. Ultimately, the challenge for me was to find a way to incorporate the ideas I learned from Baroque practice while being true to my musical language, which is rooted in this century. I wanted to create an interpretation of this great masterwork for the contemporary listener – to say, ‘Here is what Bach has to say to people in the 21st century.’ I strive for simplicity while trying to keep a sense of freedom. In the recording, Da-Hong and I worked at capturing a pure and warm sound. It is a distillation of everything I love about the suites.”
Segev has performed Bach’s Cello Suites in venues around the world including Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Shanghai Concert Hall, and Henry Crown Hall in the Jerusalem Theatre. Her recording was supplemented by a successful PledgeMusic campaign, which offered supporters exclusive access to pre-order the album, first looks at video and outtakes from the documentary, plus Segev’s observations on living with and learning the timeless music of Bach. Five-percent of all support will be donated to the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, an organization that has supported Segev’s career since she was seven years old.
In addition to her Bach album, September 2015 also brings the release of Segev’s recording of Lucas Richman’s Three Pieces for Cello and Orchestra with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Albany Records. Review copies available upon request.
Inbal Segev’s playing has been described as “characterized by a strong and warm tone . . . delivered with impressive fluency and style,” by The Strad and “first class,” “richly inspired,” and “very moving indeed,” by Gramophone. Equally committed to new repertoire and masterworks, Segev brings interpretations that are both unreservedly natural and insightful to the vast range of music she performs. She has performed as soloist with orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Castleton Festival Orchestra with Lorin Maazel, Bogotá Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Dortmund Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Polish National Radio Symphony, and the Bangkok Symphony. She made debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic, led by Zubin Mehta, at age 17.
Inbal Segev’s repertoire includes all of the standard concerti and solo works for cello, as well as new pieces and rarely performed gems. She has recently premiered cello concertos by Avner Dorman and Lucas Richman. Segev gave the U.S. premiere of English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan’s Cello Concerto in D Major. She performed jazz composer David Baker’s cello concerto in New York, and was the first cellist to perform Henri Dutilleux’s challenging Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher for solo cello at Carnegie Hall. Commissioning new repertoire for the cello is a priority for Segev; current projects include new works by composers Gity Razaz, Timo Andres, and Fernando Otero.
A founding member of the Amerigo Trio with former New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and violist Karen Dreyfus, Segev has collaborated with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, Jeremy Denk, Anthony McGill, Gilbert Kalish, Michael Tree, Anne Akiko Meyers, and the Vogler Quartet. Festival appearances include the Banff, Ravinia, Bowdoin, Olympic, and Cape & Islands festivals in North America; the Siena, Rolandseck, and Montpellier festivals in Europe; and the Jerusalem Music Center and Upper Galilee festivals in Israel.
In addition to her new Bach album and new recording with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Segev’s discography includes Sonatas by Beethoven and Boccherini (Opus One), Nigun (Vox), and Max Schubel’s Concerto for Cello and Horn (Opus One). With the Amerigo Trio she has recorded serenades by Dohnányi (Navona).
Inbal Segev’s many honors include the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship and top prizes at the Pablo Casals, Paulo, and Washington International Competitions. She began playing the cello in Israel at age five and at 16 was invited by Isaac Stern to come to the U.S. to continue her studies. She earned degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale University.
Inbal Segev lives in New York City with her husband and three children. Her cello was made by Francesco Ruggieri in 1673.
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