PROGRAM NOTES
BRAHMS AND PROKOFIEV
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christian Reif
German conductor Christian Reif has quickly established a reputation for his natural musicality , innovative programming and technical command . San Francisco Chronicle has written : “ Reif is a remarkable talent … a conductor of considerable stature , and everything felt like the work of a significant musical artist .”
Reif ’ s has made recent appearances with the Baltimore Symphony , New World Symphony , Kansas City Symphony , Hallé Orchestra , Gävle Symphony , Odense Symphony and Norrlands Opera Orchestra .
Christian Reif has conducted a host of orchestras , globally . Making his debut in March 2021 with the Orchestre National d ’ île de France , he conducted a streamed performance of Stravinsky ’ s Apollon Musagète . In June 2021 , he made his debut with the Rundfunkorchester of the Bayrische Rundfunk in Munich creating a Mozart kaleidoscope for their family concert series .
From 2016 to 2019 , Reif served as Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra ( SFSYO ). His tenure culminated in a six-city 2019 European tour with the SFSYO . Following the Berlin performance , the Merkur wrote of Reif that a “ bright future and a great career must lie ahead ”. He was a Conducting Fellow with the New World Symphony from 2014 to 2016 , and a Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in the summers of 2015 and 2016 .
Reif ’ s enthusiasm in performing contemporary music has led to several world premieres . Among those are Anahita Abbasi ’ s … within the shifting grounds … ( a work commissioned by Reif and SFSYO in collaboration with the International Contemporary Ensemble ), Michael Gordon ’ s El Sol Caliente ( a city symphony in honor of Miami Beach ’ s centennial ), and concertos for DJ and orchestra performed with the New World Symphony .
Jonathan Carney
BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney is in his 21st season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , after 12 seasons in the same position with London ' s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . Born in New Jersey , Mr . Carney hails from a musical family with all six members having graduated from The Juilliard School . After completing his studies with Ivan Galamian and Christine Dethier , he was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship to continue his studies in London at the Royal College of Music .
Recent solo performances have included concertos by Bruch , Korngold , Khatchaturian , Sibelius , Nielsen , the Brahms Double Concerto and Vaughan Williams ’ The Lark Ascending , which was featured as a live BBC broadcast from London ' s Barbican Hall . He has made a number of recordings , including concertos by Mozart , Vivaldi and Nielsen , sonatas by Brahms , Beethoven and Franck , and a disc of virtuoso works of by Sarasate and Kreisler with his mother Gloria Carney as pianist . New releases include Beethoven ’ s Archduke and Ghost trios , the cello quintet of Schubert and a Dvořák disc with the Terzetto and four Romantic pieces for violin .
Mr . Carney is passionate about music education and currently serves as Artistic Director for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras .
Mr . Carney performs on a 1687 Stradivarius , the Mercur-Avery , on which he uses " Vision " strings by Thomastik-Infeld . Mr . Carney ' s string sponsor is Connolly & Co ., exclusive U . S . importer of Thomastik-Infeld strings .
Dariusz Skoraczewski
Having been described by the Baltimore Sun as having “ lush tone , expressive style , and solid technique that have earned him admiration in a career that encompasses solo , chamber , and orchestral music-making …” Dariusz began his musical education at the age of six in Warsaw , Poland studying with Zbigniew Liebig and Andrzej Zieliński . As a scholarship recipient at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore he studied with worldrenowned cellist Stephen Kates .
Since 2011 , he has held the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff chair as the Principal Cellist of the Baltimore Symphony . Dariusz plays a 1702 Carlo Giuseppe Testore cello , generously on loan from Marin Alsop . This wonderful
Christian Reif
Jonathan Carney
Dariusz Skoraczewski
Experience the Performance Again A livestream of this program is available for a limited time .
instrument allowed Dariusz to successfully complete his biggest recording project yet : Bach ’ s Cello Suites , which was released in the fall of 2017 . Dave Seamann of the Fanfare Magazine said that Skoraczewski ’ s Suites “ present the best recorded sound of a cello I ever have heard .”
Phillip Knott Simon Pauly
MAR-APR 2023 / OVERTURE 13