Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra to Kick Off 23/24 Season with Guest Pianist Philip Edward Fisher

The Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra is launching its 23/24 season with two concerts featuring guest pianist Philip Edward Fisher in Barber's “Piano Concerto, Op. 38,” Corigliano's “Elegy (1965),” music from John Williams' “Lincoln” and the Suite from Copland's “Billy the Kid.” The first concert will be Saturday, Oct. 21 at Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs. The second concert will be Sunday, Oct. 22 on the MainStage at Proctors, Schenectady.

 

Barber's “Piano Concerto, Op.38” “is remarkable for its absorption of some of the sound and feel of the then-fashionable “serial” style within an unabashedly neo-romantic composition…The work may be the most frequently performed American concerto for any instrument composed since 1950” (Walter Simmons).

 

Corigliano's “Elegy” was originally written for an off-Broadway production about the aging Helen of Troy. Within the piece, the audience should feel the bittersweet love between Helen and Telemachus with a reminiscent sound of Barber himself.

 

John Williams has written the music for some of the most popular film soundtracks of all time. One of those films was “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role. In this piece, Williams draws on musical influences from the Civil War era as well as pulling from his own Signature Sound.

 

Last will be the Suite from Copland's “Billy the Kid.” First performed in 1938 by the Ballet Caravan Company, “Billy the Kid” contains American folksongs and songs reminiscent of the pioneers of the American West.

 

The concerts will be presented in memory of and in honor of Patrick V. Renzi, a long-time member of the Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra. Patrick was born in Schenectady in 1934 and passed away Jan. 2020. One of the finest classical trumpeters to emerge from the Capital Region, Renzi studied under Roger Voisin, Principal Trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as being an alternate for both the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops and was in line for full-time positions in both. After moving back to the Capital Region, he became a full-time Instrumental teacher at South Colonie High School and taught there for over thirty years.

 

There is a pre-concert talk with Fisher and Artistic Director/Conductor Glen Cortese one hour prior to each concert at their respective locations. It's an excellent way to learn more about the music and an opportunity to ask questions about the performance. All are invited to attend.

 

Tickets are available through the Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at (518) 346-6204 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or online at https://sssony.org. Groups of 10 or more can get their tickets by calling (518) 382-3884 ext. 139. Tickets are $17–$24. Children under 18 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Subscriptions are still available for the 23-24 season, starting at $65.

 

Philip Edward Fisher

is recognized widely as a unique performer of refined style and exceptional versatility. International tours as a prolific soloist and ensemble musician have taken Mr. Fisher across his native United Kingdom to Italy, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Japan, Ukraine and the United States. 2002 marked his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, performing Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto under the baton of Maestro Larry Rachleff. His debut CD with the Naxos label, “Handel Keyboard Suites Volume 1,” was released in early 2010 and hit the US Classical Billboard Chart within the first week. This was followed by volume 2 in 2015. His release on the Chandos label, Piano Works by “The Mighty Handful”, was featured on Classic FM as John Suchet's “Album of the Week”, as “CD of the Week” in the London Telegraph, and was shortlisted in the Best Solo Album category of the International Classical Music Awards. The most recent release on the Naxos label – the complete solo piano works of John Corigliano, including the composer`s Piano Concerto with the Albany Symphony and David Alan Miller, has been met with great critical acclaim.

 

Philip has appeared at Merkin Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and his United Kingdom credits include performances at the Purcell Room; Wigmore Hall; Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall in London; Usher Hall in Edinburgh; the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and Symphony Hall in Birmingham. He has performed concertos with, amongst others, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Copenhagen Philharmonic; Tampere Philharmonic; San Antonio Symphony; Albany Symphony; Toledo Symphony; Juilliard Symphony; and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, working with conductors such as Hannu Lintu; David Alan Miller; Sebastian Lang-Lessing; Cristian Macelaru; John Axelrod; Larry Rachleff; James Lowe and Giordano Bellincampi.

 

Dedicated to the showcasing of new music, Mr. Fisher has given local and national premieres of numerous contemporary pieces and has worked in close collaboration with prominent composers such as Ronald Stevenson, Thomas Ades, Arvo Pärt, Lowell Liebermann, John Musto and John Corigliano.

 

Additionally known for his unique chamber music abilities, Philip is a highly sought-after ensemble performer, having collaborated with renowned performers such as tenor Robert White; soprano Amy Burton; violinists Joshua Bell; Elmar Oliviera; Philippe Graffin and Augustin Hadelich, and clarinetist Anthony McGill. He has appeared at Music at Menlo, the Beethoven Chamber Music Festival and the Kyoto International Music Festival.

 

Broadcasts have included New York's WQXR and Boston's WGBH; BBC's Radio 3; Classic FM, and he has appeared on Ukrainian Television, the BBC and MTV.

 

Philip Edward Fisher began his musical training at the age of nine and made his first public appearance only a year later. His concerto debut followed at age 12, performing Shostakovich's Second Concerto at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. He went on to obtain degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School, studying with Christopher Elton, Joseph Kalichstein, and Jerome Lowenthal.

 

In 2001, Philip was a recipient of the Julius Isserlis Scholarship by the Royal Philharmonic Society of London, one of the largest and most prestigious awards of its kind available to a British musician. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music as part of its honours list for 2016.