Pacific Symphony Announces Cafe Ludgwig Series

Pacific Symphony today announced the 2022-23 Café Ludwig season hosted by longtime artistic partner and curator Orli Shaham, who will be marking her 15th anniversary leading these unique chamber music performances. The Café Ludwig series presents Pacific Symphony's principal musicians in an intimate chamber music setting in the Samueli Theater for relaxing Sunday matinée concerts of engaging music-making.

Orli Shaham commented on the landmark season. "As I reflect on our 15 seasons together at Café Ludwig so far, I'm thinking about all the wonderful chamber music repertoire we've played. It's been a fabulous journey, and such a pleasure to perform nearly 200 works, collaborating with so many of my stellar Pacific Symphony colleagues.

"I love bringing these outstanding orchestral musicians to the front of the stage, and showcasing their talents and versatility," continued Shaham. "What better way for the audience to get to know the orchestra than by seeing these players on a small stage, up close. I am eagerly looking forward to continuing the journey with our 2022-23 season, where we'll continue to bring the magic to the Samueli."

Shaham thoughtfully assembles the concerts' repertoire with strong thematic structures, explaining to the audience how each piece relates to the next and the historical and artistic context from which these pieces arose. Chamber works by composers from all over the world are featured. This season opens on Nov. 6 with Clara Schumann's Legacy, a program that celebrates the enormous influence Clara Schumann exercised over her 19th century contemporaries in the course of her 61-year concert career.

California Connections (Feb. 12, 2023) presents a musical toast to the rich cultural confluence of composers from around the world who found a welcoming environment to pursue creative work in the Golden State. The season concludes with Tales of Italy (April 30) and features three engaging works influenced by the "Bel Paese" ("beautiful country").

All concerts take place on Sundays at 3 p.m. at Samueli Theater. Doors open at 2 p.m. Although there is no pre-concert talk, Orli Shaham introduces the music from the stage, while the audience enjoys coffee, tea and pastries. The series is sponsored by Dot and Rick Nelson. Season ticket packages are on sale now; single tickets start at $75, and will be available starting August 21. For more information or to purchase tickets call (714) 755-5799 or go to www.PacificSymphony.org.

For the most up-to-date health and safety information, please go to PacificSymphony.org/Safety.

2022-23 CAFÉ LUDWIG SERIES
Programs, artists and dates subject to change.

CLARA SCHUMANN'S LEGACY
Sunday • November 6 • 3 p.m.
Samueli Theater

Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Warren Hagerty, cello

CLARA SCHUMANN: Three Romances, Op. 22
JOSEPH JOACHIM: Hebrew Melodies, Op. 9 (Selections)
AMANDA MAIER: Violin Sonata in B minor
Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47

One of the most distinguished pianists of the 19th century, Clara Schumann exerted a powerful influence over her contemporaries during the course of her formidable 61-year career. The program surveys three composers her artistry affected-her husband, the important Romantic composer Robert; the famous violinist Joseph Joachim; and the gifted Swedish violinist and composer Amanda Maier. The concert opens with Clara Schumann's lush and poignant Three Romances, dedicated to Joachim, her frequent chamber music partner.

CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS
Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 3 p.m.
Samueli Theater
Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Warren Hagerty, cello
Clarinet to be announced
Rose Corrigan, bassoon

MIKLÓS RÓZSA: Duo, Op. 8
ALEXANDRE TANSMAN: Bassoon Sonatine
VIET CUONG: Wax and Wire
John Williams: Air and Simple Gifts
Danny Elfman: Piano Quartet

California has been blessed with an abundance of great composers. The film industry has magnetized many European emigres to resettle in the Golden State. Composers Miklós Rósza (Hungary) and Alexandre Tansman (Poland) were both Jewish and escaped Europe as the Second World War was brewing. They both benefitted from work in Hollywood. John Williams and Danny Elfman are both prolific film composers. Los Angeles-born Viet Cuong, who now resides in Orange County, is Pacific Symphony's composer-in-residence.

TALES FROM ITALY
Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 3 p.m.
Samueli Theater

Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Warren Hagerty, cello
Ben Smolen, flute
Clarinet to be announced
Dancers to be announced

STRAVINSKY: Suite Italienne (Selections)
THEA MUSGRAVE: Pierrot
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50

Inspired by the charm and beauty of Italy, each work on this program reveals a different perspective on the "Bel Paese" ("beautiful county"). Stravinsky and Musgrave both provide expressive, poetic and lyrical story-telling based on colorful commedia dell'arte characters. Tchaikovsky was based in Rome when he wrote his Piano Trio in A minor, which he dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, his close friend and mentor.

About Orli Shaham
A consummate musician recognized for her grace and vitality, Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists. Hailed by critics on four continents, Shaham is in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. The New York Times called her a "brilliant pianist," The Chicago Tribune recently referred to her as "a first-rate Mozartean" in a performance with the Chicago Symphony and London's Guardian said Shaham's playing at the Proms was "perfection."

About Pacific Symphony
Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair since 1990, has been the resident orchestra of Orange County's Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for over a decade. Founded in 1978, the Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years and is not only a fixture of musical life in Southern California, but also is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scenes. In April 2018, Pacific Symphony made its debut at Carnegie Hall, where it was invited to perform as part of a yearlong celebration of composer Philip Glass' 80th birthday.

The Symphony made its first-ever tour to China that year, with performances in five cities, including Shanghai and Beijing. In Orange County, the orchestra presents more than 100 concerts and events each year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs, reaching more than 300,000 residents of all ages. The Symphony has been recognized with multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and included among the country's five most innovative orchestras by the League of American Orchestras. The Symphony's education and community engagement activities have also been recognized by the League, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.