Overture Magazine - 2014-2015 January-February 2015 | Page 42

{ program notes Jo seph M eyer ho f f Sy m pho n y Hall Bournemouth symphony orchestras, and the Royal Liverpool and BBC philharmonic orchestras; and to Australia to conduct the Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney symphony orchestras. Louis Lortie The Firebird Suite Friday, February 27, 2015 — 8 p.m. Yan Pascal Tortelier, Conductor Louis Lortie, Piano Hector Berlioz Le corsaire, opus 21 Maurice Ravel Trio in A minor Orchestration by Yan Pascal Tortelier Modéré Pantoum. Assez vif Passacaille. Très large Finale. Animé INTERMISSION Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 Allegro Adagio Allegro assai LOUIS LORTIE Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919) Introduction and Dance of the Firebird Dance of the Princesses Infernal Dance of King Kashchei Berceuse Finale The concert will end at approximately 9:50 p.m. Pianist Louis Lortie has attracted critical acclaim throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. He has extended his interpretative voice across a broad range of repertoire rather than choosing to specialize in one particular style. The London Times has described his artistry as “a combination of total spontaneity and meditated ripeness that only great pianists have.” Lortie has performed complete Beethoven sonata cycles at London’s Wigmore Hall, Berlin’s Philharmonie, and the Sala Grande del Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. A pianist and conductor with the Montreal Symphony, he has performed all five Beethoven concertos and all of the Mozart concertos. Lortie has also won widespread acclaim for his interpretation of Ravel and Chopin. In 2014–2015, he returns to the Sydney and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras and the Chicago Symphony, the Warsaw Philharmonie, the Toronto Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony and the San Diego Symphony; and presents recitals in London’s International Piano Series, Berlin, Milan, Calgary and Brussels. About the concert: Yan Pascal Tortelier Yan Pascal Tortelier enjoys a distinguished career as guest conductor of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. He began his musical career as a violinist and at 14 made his soloist debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He was principal conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra from 2009–2011, and currently holds the position of guest conductor of honour. 40 O v ertur e | www. bsomusic .org Following his outstanding work as chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, he was given the title of conductor emeritus and continues to work with the orchestra regularly. He also holds the position of principal guest conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Highlights of the 2014–2015 season and beyond include returns to the United States to conduct the orchestras in Pittsburgh, Montreal, San Francisco, Minnesota and Baltimore; European performances with the Iceland and Le corsaire Overture, opus 21 Hector Berlioz Born in La Côte-Saint-André, France, December 11, 1803; died in Paris, March 8, 1869 The year 1844 was an exhausting and demoralizing one for Hector Berlioz. After a long period of deterioration, his “dream” marriage to the Irish actress Harriet Smithson finally collapsed. As fans of the composer’s Symphonie fantastique will remember, Berlioz fell madly in love with her in 1827 after seeing her