Russian-born Vladimir Feltsman brings his considerable talent to the Festival tomorrow. Michael Stern conducts this Sunday evening, 4 pm at the Benedict Music Tent.
Praised for his personal charisma and boundless imagination, pianist Piotr Anderszewski returns to Aspen ’s Harris Concert Hall on Wednesday, February 20 at 7:30 pm for the second concert of the Aspen Music Festival and School’s winter recital series. The program includes Bach’s Partita No. 2 for Keyboard in C minor and Partita No. 1 for Keyboard in B-flat major; Schumann’s melancholy Humoreske in B-flat major, op. 20; and Szymanowski’s Masks, op. 34, included in the pianist’s highly-praised recording of the composer’s solo piano works, which received the Classic FM Gramophone Award in 2006 for best instrumental disc.
In recent years Anderszewski has been singled out for several high profile awards, including the prestigious Szymanowski Prize in 1999 and the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2000 Best Instrumentalist Award. In April 2002 he was named Gilmore Artist and described by this prestigious award’s advisory panel as “truly extraordinary.”
“Piotr’s intensity and musicianship bring the crowd to its feet whenever he performs in Aspen ,” says AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher. “And there’s no better place to hear the nuances and technical mastery of such an artist than the immaculate acoustics of Harris Concert Hall.”
Anderszewski has made a number of highly-praised recordings, including Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, a disc which received exceptional critical acclaim. The recording was also the subject of a film by Bruno Monsaingeon, creator of documentaries on Yehudi Menuhin and Glenn Gould. For more information, see http://www.anderszewski.net/index.cfm
The AMFS’s 2008 winter recital series includes the best and the brightest of today’s classical music scene, including:
• Piano mega-star Emanuel Ax making his first appearance in Aspen in six years, February 26.
• Pianist Stephen Hough with a program featuring Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Chopin on March 6.
• Young violin sensation Leila Josefowicz, who takes the stage with the timeless music of Brahms and Schubert on March 10.
All winter recitals are performed at 7:30 pm in Aspen ’s 500-seat Harris Concert Hall ( 960 N. Third Street , Aspen , CO ). Tickets for Anderszewski’s recital are $55 for adults and are available at the AMFS Harris Hall Box Office, by calling 970-925-9042, or online at www.aspenmusicfestival.com.
The Aspen Music Festival and School is the United States ’ most extensive classical music festival, presenting more than 350 musical events during its nine-week summer season. The AMFS’s orchestras are composed of top professionals and music students, many on the cusp of their orchestral careers. The 2008 season runs June 19 through August 17.
The Aspen Meadows Resort is the hospitality sponsor of the 2008 Winter Music Series.
“Once Upon a Time…” theme offers a season-long exploration of folklore, legends, mythology and fairytales through music
David Zinman conducts the world premiere of John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby Suite, an AMFS commission which captures the spirit of the big band era
“Once Upon a Time…” shines through the Aspen Opera Theater Center this summer with two adult versions of the classic Cinderella tale and a production of Hansel and Gretel
Piano mega-star Emanuel Ax returns to Aspen with two extraordinary programs, including a special concert with pianists Joseph Kalichstein, Yefim Bronfman and Misha Dichter
A live taping of the nation’s most popular classical music show, From the Top, features
talent from Aspen’s own stellar student body
Jazz songstress Patti Austin joins the Count Basie Orchestra in a tribute to the first lady of American song, Ella Fitzgerald, presented in association with Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Multiple collaborations with Aspen’s arts elite, including the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, the Aspen Institute and Aspen Film
More than 350 public events feature appearances by Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, James Conlon, Emerson String Quartet, Vladimir Feltsman, Julia Fischer, Nicholas McGegan, David Robertson, Gil Shaham, Leonard Slatkin and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, among others.
This winter, the AMFS is expanding its free concert series, now called Music and M.O.R.E., to include events in Glenwood Springs. These entertaining and energetic performances are one hour, are free, and open to the entire community.
The series kicks off January 11 with a performance by the Arundo Wind Quintet, joined by young dance students from the Glenwood Springs area, at the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts; the Janus Trio (flute-viola-harp) comes to the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts on February 14 with a program that will be highlighted by an exhibit of artists from elementary students' to adults' visual artwork; on March 11, the Colorado State University Choir performs at Glenwood Springs's First United Methodist Church; guitarist Brad Richter returns to Harris Concert Hall on April 11 after a successful Aspen performance last spring; and composer Andrew Norman is joined by young composers of the Roaring Fork Valley at Harris Concert Hall on April 25.
The Aspen Music Festival and School today announced to the public a $25 million gift from Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum, the largest gift in the town's history. The funds will support the programs and facilities of this premier music center, providing the bedrock funding for the building of a new campus that will be named the Matthew and Carolyn Bucksbaum Campus in their honor.
Day 3 of Aspen Music Festival and School Education Outreach Director Debby Barnekow and young composer Andrew Norman's musical odyssey to Roaring Fork Valley schools.
In our second visit to the Aspen High IB program we added student Nick Holloran from Basalt who had the morning free (I don't remember this in my high school days!). An accomplished pianist (he participated in the PALS program this summer), Nick began composing this summer.
Day 2 from the road with Aspen Music Festival and School Education Outreach Director Debby Barnekow and young composer Andrew Norman.
Today was spent in one of our adopted schools in the PLUS program, Glenwood Springs Elementary. The fifth graders will begin a composition right after Christmas using their recorder instruments, so the goal was to help them find a process to begin. Using his verb piece with video that he presented yesterday to the high school students, Andrew had them improvise sounds that corresponded to the 13 verbs: "... drip, blip, sparkle, glint, float, ... chop, pop, splash." We split the group into two groups and with Andrew and me conducting, creating a sound piece. Of course, then when they heard/saw the piece that Andrew composed, the whole process was very clear... and fun!
Each year, at the height of Aspen’s ski season, the Aspen Music Festival and School presents a stellar line-up of classical music’s top artists as part of its winter Artist Recital Series in Harris Concert Hall, giving this tiny mountain town a unique opportunity to see, and hear, the very same artists that appear at the world’s most prestigious venues.
The Series opens February 12 with Aspen favorites cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, presenting a rich program of works by Schubert, Webern, Beethoven and Brahms. Finckel, also a member of the acclaimed Emerson String Quartet, and Wu Han rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. Their duo performances have garnered superlatives from the press, public and presenters alike.
Day 1
What a great first day! Anticipation segued into excitement-Andrew is a real charmer, tuned into what appeals to young people. Much of his music is generated from a visual source: architecture, paintings and film.
As the Composer Forum begins once again, I find the same excitement that began the very first one six years ago. Then, there was the question of, would any of the plans work? Would there be children who actually would compose some music based on their interaction with Derek Bermel, the guest composer? And would anyone come hear their pieces? We received a resounding "yes" to these questions and here we are again, bringing another composer, Andrew Norman, into the schools, to work with a variety of select students. Some of these students have participated before and I am excited to see their growth in the new pieces.
Made in America: Jazz is the minifestival theme this weekend at the Aspen Music Festival and school and virtually every performance is touched by the Blue Notes angel.
