Andsnes and Risor come to Carnegie Hall
The celebrated Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes brings his tenure as co-artistic director of the renowned Risor Chamber Music Festival to a close with a four-concert residency at New York’s Carnegie Hall from December 1-4. The New York performances are the last leg of a tour that also includes residencies by the Risor forces in Brussels and London. Among the highlights are Andsnes and Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin performing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring on two pianos (Dec 1 at Zankel Hall); the U.S. premieres of Rolf Wallin’s Under City Skin and Bent Sorensen’s Schattenlinie (Dec 2 at Zankel Hall); soprano Measha Brueggergosman singing Schoenberg’s arrangement of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Dec 3 in Stern Auditorium); and a program of Romantic songs and chamber music, including Brueggergosman singing Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37, as well as Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 (Dec 4 in Zankel Hall).
The Risor Chamber Music Festival, now in its 20th season, is located in a scenic fishing village in southern Norway. The festival’s inspired programming – mixing old and new music in thought-provoking combinations (this year’s festival was tied to the theme of “Revolt”), its glorious natural setting, and the participation of both world-renowned musicians and young, up-and-coming Scandinavian and other artists have made Risor an international cultural destination.
Andsnes described Risor’s programs for Carnegie as “rather ambitious,” adding, “They show quite a few of the aspects of the Risor programming, especially the wild contrasts between familiar classical and chamber works coupled with contemporary new pieces and commissions. I’m very excited to be doing Stravinsky’s Sacre for two pianos: we performed it two years ago and it was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done. The fall programs we’ll be doing are a summary of the past few years.”
He also explained how the festival approach colored the music-making:
“The festival is such a great meeting place for musicians. We try to combine musicians that haven’t worked together before, mixing established international artists with the best Scandinavian or younger artists that don’t have solo careers. Orchestra musicians play chamber music. It’s an explosive way of doing programs! Everyone is so keen and prepared. At Risor, we avoided doing solo recitals featuring one artist. Instead, we put different groups together in each program, mixing songs, sonatas, vocal works, and contemporary works with various numbers of musicians. People listen to each other perform, and there’s such a feeling of community. I think this is the way to put together great programs. You can’t normally do things this way, because you don’t have 30 people to work with for most performances. With this festival approach, I don’t play one recital, but participate in several programs – and it’s an extremely rewarding experience.”
Andsnes reflected on his many years at Risor in a recent interview, noting, “It’s hard to describe how important the festival has been in my life. I came here when I was 20, and Lars Anders asked me to play in the first two festivals, following which he invited me to join him as Artistic Director. I have met so many people through this festival – so many musicians that I have continued having relationships with, recording and touring with, and I’ve met many friends here and learned so much music.”
A brief conversation about the Risor Festival between Leif Ove Andsnes and Jeremy Geffen, Carnegie Hall’s Director of Artistic Planning, is available here:
http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/8480.html
For additional information, visit www.andsnes.com
Leif Ove Andsnes and the Risør Chamber Music Festival at Carnegie Hall
Wednesday, December 1
Zankel Hall
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Øyvind Bjorå, violin
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Risør Festival Strings
BARTÓK: Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano
HONEGGER: Symphony No. 2, “Symphonie pour cordes”
BERG: Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5
STRAVINSKY: Le sacre du printemps (version for two pianos)
Thursday, December 2
Zankel Hall
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Henning Kraggerud, violin
Maria Angelika Carlsen, violin
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Torleif Thedéen, cello
Risør Festival Strings
DEBUSSY: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor
ROLF WALLIN: Under City Skin (US premiere)
BENT SØRENSEN: Schattenlinie (US premiere)
MOZART: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A major, K. 581
Friday, December 3
Stern Auditorium
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Henning Kraggerud, violin
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Torleif Thedéen, cello
Risør Festival Strings
R. STRAUSS: Sextet from Capriccio, Op. 85
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 449
MAHLER: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (arr. Schoenberg)
COPLAND: Clarinet Concerto
BARTÓK: Divertimento for Strings
Saturday, December 4
Zankel Hall
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Henning Kraggerud, violin
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Torleif Thedéen, cello
GRIEG: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 8
LISZT: “Oh! Quand je dors” (“Élégie Etienne Monnier”)
DUPARC: “Au pays où se fait la guerre”
BRAHMS: “Ständchen,” Op. 106, No. 1
WAGNER: “Im Treibhaus” from Wesendonck Lieder, Op. 91
CHAUSSON: Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37
BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
Leif Ove Andsnes: additional 2010-11 season engagements
Dec 12
Berlin Philharmonic Pianist-in-Residence
Chamber concert
Dec 19-21
Dresden, Germany
Dresden Staatskapelle / Herbert Blomstedt
Mozart: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24
Jan 20 & 21, 2011
Bergen, Norway
Bergen Philharmonic / Edward Gardner
Hvoslef: Piano Concerto
Feb 2, 4
Amsterdam, Holland
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Feb 5
Amsterdam, Holland
Chamber concert
Muziekgebouw
Feb 6-14
European tour with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 or Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
Hamburg, Germany (Feb 6)
Copenhagen, Denmark (Feb 7)
Oslo, Norway (Feb 8 & 9)
Stockholm, Sweden (Feb 11)
Luxembourg (Feb 13)
Paris, France (Feb 14)
Feb 17-19
Chicago, IL
Chicago Symphony / Riccardo Muti
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
March 16-18
Berlin, Germany
Berlin Philharmonic Pianist-in-Residence
Berlin Philharmonic / Bernard Haitink
March 28 (tbc)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Recital
March 30
Bergen, Norway
Recital
April 1-7
U.S. recital tour
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53 “Waldstein”; Brahms: Four Ballades, Op. 10; Schoenberg: Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19; Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Jordan Hall, Boston, MA (April 1)
Symphony Hall, Chicago, IL (April 3)
Krannert Center, Champaign-Urbana, IL (April 5)
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY (April 7)
April 13 – May 16
European recital tour
Rome, Italy (April 13)
Perugia, Italy (April 14)
St. Petersburg, Russia (April 16)
Berlin, Germany (Berlin Philharmonic Pianist-in-Residence) (April 18)
Madrid, Spain (April 26)
Vienna, Austria (April 28)
Hamburg, Germany (May 8)
Geneva, Switzerland (May 11)
Dijon, France (May 13)
Toulouse, France (May 16)
May 25
Paris, France
Orchestre de Paris / Paavo Järvi
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
May 28
Vienna, Austria
Orchestre de Paris / Paavo Järvi
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
June 8
Berlin, Germany
Berlin Philharmonic Pianist-in-Residence
Chamber concert
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