Alessio Bax Makes Debuts with Symphonies of Boston, Melbourne and Sydney, Highlighting Expansive 2018-19 Season

Alessio Bax – “clearly among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone) – looks forward to a banner season highlighted by four major orchestral debuts, three of which take place on a multi-faceted spring tour of Australia and New Zealand. For three of these first appearances, he revisits the two concertos heard on Alessio Bax Plays Mozart, making his Boston Symphony Orchestra debut playing Mozart’s C-minor concerto (K. 491) in New Year concerts with Sir Andrew Davis, before reuniting with the conductor to make his Melbourne Symphony debut in Mozart’s B-flat major concerto (K. 595), which he then leads from the keyboard in his first performances with the Sydney Symphony. Besides making debuts with the Auckland Philharmonia and Columbus Symphony, and returning to the Kansas and Fort Worth Symphonies, Bax also looks forward to touring a creatively curated Italian-themed solo recital program to Washington, DC, and other U.S. and antipodean cities; returning to New York’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; embarking on a South Korean duo recital tour with violinist Clara-Jumi Kang; undertaking a residency at Japan’s Le Pont International Music Festival; and giving piano four-hands duo recitals in the U.S., Australia, and Brazil with his wife, Lucille Chung. These engagements follow his second season as Artistic Director of Italy’s Incontri in Terra di Siena festival, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this past summer, and his season-launching appearance with the Tokyo Symphony, when he played Tchaikovsky’s beloved First Piano Concerto in a gala concert honoring the tenth anniversary of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, of which – like the Leeds – Bax is a first-prize laureate.

Orchestral dates: BSO debut, antipodean tour, and more

Released in 2013, Alessio Bax Plays Mozart was named a “Connoisseur’s Choice” by Classic FM and confirmed the pianist’s “repute as a performer of gossamer brilliance” (Audiophile Audition). Now he reprises the first of the album’s two concertos, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, for his long-awaited Boston Symphony debut, which he makes in three performances under the leadership of Sir Andrew Davis (Jan 10-12). Bax explains:

“It is every musician’s dream to play with this venerable and exceptional orchestra, and I couldn’t be more excited to play Mozart’s Concerto KV 491, perhaps the most complete and one of the deepest concerti by Mozart, together with the wonderful Sir Andrew Davis.”

It is the same eminent English conductor, in his capacity as Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony, who directs Bax in his debut with the orchestra (March 29–April 1), in concerts highlighting his upcoming spring tour of Australia and New Zealand. This time they perform the second concerto from his 2013 recording, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major. The same concerto is the vehicle for the pianist’s Sydney Symphony debut, which he leads from the keyboard himself (March 21).

For his third and final concerto collaboration of the tour, Bax makes his debut with New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia, playing the Grieg Concerto, of which his performance with the Minnesota Orchestra made the “old warhorse…into a freshly primed young stallion” (Star Tribune), under the baton of Tadaaki Otaka (April 4). Bax reflects:

“I am very much looking forward to spending a long stretch touring Australia and New Zealand. I can’t wait to learn more about this great continent through its music, people, food and culture and unbelievable sights.”

Back in the States, Bax performs Grieg’s concerto for both his debut with Ohio’s Columbus Symphony under Rossen Milanov (March 15 & 16) and his return to Florida’s Pensacola Symphony under Peter Rubardt (April 27). Showcasing two works he considers “true masterpieces of American music,” he plays Barber’s Concerto with the Kansas City Symphony under Edo de Waart (March 8-10) and Gershwin’s Concerto in F with Nevada’s Reno Philharmonic and Laura Jackson (Sep 29 & 30). He also reprises Mozart’s C-minor Concerto with New York’s Camerata Notturna and Paul Watkins (Dec 15) and with the West Michigan Symphony and Scott Speck, where he pairs it with Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” (Feb 1).

Finally, Bax rounds out his U.S. orchestral season with accounts of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony and Miguel Harth-Bedoya (Oct 26-28). It was with the same formidably challenging work that he stepped in two seasons ago to give his unscheduled first performances with the Cincinnati Symphony and Sir Andrew Davis, in what proved “the most exciting debut in recent memory” (Cincinnati Enquirer).

Solo recitals in U.S., Australia, and New Zealand

A native of Bari, Italy, Bax celebrates his homeland in recital this season, with an Italian-themed solo program featuring J.S. Bach’s arrangement of an Alessandro Marcello oboe concerto, Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Corelli, two pieces by Liszt that draw inspiration from great Italians, and Dallapiccola’s Quaderno musicale di Annalibera, a playful yet tender twelve-tone composition inspired by the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, and dedicated to the Italian composer’s eight-year-old daughter. Bax explains:

“As an Italian pianist, I have to be very creative when trying to come up with an Italian program. There is almost a total dearth of Romantic piano music, most likely because of the prominence of opera during that period. It’s as if Italian composers only became seriously interested in the piano in the 20th century!

