Utah Symphony to Present Grieg's Piano Concerto & U.S. Premiere Inspired by Tim Burton, 2/28-3/1

Guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth returns to lead Utah Symphony on Feb. 28 and March 1 at 8pm at Abravanel Hall for a special performance of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto.

Mr. Wigglesworth is joined by piano soloist Alexander Melnikov, the 2013/14 Artist-in-Residence at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. Known for his often-unusual musical and programmatic decisions, Alexander Melnikov discovered a career-long interest in historical performance practice at an early age.

"I've worked with Alexander Melnikov before," says Wigglesworth, "and I know he will give this much-loved piece all the personal lyricism and public drama it requires." Grieg's Piano Concerto last appeared on Utah Symphony's Masterworks series in 2008, conducted by Stefan Sanderling with Shai Wosner as the guest soloist.

Next weekend's concert at Abravanel Hall will also feature the U.S. premiere performance of "A Freak in Burbank" by Albert Schnelzer. This piece was commissioned by the Stockholm Chamber Orchestra and premiered in 2008.

Written with Burbank-born film director Tim Burton in mind, Mr. Schnelzer explains, "The music of Joseph Haydn has always been a source of inspiration for me ... In this piece I wanted to take a Haydn-size orchestra, preserve the essence of Haydn's music, but place it in a more modern environment. Will the spirit of Haydn survive in an American suburb?"

Mr. Wigglesworth explains his philosophy on conducting contemporary works: "New music has to speak to people, but if the sound world is too familiar, there is no point playing the piece at all. I think Schnelzer achieves an ideal balance between innovation and tradition. Plus it sounds fun."

The closing piece of the concert is Jean Sibelius' Symphony, No. 2 which became a symbol of Finnish pride. Symphony No. 2 was last performed by the Utah Symphony in 2008 with guest conductor Joseph Silverstein on the podium.

Single tickets for the performance start at $18 and can be purchased by phone at (801) 355-2787, in person at the Abravanel Hall ticket office (123 W. South Temple) or online by visiting www.utahsymphony.org. Season subscribers can purchase discounted tickets by contacting (801) 533-6683. Those desiring group discounts should call (801) 869-9046. All ticket prices are subject to change and availability, and will increase $5 when purchased on the day of the performance.

GUEST ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Mark Wigglesworth, Conductor: Born in Sussex, England, Mark Wigglesworth studied music at Manchester University and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. While still a student, he formed The Premiere Ensemble, an orchestra committed to playing a new piece in every program. A few weeks after leaving the Academy, he won the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in The Netherlands, and since then has worked with many of the leading orchestras and opera companies of the world.

In 1992 he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Further appointments include Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Highlights of his time with the BBCNOW include several visits to the BBC Proms, a performance of Mahler's Tenth Symphony at the prestigious Amsterdam Mahler Festival in 1995, and a six-part television series for the BBC entitled "Everything to Play For".

Mr. Wigglesworth has been just as busy in North America having been invited to the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the Toronto Symphony, and the Boston Symphony. He regularly visits the Minnesota Orchestra and has an on-going relationship with the New World Symphony.

Equally at home in the Opera House, Mr. Wigglesworth started his operatic career with a period as Music Director of Opera Factory, London. Since then he has worked regularly at Glyndebourne ("Peter Grimes", "La Boheme", "Le Nozze di Figaro"), Welsh National Opera ("Elektra", "The Rake's Progress", "Tristan und Isolde"), and English National Opera ("Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", "Così fan tutte", "Falstaff", "Kát'a Kabanová", "Parsifal"). He has conducted at the Netherlands Opera ("Peter Grimes"); La Monnaie ("Mitridate", "Wozzeck", "Pelléas et Mélisande"); The Sydney Opera House ("Peter Grimes", "Don Giovanni"); The Metropolitan Opera, New York ("Le nozze di Figaro"); and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg").

Future highlights include returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, English National Opera, Tokyo Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Sydney and Melbourne symphony orchestras, Hong Kong Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as well as debuts with the RSB Berlin and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.

Alexander Melinko, Piano Soloist: Alexander Melnikov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Naumov. His most formative musical moments in Moscow include his early encounter with Svjatoslav Richter, who thereafter regularly invited him to festivals in Russia and France. He was awarded prizes at eminent competitions such as the International Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau (1989) and the Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth in Brussels (1991).

His major influences in this field include Andreas Staier and Alexei Lubimov, with whom he collaborated on numerous projects. Melnikov performs regularly with such distinguished period ensembles as Concerto Köln and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

Alexander Melnikov's recording of the complete Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich was awarded the "BBC Music" Magazine Award, Choc de classica and the Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. In 2011, it was also named by the "BBC Music" Magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Recordings of All Time." Additionally, Melnikov's discography features works by Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin; his recording of the Shostakovich piano concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Teodor Currentzis was also met with critical acclaim.

As a soloist, Alexander Melnikov has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philadelphia Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Russian National Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony, under conductors such as Mikhail Pletnev, Teodor Currentzis, Charles Dutoit, Paavo Järvi and Valery Gergiev.

Alexander Melnikov is the 2013/14 Artist-in-Residence at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. This season begins with Melnikov's debut at the BBC Proms with the Warsaw Philharmonic under Antoni Wit, followed by performances in the season-opening concerts of the Czech Philharmonic under Ji?í B?lohlávek. Further musical partners of the season include the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Freiburger Barockorchester, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Seattle Symphony and New Zealand Symphony. Melnikov's solo engagements will take him to such venues as the Maison symphonique de Montreal, Wigmore Hall in London, De Singel in Antwerp and the Mozarteum Salzburg, as well as to concert halls in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo.

PROGRAM

The Utah Symphony presents

Grieg's Piano Concerto

Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday, February 28, 2014 | 8 PM / Saturday, March 1, 2014 | 8 PM

Mark Wigglesworth, Conductor

Alexander Melnikov, Piano

Albert Schnelzer A Freak in Burbank

Edvard Grieg Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 16

I. Allegro molto moderato

II. Adagio

III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

Alexander Melnikov, Piano

INTERMISSION

Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 43

I. Allegretto

II. Andante, ma rubato

III. Vivacissimo

IV. Finale: Allegro moderato

About the Utah Symphony: Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances which engage, educate and enrich lives. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. The orchestra presents more than 70 performances each season in Abravanel Hall, participates in the Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Capitol Theatre, in addition to numerous community concerts throughout Utah and the annual outdoor summer series - the Deer Valley Music Festival -in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged full-time orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.