October 24, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar leads the Oregon Symphony in a concert of music written in and inspired by America, including Dvorák’s “New World Symphony” and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, featuring the Symphony debut of pianist Christopher O’Riley on Nov. 22, 23 and 24 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Media support provided by The Oregonian.
Kalmar loves the fresh, distinct sounds of American music. “I consider American music so rich and full of variable styles,” he explains. “The use of rhythm is very special, and the use of some jazz instruments.” Kalmar brings his international, European sensibilities and his ability to stir passion both in the orchestra and with the audience to this concert of works that span the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. As with all classical concerts Kalmar conducts this season, he will make an appearance in the lobby after the performance to sign programs and greet audience members personally. In addition, Kalmar and KBPS Radio host Shaun Yu will team up to host the pre-concert conversation.
O’Riley’s versatility has made him one of today’s most sought-after performers; he wowed Portland audiences in a recital performance last summer. His singularly broad repertoire ranges from music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods to the new works of today’s leading composers and such non-classical genres as the tange. He also plays many of his own arrangements, including his acclaimed transcriptions of the rock band Radioheads. O’Riley has garnered a number of top honors including prizes at the Van Cliburn, Leeds, Busoni and Montreal competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Prize. He is also the host of a nationally distributed classical radio program, “ From the Top,” which features performances and personalities of up-and-coming young musicians (broadcast locally on KBPS All-Classical 89.9).
Kalmar and the Symphony begin the evening with the second fanfare commissioned to honor the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This concert series fanfare is by composer Kevin Walczyk, Professor of Music at Western Oregon State University. They continue with “Elegy,” a highly melodic and moving work by American composer John Corigliano, written in 1965. O’Riley then joins Kalmar and the Symphony to perform Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. This piece, while overshadowed by Gershwin’s more famous “Rhapsody in Blue,” contains all the hallmarks of a Gershwin composition: jazzy rhythms, a wholly distinctive and essentially American orchestration, and dazzling virtuoso passages.
Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” fills the second half of the program. In this, the best-known and loved of Dvorák’s symphonies, the Czech composer drew on American influences and American melodies, particularly in the second movement, which inspired the spiritual “Going Home,” inspired the lyrical melody that makes up the principal theme.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Pre-concert Conversations: Music Director Carlos Kalmar and KBPS host Shaun Yu will lead a discussion of the works to be performed one hour before each concert.
Saturday: Music Director Carlos Kalmar 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, Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 24 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.
An artist whose poetic gifts and captivating virtuosity have made him one of the most important and versatile pianists performing before the public today, Christopher O’Riley enjoys a thriving concert career. His singularly broad repertoire ranges from music of the English Renaissance and French Baroque periods to the new works of today’s leading composers to such non-classical forms as the tango. He also plays many of his own arrangements and transcriptions. His performing schedule regularly takes him to major cities throughout America and has been highlighted by frequent engagements at both Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. Internationally, he has appeared in cultural capitals worldwide from London, Paris and Vienna to Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia.
Recognition of his talent has been widespread. His honors include top prizes at the Van Cliburn, Leeds, Busoni and Montreal competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Prize. As an emerging young pianist, he enjoyed the sponsorship of Young Concert Artists, the Xerox/Affiliate Artists Program and the Pro Musicis Foundation.
Mr. O’Riley’s recordings also reflect the originality of his programming. Among his highly acclaimed solo releases are a Scriabin disc for Image Recordings and an all-Stravinsky disc on Elektra Nonesuch, featuring “Three Movements from Petrouchka” and Mr. O’Riley’s own transcriptions of “Apollo” and “Histoire du Soldat.” He is also heard on a recent RCA Victor Red Seal release of French repertoire for flute and piano with James Galway. His discography is further highlighted by a Busoni album (including the rarely-heard “Fantasia Contrappuntistica”) a disc of Ravel’s solo works, a recording of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, a collaboration with cellist Carter Brey entitled “Le Grand Tango” and the premiere recording of “The Short-Tempered Clavier” by the fabled composer P.D.Q. Bach.
Even as he explores new stylistic territory, Mr. O’Riley remains in demand for his unique interpretations of the standard piano literature. He is a favorite guest with the foremost orchestras in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Kansas City, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, among others. He was also the featured soloist with the Ulster Orchestra on its first American tour in 1992. The illustrious group of conductors with whom he has collaborated includes David Zinman, Leonard Slatkin, John Williams, Neeme Järvi, Edo de Waart, Yoel Levi, Hugh Wolff and Andrew Litton.
In addition to his regular touring, Mr. O’Riley has recently undertaken several new projects. He has established “Los Tangueros,” a partnership with Argentine pianist Pablo Ziegler that has been touring over the last two seasons with a program of two-piano arrangements of Astor Piazzolla’s classic tangos. In the spring of 1999 he began a collaboration with choreographer and director Martha Clarke, who has staged several stories of Anton Chekhov set to the piano works of Alexander Scriabin, performed live on stage by Mr. O’Riley. This production, titled “Vers le Flamme,” is touring Europe and the United States, and is being presented by many leading performing arts centers and venues, including Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Krannert Center (Champagne/Urbana) and the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor. Mr. O’Riley is also the host of a nationally distributed radio program for Public Radio International, “From the Top,” which showcases the vibrant performances and personalities of young musicians.
An enthusiastic advocate of new music, Mr. O’Riley has twice participated in the annual “Absolut Concerto” concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, premiering works of Richard Danielpour and Michael Torke. In 1999-2000 he performed Michael Daugherty’s “Le Tombeau de Liberace” with the Detroit Symphony and with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, both in St. Paul and on tour. He has also recently given premieres of works by Aaron Jay Kernis, including his piano quartet, “Still Movement with Hymn,” (also recorded for Decca’s Argo label) and the Superstar Etude No. 1, inspired by the pianism of Jerry Lee Lewis. Mr. O’Riley’s other recordings include an Albany release of pieces by John Adams, Robert Helps, Todd Brief and Roger Sessions, and a disc of solo and chamber works by Danielpour for Koch International.
Christopher O’Riley is the recipient of an Artist’s Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Russell Sherman.