   “However, Italy has always had great music. I open my program with a transcription, by Bach, of an oboe concerto by the Venetian composer Alessandro Marcello, which not only showcases this wonderful music but also reveals deep insight into Bach’s mind. I follow it with Rachmaninov’s last solo piano piece, a set of amazing variations on Corelli’s La Folia. This very simple theme becomes the vehicle for an incredible exploration of the piano’s dramatic potential.

   “The second half opens with Dallapiccola’s Quaderno musicale di Annalibera, which adheres to the structure of dodecaphonism, yet has so much subtlety, beauty, and expression, and requires the utmost concentration and sonic command of the instrument. I complete my program with two works connected to Italy by the subject matter that inspired them. St. François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux is at once stunning and elusive, while – in only around 15 minutes – Après une Lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata takes both listener and pianist on a multi-legged journey through heaven, hell, and earth, with so much beauty and drama along the way. It’s always a thrilling ride!”

This program takes him to the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC (Feb 10); to two Texas universities, in Dallas (Feb 23) and Wichita Falls (Feb 26); and to four stops on his upcoming antipodean tour, with Australian dates in Sydney (March 25) and Adelaide (March 26), and New Zealand ones in Auckland (April 5) and Upper Hutt (April 8). Bax also gives a fifth solo recital “down under,” playing selected preludes by Rachmaninov, in whose music he “conquers all with plenty of technique to spare” (American Record Guide), in Brisbane, Australia (April 7).

Chamber and duo collaborations on four continents

Bax has been honored with both the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award and a Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, which recognizes young musicians of exceptional accomplishment. Reflecting his dedication to chamber music, the coming season sees him undertake a variety of collaborations. In the Far East, he plays music by Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Milhaud, Lekeu, Dukas, Duvernoy, and Enescu during a four-day residency at Japan’s Le Pont International Music Festival (Oct 7-11) and partners violinist Clara-Jumi Kang for works by Debussy, Busoni, Ysaÿe, and Franck on a four-city South Korean tour (Oct 14-19). Then on New Year’s Eve he heads to Israel to take part in Dvořák’s “Dumky” Trio and Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet at a festive opening-night gala concert to launch the Music Makers Festival Israel (Dec 31).

Closer to home, he returns to New York’s Alice Tully Hall for a pair of programs with Chamber Music of Lincoln Center. In “Hungarian Fire,” he performs selected Ligeti Etudes and joins violinist Ida Kavafian and others for works by Brahms, Bartók, and Dohnányi (March 3), and in a tribute to the Ballets Russes, he, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, and others perform music by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky; for the original version for piano four-hands of the latter composer’s Petrouchka, Bax will be joined by his wife, Stravinsky International Piano Competition-winner Lucille Chung (May 19). He and Chung play the same work for a CMS lecture at New York’s Rose Studio (Feb 20) and take part in “Carnival of the Animals,” a special zoological-themed chamber program of works by Vivaldi, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Daquin, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and Saint-Saëns, for which they will be joined by members of the New York Philharmonic in Ridgewood, NJ (Nov 4). The couple also gives dedicated piano four-hands duo recitals throughout the season, in Dallas (Nov 10), Athens, OH (Nov 15-17), and Southbury, CT (April 14); in Castlemaine, Australia (March 31); and in two dates at the Sala São Paulo in Brazil (May 21 & 22). As Classical CD Choice observes: “Bax and Chung demonstrate an almost supernatural understanding of the demands of the duo repertoire.” Click here to read Bax on Petrouchka in the Huffington Post.

Success of Incontri festival’s 30th anniversary season

These engagements follow the success of Bax’s second year as Artistic Director of Tuscany’s Incontri in Terra di Siena festival. Under his expert curation, the festival’s 30th-anniversary lineup featured the Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato led by Jonathan Webb, superlative lieder interpreter Ian Bostridge, and 15 of today’s foremost chamber musicians, including flutist Emmanuel Pahud, violinist Daishin Kashimoto, and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. As Musica explained,

“At Incontri you can breathe in the atmosphere of times past, the atmospheres of 19th-century musical evenings, with world-renowned performers who give up their egos…for dialogue, facing one another before large audiences of friends and supporters of the festival.”

Considering Incontri “one of the most enjoyable musical enterprises of the Tuscan summer,” the Financial Time concluded that “continuing to grow in this direction will ensure a successful next 30 years for Incontri in Terra di Siena.”

 

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Alessio Bax: 2018-19 engagements

Sep 29-30
Reno, NV
Reno Philharmonic Orchestra / Laura Jackson
Gershwin: Concerto in F

Oct 7-11
Ako & Himeji, Japan
Le Pont International Music Festival
Oct 7: Ako
Debussy: Piano Trio in G
Saint-Saëns: Piano Quintet, Op. 14
Oct 8: Ako
Milhaud: Sonata for two violins and piano, Op. 15
Lekeu: Piano Quartet
Debussy: Nocturne et Scherzo for cello and piano
Dukas: Villanelle
   Oct 10: Himeji
Enescu: Serenade Lointaine for piano, violin, and cello
Oct 11: Himeji
Duvernoy: Horn Trio No. 1
Enescu: Pastorale, Menuet Triste et Nocturne for violin and piano four-hands

