RAVEL ’ S PIANO CONCERTO IN G
Academy , he was appointed assistant conductor of the Hallé Orchestra , where he was mentored by Sir Mark Elder , and became Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra . In 2023 , he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music .
Jonathon is committed to education and community outreach work , as well as to including new music within his imaginative concert programs .
Alice Sara Ott
Alice Sara Ott is one of today ’ s formidable and forward-thinking classical musicians , with her visionary artistic projects , globally successful albums , and collaborations with the world ’ s leading orchestras and conductors . Captivating audiences worldwide with her unique interpretations and technical brilliance , she has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon for over 15 years , leading to album streams of over 500 million . Meanwhile Ott ’ s pioneering recital tours redefine classical music for the modern era , making her one of the most influential artists of her generation .
Alice Sara Ott
The 2024 – 25 season will see Alice Sara Ott perform with London Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda , Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester and Karina Canellakis and give the French , German , Belgian and Dutch premieres of Bryce Dessner ’ s Piano Concerto ( written for her and premiered in Zurich Tonhalle with Kent Nagano and then London ' s Philharmonia Orchestra with Elim Chan in 2024 ). Last season Ott made her highly anticipated and successful debut with the New York Philharmonic , and she returns to the USA to perform with the Baltimore Symphony and Minnesota Orchestras , as well as
Ugo Ponte the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Manfred Honeck .
Alice Sara Ott is Artist in Residence at the TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht in the 2024 – 25 season , bringing her versatile artistic projects to the Netherlands . This follows successful residencies in Londons Southbank Centre and Radio France in Paris during 2023 – 24 .
This season , Alice Sara Ott releases two new albums on Deutsche Grammophon . The first will be the complete nocturnes of John Field . This album will offer a fresh perspective on these timeless pieces which are rarely heard . After the album ’ s release in February 2025 , Ott will embark on a major concert tour in Europe ; visiting 17 cities before taking the program to Japan . At the end of the season Ott returns to Japan with the John Field program , as well as performing with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra under the baton of Karina Canellakis . The second album being released in 2025 , was recorded in Iceland and features the evocative piano works of Jóhann Jóhannsson .
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM by James M . Keller
Igor Stravinsky
Born June 5 ( old style )/ 17 ( new style ), 1882 , in Oranienbaum , now Lomonosov , near St . Petersburg , Russia Died April 6 , 1971 , in New York City
RENARD [ 1916 ]
In the winter of 1914 , Igor Stravinsky ’ s wife had a severe health crisis resulting from tuberculosis , and the family relocated for what was supposed to be a temporary , therapeutic stay in the thin air of the Swiss Alps . World War I broke out that August , and the family stayed to ride out the conflict in the Land of Neutrality , remaining in Switzerland until they moved to France in 1920 .
This exile from his native Russia inspired Stravinsky to compensate by composing several pieces anchored in Russian folklore , including his stage-works Renard , Svadebka ( The Wedding ), and Histoire du soldat ( The Soldier ’ s Tale ). For the subject of Renard he turned to a collection of Russian folk-tales collected and presented by Alexander Afanasiev . The Russian title of this work goes on a bit : Baykapro lisu , petukha , kota da barana , which means “ The Fable of the Fox , the Rooster , the Cat , and the Ram .” That provides a clear set-up for the action , which Stravinsky described in its subtitle as “ a burlesque in song and dance in one act for clowns , dancers , and acrobats , with large chamber ensemble and four men ’ s voices .”
The plot runs something like this : The Fox ( Renard ) has designs on a Rooster
and deviously tries to earn the Rooster ’ s trust by claiming to be a nun coming to hear his confession . The ruse is unsuccessful , but Rooster descends from his perch nonetheless and is caught by Fox . Rooster calls for his friends Cat and Ram , who scare off Fox but stick around to taunt Rooster , who finally returns to his perch . Fox returns , this time undisguised , and now she tries to seduce Rooster with offers of various foods : peas , wheat , a pancake . Again Rooster jumps from his perch and is caught ; again he calls for Cat and Ram , who arrive and warn Fox that her babies are in danger in their den . Then they catch Fox by her tail and strangle her . Rooster , Cat , and Ram rejoice , and that is that .
Stravinsky went to pains to insist that this should not be considered an opera .
NOV-DEC 2024 | OVERTURE | 25