Posted on Apr 17, 2002
Schenectady, N.Y. (April 17, 2002) – Violinist Gidon Kremer and composer/pianist Lera Auerbach will perform the local premiere of
Auerbach's Suite for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 60, with the Kremerata Baltica at Union College's Memorial Chapel on Sunday, April 28, 2002, at 7 p.m. They will also be joined by soprano Julia Korpacheva. The concert is Lera Auerbach's Schenectady debut.
The performance, entitled Russian Seasons, will include works by Arvo Pärt, Leonid Desyatnikov, and Lera
Auerbach; and Sextet for Strings in D minor, Op. 70, “Souvenir de
Florence” by Tchaikovsky.
As composer and pianist, Lera Auerbach continues the tradition of
composer-performers of the 19th and 20th centuries. At age 27, her growing
recognition includes not only her musical activities but a body of writing, both prose and verse, that has identified her as a Renaissance artist of the 21st century.
In a 1998 New York Times article, composer Robert Beaser said, “Her versatility is almost unbelievable. She is a passionate pianist with huge amounts of temperament, a natural composer and
performer, quick to absorb and utilize everything around her.” In the same
article, pianist Joseph Kalichstein stated that his first impression of Ms. Auerbach was “staggering.” The Washington Post describes Lera Auerbach as “a pianistic powerhouse” and her performances as “a fine balance of sensitivity and virtuosity.”
Ms. Auerbach has appeared in such prestigious venues as Munich's Herkulessaal; Oslo's Konzerthaus; Washington's Kennedy Center and New York's Lincoln Center. Her original compositions have been commissioned by Gidon Kremer, Akiko Suwanai, Vadim Gluzman, Philip Quint, David Finckel and Wu Han, among others, and have
been performed at international festivals which include Aspen, Ravinia,
Caramoor, Stresa, Schwetzingen, Moscow Autumn and Lockenhaus.
Born in Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains bordering Siberia, Lera gave her first public performance at age six, appeared as a soloist with orchestra at eight, and wrote her first opera, which was staged and toured throughout the former Soviet Union, at twelve. In 1991, as the winner of several competitions, Lera Auerbach was invited to do a concert tour of the U. S. and decided to remain here, becoming one of the last artists to defect from the Soviet Union.
Ms. Auerbach graduated from The Juilliard School with degrees in both piano and composition. She also attended the Hannover Hochschule für Musik and studied comparative literature at Columbia University.
In 2000, Lera Auerbach was invited by the Brahms International Society and Foundation as composer-in-residence in Baden-Baden where she lived and worked at Johannes Brahms' home. In 2001, at the invitation of Gidon Kremer, Ms. Auerbach was composer-in-residence and guest artist at the Lockenhaus Festival in Austria where premieres of twelve of her works were given.
The Suite for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 60, was commissioned by and dedicated to Gidon Kremer for the 20th anniversary of the Lockenhaus Festival, where it received its world premiere last summer.
Of all the world's leading violinists, Gidon Kremer has perhaps had the most unconventional career. Born in Riga, Latvia, he began studying at the age of four with his father and grandfather, who were both distinguished string players. At the age of seven, he entered Riga Music School. At sixteen he was awarded the first Prize of the Latvian Republic and two years later he began his studies with David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory. He went on to win prestigious awards including the 1967 Queen Elizabeth Competition and the first prize in both Paganini and Tchaikovsky International Competitions.
This success launched Gidon Kremer's
distinguished career, in the course of which he has established a world-wide
reputation as one of the most original and compelling artists of his
generation. He has appeared on virtually every major concert stage with the most celebrated orchestras of Europe and America. Also he has collaborated with today's foremost conductors, including Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan,
Christoph Eschenbach, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Valery Gergiev, Claudio Abbado and Sir Neville Marriner among others.
In 1981 Mr. Kremer founded Lockenhaus, an intimate chamber music festival that
continues to take place every summer in Austria. For two years in 1997-1998,
Mr. Kremer took over artistic leadership of the Gstaad Festival from its founder, Sir Yehudi Menuhin. In 1997, he also founded the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra to foster outstanding young musicians from the three Baltic States. Since then, Mr. Kremer has been touring extensively with the orchestra appearing at world's most prestigious festivals and concert halls. In 2002 Gidon Kremer will become the artistic leader of a new festival in Basel (Switzerland) – “les muséiques.”
Gidon Kremer plays a Guanerius del Gesù, “ex-David”, dated from 1730. He is also the author of three books, published in German, which reflect his artistic pursuits.
Formed in 1997 by Gidon Kremer, the Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra is already considered one of the most
prominent international ensembles in Europe. While sharing his artistic
experience with young musicians of the three Baltic states, Gidon Kremer also
wanted to promote and inspire the independent musical and cultural life of the Baltics with an orchestra of international stature.
Having no permanent home city, Kremerata Baltica performs about 60 concerts during six annual tours throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Naturally, the musical scene of the Baltics is of great importance to the orchestra. Supported by a Federal joint-program of the three
countries, numerous performances are held every year in Lithuania, Latvia and
Estonia.
While a large part of all concerts is lead by and performed with Gidon Kremer, the orchestra has appeared with celebrated conductors and soloists such as Jessye Norman, Oleg Maisenberg, David Geringas, Boris Pergamenschikow, Tatiana Grindenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, Kent Nagano, Saulius Sondeckis, Andrey Boreyko, and Roman Kofman.
Among the ensemble's recent CD releases on the Nonesuch label are two very successful albums: “Eight Seasons”, the Seasons cycles of Vivaldi and Piazzolla combined, and the Mozart homage “After Mozart”, which earned a Grammy Award in 2002.
Born in 1972, soprano Yulia Korpacheva studied violin and worked for the Opera Orchestra of Moscow before finishing her studies in the subject of solo singing at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow.
Her concert activities include performances with the Ensemble of Old Music (at the Moscow State Conservatory), the Kremerata Baltica, the Moscow Kamerata, the Moscow Soloists, the Orchestra Sent Luis en l´ile, and the Latvian National
Orchestra.
Ms. Korpacheva has participated in many festivals in Europe and Russia, including Yuri Bashmet's festival in Tours, France.
In March 2001, with the Kremerata Baltica in St. Petersburg, she performed the premiere of Leonid Desyatnikov's composition “The
Russian Seasons,” written for string orchestra, violin solo and a female voice. She also participated in the recording of Desyatnikov's score to the film “Moscow.”
Tickets at $20 ($8 for students) are
available in advance at the Office of Communications, Union College (518)
388-6131 and at the door at 6 p.m. For more information, call 372-3651.
The Union College Concert Series is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; additional support comes from the Times Union Newspapers.
Memorial Chapel is located near the center of the Union College campus.
Parking is available on campus and nearby side streets.
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