Oct 14-19
South Korean tour with Clara-Jumi Kang, violin
Debussy: Sonata for Violin & Piano in G minor
Busoni: Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 36a, KiV 244
Ysaÿe: Poème élégiaque in D minor, Op. 12
Franck: Sonata for Violin & Piano in A, FWV 8
Oct 14: Seoul
Oct 17: Nowon
Oct 18: Gangneung
Oct 19: Anseong

Oct 26-28
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra/ Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2

Nov 4
Ridgewood, NJ
West Side Presbyterian Church
“Carnival of the Animals”: chamber program with Lucille Chung, piano, and members of the New York Philharmonic
Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in D, RV 428, (“The Goldfinch”)
Mussorgsky: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Rachmaninoff: Flight of the Bumblebee
Daquin: Le Coucou
Tchaikovsky: The White Swan (“Pas d’action” from Swan Lake)
Mozart: Clarinet Trio in E-flat, K. 498 (“Kegelstatt”)
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals

Nov 7 & 10
Dallas, TX
Southern Methodist University
Nov 7: Masterclass
Nov 10: Piano four-hands duo recital with Lucille Chung, piano

Nov 15-17
Athens, OH
Ohio International Piano Duet and Duo Competition
Jury, class, and piano four-hands duo recital with Lucille Chung, piano
Debussy, transcr. Ravel: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, for piano, four-hands
Stravinsky: Petrouchka, original complete ballet, for piano, four-hands

Dec 9
La Jolla, CA
Salk Institute
Salk Music Series
Solo recital TBA
With lecture by Graham McVicker, geneticist 

Dec 15
New York, NY
Camerata Notturna / Paul Watkins
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 

Dec 31
Eilon, Israel
Music Makers Festival Israel
Opening-night gala
Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 4, Op. 90, “Dumky” (with Vadim Gluzman, violin; Johannes Moser, cello)
Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D. 667, “Trout” (with Vadim Gluzman, violin; Tabea Zimmermann, viola, Johannes Moser, cello; Niek De Groot, double bass)

Jan 10-12
Boston, MA
Symphony Hall
Boston Symphony Orchestra / Sir Andrew Davis (debut)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491

Feb 1
Muskegon, MI
West Michigan Symphony/ Scott Speck
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Beethoven: Fantasia for Piano, Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 80 (“Choral Fantasy”)

Feb 2
Muskegon, MI
The Block
Solo recital
Program TBA

Feb 10
Washington, DC
Phillips Collection
Solo recital
Bach: Concerto in D minor, BWV 974 (after Marcello)
Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
Dallapiccola: Quaderno musicale di Annalibera
Liszt: St. François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux, S. 175/1
Liszt: Après une Lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi sonata, S. 161 

Feb 20
New York, NY
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Stravinsky: Petrouchka, original complete ballet, for piano, four-hands (with Lucille Chung, piano)

Feb 23
Dallas, TX
Southern Methodist University
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

Feb 26
Wichita Falls, TX
Midwestern State University
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

March 2 & 3: Concerts with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
“Hungarian Fire”
Brahms (arr. Joachim): Hungarian Dances for violin and piano (with Alexi Kenney, violin)
Bartók: Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (with Alexi Kenney, violin; Sebastian Manz, clarinet)
Ligeti: Selected Piano Etudes
Dohnányi: Piano Quintet in C minor (with Ida Kavafian & Alexi Kenney, violins; Yura Lee, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello)
March 2: Purchase, NY
March 3: New York, NY 

March 8-10
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Symphony / Edo de Waart
Barber: Piano Concerto 

March 15 & 16
Columbus, OH
Columbus Symphony Orchestra / Rossen Milanov (debut)
Grieg: Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16

March 21
Sydney, Australia
Sydney Symphony Orchestra (debut; leading from the keyboard)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat, K. 595

March 25
Sydney, Australia
City Recital Hall
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

March 26
Adelaide, Australia\
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

March 29 & 30; April 1
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / Sir Andrew Davis (debut)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat, K. 595

March 31
Castlemaine, Australia
Piano four-hands duo recital with Lucille Chung, piano

April 4
Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland Philharmonia / Tadaaki Otaka (debut)
Grieg: Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16

April 5
Auckland, New Zealand
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

April 7
Brisbane, Australia
Solo recital
Rachmaninoff: Preludes, Op. 3, No. 2; Op. 23, Nos. 5 & 10; Op 32, No. 5

April 8
Upper Hutt, New Zealand
Solo recital: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt (see Feb 10)

April 14
Southbury, CT
Heritage Village
Piano four-hands duo recital with Lucille Chung, piano 

April 27
Pensacola, FL
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra / Peter Rubardt
Grieg: Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16

May 19
New York, NY
Alice Tully Hall
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Ravel: Shéhérazade for mezzo, flute, piano (with Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute)
Prokofiev: Sonata in D for violin and piano (with Nicolas Dautricourt, violin)
Stravinsky: Petrouchka, original complete ballet, for piano, four-hands (with Lucille Chung, piano)

May 21 & 22
São Paulo, Brazil
Sala São Paulo
Piano four-hands duo recital with Lucille Chung, piano

 

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