March 9, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE OREGON SYMPHONY IN APRIL:
THREE OF THE WORLD’S TOP VIOLINISTS, ONE AFTER ANOTHER

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) – Portland just may become the center of the violin universe for a few weeks in April as the Oregon Symphony brings to town not one, not two, but three of the world’s most prominent violinists in what promises to be a dazzling display of virtuosity. First up: Pinchas Zukerman, in his first concerts with the orchestra since 1995. Midori and Itzhak Perlman follow closely behind – and, oh yes, there’s a pretty terrific Pops program sandwiched in between on April’s concert calendar, too. Complete details follow:

SATURDAY-MONDAY, APR. 10-12:
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN RETURNS WITH BOTH VIOLIN AND CONDUCTOR’S BATON

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Apr.  10 and 11, and 8 p.m. Monday, Apr. 12; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. (NOTE: This concert will also be performed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Apr. 13, at Willamette University’s Smith Hall in Salem.)

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with multi-tasking virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman as both guest conductor and violin soloist, joined by his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth.

• The Program:
• Malcolm Forsyth: Jubilee Overture
• Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 1 in C major
• Johannes Brahms: Concerto in A minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra

• Tickets: FOR THE PORTLAND PERFORMANCES: $15 to $100; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org.  

FOR THE SALEM PERFORMANCE: $25 to $43, available from TicketsWest.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• One of music’s best-known violinists, Pinchas Zukerman, returns to the Oregon Symphony for the first time since 1995 at these concerts. He does double duty as violin soloist and guest conductor.
• The concerts are something of a family affair as Zukerman will be joined onstage by his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth, in the Brahms Double Concerto. And the opening work on the program – the Oregon Symphony premiere of Jubilee Overture – comes from the pen of Canadian composer Malcolm Forsyth, Amanda’s father.
• Also on the program: Beethoven’s First Symphony, a curiosity for audiences today because it was written when Ludwig van Beethoven – destined to go down as history’s all-time greatest symphonist – was but a young man in his 20s trying to make a name for himself in the high-pressure world of musical Vienna. 

 

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APR. 17-18:
THE POPS SEASON WRAPS UP WITH A TRIP BACK TO THE “FABULOUS FORTIES”

• When and Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 17, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 18; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. (NOTE: This concert will also be performed at 8 p.m. Monday, Apr. 19, at Willamette University’s Smith Hall in Salem.)

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik on the podium, joined by singers Dee Daniels and Daniel Narducci and swing dancers Carla Heiney and Bromley Palamountain.

• The Program:
• Richard Rodgers. Duke Ellington. Cole Porter. Count Basie. Leonard Bernstein. They’re all represented as Jeff Tyzik explores highlights from one of the greatest decades in American popular music: “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Begin the Beguine,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “In the Mood” and  “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good,” to name but a few.

• Tickets: FOR THE PORTLAND PERFORMANCES: $15 to $95; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org.  

FOR THE SALEM PERFORMANCE: $26 to $54, available from TicketsWest.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik is on the podium for the final program in this season’s four-concert Pops series.
• Joining Tyzik and the orchestra onstage will be jazz singer Dee Daniels, baritone Daniel Narducci and a pair of swing dancers, Carla Heiney and Bromley Palamountain.
• As always, Tyzik’s engaging Pops concert programs aim to offer an in-depth look at a specific theme. This time it’s the music of the 1940s, the tumultuous decade that included the Second World War, the heyday of the Big Band era and some of Broadway’s most enduring hits.
• Media sponsor for Oregon Symphony Pops concerts is The Oregonian.

 

SATURDAY-MONDAY, APR. 24-26:
MIDORI PERFORMS THE CHALLENGING SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Apr.  24 and 25, and 8 p.m. Monday, Apr. 26; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. (NOTE: This concert will also be performed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Apr. 27, at Willamette University’s Smith Hall in Salem.)

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Music Director Carlos Kalmar on the podium, joined by the violinist Midori as soloist in the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

• The Program:
• Jean Sibelius: Canzonetta
• Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

• Tickets: FOR THE PORTLAND PERFORMANCES: $15 to $100; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org.  

FOR THE SALEM PERFORMANCE: $25 to $43, available from TicketsWest.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• Midori – the one-time prodigy known the world over by her first name alone – returns to Portland to perform with the Oregon Symphony for the first time since April 2001.
• This time she’ll play one of the most demanding works in the repertoire: the Sibelius Violin Concerto, a masterpiece that’s been called “purely virtuosic.” It’s the only concerto the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius ever wrote.
• Midori, who famously made her New York Philharmonic debut at the age of 11, has spent most of her life on the world’s leading concert stages. The Toronto Globe & Mail describes her as “firmly among the foremost artistic virtuosi of our time.”
• These days, though, Midori is as committed to music education as performance. She’s currently on the faculty at the University of Southern California, where she serves as professor and chair of the strings department and holds the Jascha Heifetz Chair in Violin.
• Midori performs on a Guarneri del Gesu violin known as the “ex Huberman," which is on lifetime loan to her from the Hayashibara Foundation.
• Also on the program is one of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s most popular masterworks, the melodious Symphony No. 5.
• The presenting sponsor of these concerts is Young Audiences.

 

TUESDAY, APR. 27:
VIOLINIST ITZHAK PERLMAN IS BACK IN A SOLO RECITAL

• When and Where: One performance only, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Apr.27; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman returns to Portland to perform a solo recital, accompanied by pianist Rohan De Silva. Please note: The Oregon Symphony does not perform.

• The Program:
• To be announced

• Tickets: $25 to $190; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org. Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster.com.

• What’s So Special About This Concert:

• The Israeli-born violinist Itzhak Perlman remains among the music world’s most-popular touring artists more than 50 years after his American debut. He has performed in Portland many times in recent years, most recently as guest conductor and soloist with the Oregon Symphony on Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2009. This time he’s back for a solo recital, accompanied by pianist Rohan De Silva.
• Among Perlman’s accolades: the National Medal of Arts, four Emmy awards and 15 Grammy awards. Perlman can also be heard as violin soloist on many feature films, including Schindler’s List and Memoirs of a Geisha.
• Ticket availability is extremely limited, and the recital is expected to sell out well in advance.

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CONTACT:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
(503) 416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org