GIL SHAHAM & PETRUSHKA
Gil Shaham
Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time : his flawless technique combined with his inimitable warmth and generosity of spirit has solidified his renown as an American master . He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with leading orchestras and conductors . Mr . Shaham regularly gives recitals and appears with ensembles on the world ’ s great concert stages , and at the most prestigious festivals .
Highlights of recent years include a recording and performances of J . S . Bach ’ s complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin and recitals with his long time duo partner pianist , Akira Eguchi . He regularly appears with the Berlin Philharmonic , Boston , Chicago , and San Francisco Symphonies , the Israel Philharmonic , Los Angeles Philharmonic ,
Gil Shaham
New York Philharmonic , Orchestre de Paris , and in multi-year residencies with the Orchestras of Montreal , Stuttgart , and Singapore .
Mr . Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name , earning multiple GRAMMYs , a Grand Prix du Disque , Diapason d ’ Or , and Gramophone Editor ’ s Choice . His most recent recording in the series 1930s Violin Concertos Vol . 2 was nominated for a GRAMMY Award .
Chris Lee
His latest recording of Beethoven and Brahms Concertos with The Knights was released in 2021 .
Gil Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990 , and in 2008 he received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize . In 2012 , he was named “ Instrumentalist of the Year ” by Musical America . He plays the 1699 “ Countess Polignac ” Stradivarius and performs on an Antonio Stradivari violin , Cremona c1719 , with the assistance of Rare Violins In Consortium , Artists and Benefactors Collaborative . He lives in New York City with his wife , violinist Adele Anthony , and their three children .
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
James M . Keller
Sofia Gubaidulina
Born October 24 , 1931 , in Chistopol , Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Residing in Appen , near Hamburg , Germany
FAIRYTALE POEM [ 1971 ]
Sofia Gubaidulina navigated the treacherous straits of Soviet officialdom by keeping her head low in the foxhole , thereby avoiding the pressure to write the blatantly political scores sometimes required from most composers . When the Soviet Union thrashed in what would turn out to be its death throes , she relocated to Hamburg , which has been her home since the early 1990s .
She created Fairytale Poem in 1971 at the behest of Radio Moscow . Her brief was to was write a score for a children ’ s broadcast that would underpin a narration — the story Křída ( Chalk ) by the Czech author Miloš Macourek . Gubaidulina provided this summary of the text :
The main character of this fairy tale is a small piece of chalk that is used to write on blackboards . The chalk dreams that it will draw wonderful castles , beautiful gardens with pavilions and the sea . But day in , day out , she is forced to draw boring words , numbers and geometric shapes on the blackboard . In contrast to the children , who are growing every day , she is getting smaller and smaller . Gradually , the chalk becomes desperate and loses all hope of ever being allowed to draw the sun or the sea . It soon becomes so small that it can no longer be used in the classroom and is thrown away . The chalk then finds itself in total darkness and thinks it has died . However , the supposed eclipse of
death turns out to be a boy ’ s trouser pocket . The child ’ s hand brings the chalk to light and begins to draw castles , gardens with pavilions , and the sea with the sun on the asphalt . The chalk is so happy that it doesn ’ t even notice how it dissolves while drawing this beautiful world .
The allegorical subtext would not have been lost on people who appreciated how Soviet composers ’ careers were peppered with assignments of nationalistic propaganda-pieces of little esthetic merit . “ I liked the fairy tale so much and found it so symbolic of the fate of an artist that I developed a very personal relationship with this work ,” said Gubaidulina , who also released it as an orchestral piece without narration . The work is filled with sounds characteristic of the composer , including trills passed among the instruments and “ once-upon-a-time ” glissandos from the harp . “ I give a lot of importance
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