Violinist Gil Morgenstern's 2012-2013 Reflections Series Continues Tonight

By: Feb. 26, 2013
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Violinist and artistic director Gil Morgenstern's acclaimed Reflections Series continues the 2012-2013 season tonight, February 26 and Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7:30pm with The Voice of the Violin, Part 2.

Celebrating five years of innovative programming in its intimate home at WMP Concert Hall (31 East 28th Street, NYC), Morgenstern will be joined by pianist Benjamin Hochman. The Voice of the Violin, Part 2 expands on the theme of Gil Morgenstern's opening concert at WMP in 2010. Mr. Morgenstern has crafted a second program showcasing the singularly expressive range of the violin and the diverse manner in which composers have exploited it. The program includes: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major; Webern's Four Pieces for violin and piano, Op. 7; selections from Bach's Partita in E Major for solo violin; Eugene Ysaÿe' Obsession: Prelude from Sonata No. 2 for solo violin; selections from Bartók's Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs; and Ravel's Tzigane.

The use of musical dialogue between violin and piano will be contrasted with performances of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major and Webern's Four Pieces for violin and piano. Selections from one of Bach's singular contribution to solo instrumental composition, his Partita in E Major for solo violin, will be performed as originally written and with Robert Schumann's piano accompaniment added 130 years later, as well as a performance of Eugene Ysaÿe' Obsession, written 200 years later. The program will conclude with two very different uses of Eastern European folk music: selections from Bartók's Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs and Ravel's Tzigane.

A sneak peek at upcoming Reflections Series Concerts:
Reflections on Things Past: The First Five Years | Tues., May 7 & Wed., May 8, 2013 at 7:30pm
An evening of Reflections Series' highlights, celebrating five years of innovative and original programming. With Jonathan Feldman, piano. Program TBA.

About Gil Morgenstern: Acclaimed for his artistry and technical brilliance, violinist Gil Morgenstern is devoted to exploring and expanding the possibilities for inventive classical music programming. His vision is to present the audience with a more complete concert experience, meticulously curated from start to finish, by organically integrating music with other artistic disciplines in innovative and unexpected ways. The New York Times describes Mr. Morgenstern as a, "brilliant and musically curious artist."

A violinist with a long history of performing in the world's great concert halls, Mr. Morgenstern's career has taken him to international venues including Wigmore Hall, London; Cultural Center Concert Hall, Hong Kong; the American Academy, Rome; Salone dei Cinquecento, Florence; El Teatro Sucre, Quito; Arts Centre and State Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. He has also toured the U.S. extensively, performing in recital and as guest soloist with many leading orchestras including the symphonies of St. Louis, Baltimore, Louisville, Indianapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, New Jersey and North Carolina. New York Times has hailed his playing as "a perfect demonstration of supreme ability;" "a rare poet of the violin" reported The South China Morning Post; "Morgenstern played a program that tested every part of a violinist's equipment and he did it all beautifully," wrote The Washington Post.

Mr. Morgenstern has also shared the stage with such eminent musicians as Philippe Entremont, Lynn Harrell, André-Michel Schub, Jeffrey Kahane, Sharon Isbin, and Heinz Holliger, and has collaborated with United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, and performance artist Laurie Anderson.

Mr. Morgenstern's discography includes works by Beethoven, Fauré, Copland, Ravel, Kodaly, Sessions and the award-winning American composer George Tsontakis. His latest recording, 20th Century Duos for Violin and Cello, was the No. 1 classical CD for over a month on eMusic, the largest online store for independent music in the world, and was one of the top ten best selling classical music albums on Amazon.com. Of the CD The New York Times raved, "the music is terrific and the performances compelling on this surprisingly exciting and excellently engineered recording." Mr. Morgenstern records for the MMC, Engine Company and Koch International Classics labels, and can regularly be heard on National Public Radio and classical music radio stations across the country.

Highlights of Mr. Morgenstern's recent seasons include interdisciplinary performances with the Julliard Dance Company at Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Ballet; the premieres of staged versions of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Venus and Adonis with Claire Bloom and John Neville, and Samuel Beckett at 100 at New York City's 92nd Street Y and at Harvard University. Mr. Morgenstern's performance in the Nine Circles Chamber Theatre production of When Samson Met Delilah toured Holland to rave reviews and his recent appearance in Toronto was broadcast throughout Canada on CBC. He also appeared as violin soloist in U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky's translation of Dante's Inferno, which toured the country and was broadcast on PBS and NPR, for which it received a Peabody nomination. Mr. Morgenstern continues to tour the United States and Europe, and his highly acclaimed Reflections Series will be presented in new venues in London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice in the 2012-2013 season. Mr. Morgenstern lives in New York City. For more information, visit www.gilmorgenstern.com.

About Benjamin Hochman: Winner of 2011's prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, pianist Benjamin Hochman has been described by the New York Times as a "gifted, fast-rising artist." His eloquent and virtuosic performances have earned him critical acclaim and his rare combination of bravura and poetry has excited audiences and critics alike. His engagements have brought him to major cities as orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator with celebrated conductors and colleagues. A passionate interpreter of diverse composers from Bach and Mozart to Berg and Kurtag with a penchant for juxtaposing familiar works with the unfamiliar, Mr. Hochman has proven to be adept in expressing the essential heart of each composer.

A strong musical presence in New York City, Mr. Hochman has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, The Israel Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall, the American Symphony, and the New York String Orchestra as well as numerous guest engagements at 92nd Street Y. His Bach series at the Miller Theater was a resounding critical and audience success. He has appeared with the orchestras of San Francisco, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle, Vancouver and National Arts Centre and engaged in multiple projects with the Chicago and Pittsburgh symphonies. He has worked with eminent conductors including Akiyama, Kabaretti, Laredo, Markl, Pinnock, Robertson, Tovey, Weilerstein, and Zukerman. An avid chamber musician, he has been a regular guest at international music festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Gilmore, Lucerne, Prussia Cover, and Klavierfestival Ruhr. He has participated in three prestigious residencies: Chamber Music Society Two at Lincoln Center, Isaac Stern's International chamber Music Encounters in Israel, and Carnegie Hall's Professional Training Workshops.

For more information, visit www.benjaminhochman.com.



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