David Finckel & Wu Han Close Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Series at Harris Theater Tonight

By: Apr. 29, 2014
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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's esteemed Co-Artistic Directors David Finckel (cello) and Wu Han (piano), Musical America's 2012 Musicians of the Year, will perform all five of Beethoven's much-beloved Cello Sonatas tonight, April 29 at 7:30PM, the final Chamber Music Society (CMS) performance of the 2013-2014 Michael Hill series at the Harris Theater.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Cello Sonatas, composed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, were written over three distinct periods of Beethoven's musical career, considered by scholars as a telling snapshot of the icon's creative evolution. Musicologists have dubbed these periods the classical, heroic, and transcendent periods. It is through the cellos sonatas that the full scope of Beethoven's musical genius is on display. Renowned British cellist Steven Isserli, in a guest article for the Guardian, wrote: "To play Beethoven's five cello sonatas is to trace his life story." The first two sonatas were composed in 1796; the third sonata composed in 1808; and the fourth and fifth sonatas composed in 1815. The early cello sonatas often reflect an ambitious artist, where the last two sonatas shed light on a more pragmatic, introspective composer.

"To close CMS' 2013-2014 residency at the Harris, we offer a performance of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas," said Finckel and Wu Han. "Performing the entire cycle in a single evening provides a journey from Beethoven's fiery youth, through his heroic middle period, to the moving and momentous final sonatas of his late career."

Finckel and Wu Han have been lauded around the world for their virtuosic performances and their innovative leadership. They have since expanded the Society's reach around the country with regular performances and artistic residences. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will return next season to the Harris Theater for an expanded five-concert season, which will include a special collaborative performance and the Chicago debut of the new Emerson String Quartet, featuring newly appointed cellist Paul Watkins. CMS and the Harris Theater also announced an extended three-year artistic residency this winter, which will bring CMS back to the Harris Theater and Chicago through the 2017 performance season. CMS' first residency at the Harris began in 2011.­­

"The magnificent careers and achievements of David Finckel and Wu Han, both musically and administratively, are significant on many levels," said Michael Tiknis, the Harris Theater's President and Managing Director. "They're a pair unlike any other in the classical music world, and to see them perform together is a special experience. They are the embodiment of talent, professionalism, and grace. We're so very fortunate to have them with us here in Chicago."

Tickets for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's performance of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas are $20-$40 available at HarrisTheaterChicago.org, or through the Box Office at 312.334.7777; subscriptions for CMS' expanded 2014-2015 season are also available for purchase now.



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