March 19, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … In his final appearance of the 2003-04 season, Laureate Music Director James DePreist leads the Oregon Symphony in Rachmaninoff’s blockbuster Piano Concerto No. 2 with renowned pianist André Watts on April 17, 18 and 19 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. DePreist, whose unexpected back surgery led to the cancellation of his March appearances with the Symphony, expects to recover sufficiently to conduct as scheduled. Media support is provided by The Oregonian.
Watts, a Portland audience favorite, has been delighting music lovers around the world with his commanding virtuoso technique and sensitive interpretations for many years. The combination of Watts’ matchless artistry with Rachmaninoff’s best known and best loved piano concerto promises three evenings of outstanding and memorable performances that will most likely sell out.
It’s reported that Rachmaninoff initially struggled to write his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, which is arguably one of the most popular piano concertos ever written. Depressed over the negative reception of his Symphony No. 1, he found himself unable to concentrate on composition until he employed a doctor and hypnotist, Nikolai Dahl, to cure him of his destructive self-doubt. The therapy worked and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (which he dedicated to Dahl) was a hit from the time it was published in 1901. It has become one of Rachmaninoff’s signature pieces with its sweeping lines, luxurious romantic melodies, lush harmonies and intense emotional affect. Figure skating fans will also recognize it as the music American skater Sasha Cohen used in her long program for both the 2003 U.S National and World Figure Skating Championships.
DePreist and the orchestra also will perform movie music, including excerpts from William Walton’s Henry V: Suite and Bernstein’s stark and powerful “On the Waterfront: Symphonic Suite” from the classic film starring Marlon Brando. Bernard Rands’ “Tre Canzoni senza Parole” opens the program.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Pre-concert Talks: KBPS host Patrick McElroy and Development Director of CASA Bill Crane will lead a discussion one hour before the concert of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Saturday: Laureate Director James DePreist will speak briefly from the podium in “Saturday Interactive.” Media support for “Saturday Interactive” is provided by KINKfm102.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $17 to $76 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
André Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16, when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People’s Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Only two weeks later, Bernstein asked him to substitute at the last minute for the ailing Glenn Gould in performances of Liszt’s E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic, thus launching his career in storybook fashion. More than 30 years later, André Watts remains one of today’s most celebrated and beloved superstars. His performances each year with the world’s great orchestras and conductors and his sold-out recitals and appearances at the most prestigious international festivals bring him to every corner of the globe.
In addition to his regular visits to the major summer music festivals including Ravinia, Tanglewood, Saratoga, the Mann Music Center, Mostly Mozart and the Hollywood Bowl, Andre Watts’ recent engagements include appearances with the Chicago, Pittsburgh, National, Detroit and Dallas symphonies and the Minnesota Orchestra; a Florida tour with the Atlanta Symphony; recitals at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center; a European tour with the Baltimore Symphony; and an appearance at the Proms in London.
During the 2003/04 season, Mr. Watts performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra, both at the Kimmel Center and the Mann Center; appears with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and is a featured guest on the opening concerts of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s season opening concerts; performs with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Boston, Chicago and Atlanta; and returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Seattle and Oregon symphonies among many others.
Mr. Watts has had a long and frequent association with television, having appeared on numerous programs produced by PBS, the BBC and the Arts and Entertainment Network, performing with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center among others. His 1976 New York recital, aired on the program “Live From Lincoln Center,” was the first full-length recital broadcast in the history of television and his performance at the 38th Casals Festival in Puerto Rico was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming. His most recent television appearances are with the Philadelphia Orchestra on the occasion of the orchestra’s 100th Anniversary Gala, a program broadcast nationwide as well as throughout Europe and Asia, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for its opening concerts of the 2001/2002 season.
Mr. Watts’ latest recording releases features both Liszt piano concertos and MacDowell’s Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Symphony, led by Andrew Litton, on the Telarc label. This follows his critically acclaimed debut disc for Telarc which included Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 and Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 2 with the Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Yoel Levi. Additionally, his discography of solo recordings includes “The Chopin Recital” (named CD of the month by Stereo Review) and “The Schubert Recital,” both on the Angel/EMI label. He is also included in the “Great Pianists of the 20th Century” series on Philips.
A much-honored artist who has played before royalty in Europe and heads of government in nations all over the world, André Watts was selected to receive the Avery Fisher Prize in 1988. At age 26, he was the youngest person ever to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Yale University, and he has since received numerous such honors from highly respected schools including the University of Pennsylvania, Miami University of Ohio, Albright College, Brandeis University, Trinity College and The Juilliard School of Music. In 1984, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University honored Mr. Watts with its Distinguished Alumni Award, and in May 1997 his Alma Mater again recognized his accomplishments by presenting him with an Honorary Doctorate degree. He has been Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland since the 2000/2001 season.
