Curtis On Tour kicks off European tour with free recitals at Curtis
Curtis On
Tour kicks off its 2009 European tour with two free recitals of American music
on Friday, May 15 at 5:15pm and 8pm in Field Concert Hall at the Curtis
Institute of Music. The programs
feature the world premiere of a new vocal work by Curtis composition faculty
member Richard Danielpour, as well as songs by Curtis alumni Samuel Barber
(’34) and Ned Rorem (’44) and chamber works by Irving Fine, Stephen Hartke, and
Charles Ives. Both concerts are
free and no tickets are required.
Each
season, Curtis On Tour brings the extraordinary artistry of the world-renowned
Curtis Institute of Music to audiences nationwide and in Europe, with
tomorrow’s leading musicians performing alongside celebrated alumni and
faculty. The Curtis On Tour
ensemble for the 2009 concerts in Europe pairs three students with faculty members
Roberto Díaz, violist and Curtis President, and pianists Mikael Eliasen and
Robert McDonald. After performing
at Curtis on May 15, the ensemble will tour from May 23 through June 3, with
stops in Ischia (Italy), Berlin, and Copenhagen. Curtis faculty members on the tour will also teach master classes
in Berlin and Copenhagen.
Richard
Danielpour’s Come up from the fields, father, written for baritone, viola, and
piano, is the setting of a text by Walt Whitman. Mr. Danielpour said, “It involves the narrative of a family
that discovers through a letter that their only son has been killed in the
war. While in this instance
Whitman was referring to the Civil War, the narrative is remarkably timely, and
he is able to imbue it with the universal, largely through the presence of the
silently suffering mother in the poem.
I was attracted to the idea of this setting after seeing in the New
York Times the
faces of recently killed soldiers in the war in Iraq.” The work was commissioned for Curtis On
Tour by the Curtis Institute of Music with generous support from Nancy, Alan,
and Shirley Manocharian.
In addition
to the repertoire performed in Philadelphia on May 15, Curtis On Tour’s
European concerts will feature songs by Charles Ives and by Curtis alumnus
Leonard Bernstein (’41). A
complete listing of tour performances, repertoire, dates, and venues follows.
The Curtis
On Tour performances embody the remarkable traditions of Curtis, where
individually tailored study with a faculty of leading musicians has nurtured a
long line of great performers, from such legends as Leonard Bernstein and
Samuel Barber to current stars Juan Diego Flórez, Alan Gilbert, Hilary Hahn,
Jennifer Higdon, Leila Josefowicz, and Lang
Lang. One of the world’s leading
music schools, Curtis provides full-tuition scholarships to all of its
students, ensuring that admissions are based solely on artistic promise. Students at this intimate,
Philadelphia-based conservatory “learn by doing,” performing frequently and
often collaborating side-by-side with their teachers. Curtis On Tour embodies this irresistible meeting of
youthful exuberance and seasoned artistry.
Curtis On Tour
Adrian
Kramer, baritone
Nikki
Chooi, violin
Roberto
Díaz, viola
Natalie
Helm, cello
Mikael
Eliasen, piano
Robert
McDonald, piano
Philadelphia
performances:
Friday,
May 15 at 5:15pm
Field
Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia
Presented
by the Curtis Institute of Music
Free; no
tickets required.
HARTKE: The
King of the Sun for
violin, viola, cello, and piano
IVES: Trio
for violin, piano, and cello
Friday,
May 15 at 8pm
Field
Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia
Presented
by the Curtis Institute of Music
Free; no
tickets required.
BARBER:
Songs
FINE:
Fantasia for string trio
DANIELPOUR:
Come up from the fields, father for baritone, viola, and piano (world premiere)
ROREM: Aftermath for baritone, violin, cello, and
piano
Tour Performances:
Ischia,
Italy
Giardini La
Mortella
Saturday,
May 23 at 5pm
Sunday, May
24 at 4:30pm and 6pm
Berlin,
Germany
American
Academy in Berlin
Tuesday,
May 26 at 7pm
Hochschule
für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
Friday, May
29 at 7pm
Copenhagen,
Denmark
Royal
Danish Academy of Music
Tuesday,
June 2
Wednesday,
June 3
Tour Repertoire:
BARBER:
Songs
BERNSTEIN:
Songs
DANIELPOUR:
Come up from the fields, father for baritone, viola, and piano (world premiere)
FINE:
Fantasia for string trio
HARTKE: The
King of the Sun for
violin, viola, cello, and piano
IVES: Songs
IVES: Trio
for violin, piano, and cello
ROREM: Aftermath for baritone, violin, cello, and
piano
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