The Wallis Presents DINNERSTEIN/HAIMOVITZ: BEETHOVEN/GLASS

As the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth approaches, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents Dinnerstein/Haimovitz: Beethoven/Glass. Esteemed pianist Simone Dinnerstein and acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz perform a musical celebration pairing the legendary composer's works with one of contemporary music's most influential composers - Philip Glass - on Thursday, January 9, 2020, 7:30 pm, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis. The virtuosos are presented as both collaborators and soloists in a "then and now" program that includes Beethoven's Cello Sonatas Op.102 No. 1 and No. 2, as well as Philip Glass' Partita No. 2 for Solo Cello and Mad Rush for Solo Piano. Dinnerstein, praised for her "majestic originality" (The Independent) and "unpretentious elegance" (The New Yorker), is known for her highly personal recital programs and visionary collaborations. Haimovitz, renowned as a musical pioneer, is hailed as a "ferociously talented cellist who brings his megawatt sound and uncommon expressive gifts to a vast variety of styles" (The New York Times).

A Preludes @ The Wallis pre-concert conversation moderated by Classical KUSC's Brian Lauritzen will be held before the concert at 6:30 pm. Preludes @ The Wallis includes a complimentary glass of wine.

"Simone Dinnerstein and Matt Haimovitz have consistently pursued innovative project-oriented work throughout their independent careers," says The Wallis' Artistic Director Paul Crewes. "It is particularly notable that they have joined together for this unique musical project, which showcases both their collaborative and solo artistry through the lens of Beethoven and his continuing influence today."

Adds The Wallis' Executive Director and CEO Rachel Fine, "Their 21st-century celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday is very much in line with Paul's artistic intent for The Wallis, which embraces the boldly unexpected and often reveals connections within the arts in new and surprising ways."

Dinnerstein first attracted attention in 2007 with her self-produced recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations. It was a remarkable success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Classical chart in its first week of sales and was named to many "Best of 2007" lists, including those of The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker. The recording also received the prestigious Diapason d'Or in France and established Dinnerstein's distinctive and original approach. The New York Times called her "a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation." She spent 2018 touring Piano Concerto No.3, a piece that Philip Glass wrote for her as a co-commission by twelve orchestras. Circles, her world premiere recording of the concerto with Grammy-nominated string orchestra A Far Cry, topped the Billboard Classical charts.

Haimovitz made his debut in 1984, at the age of 13, as soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic and made his first recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for Deutsche Grammophon, at age 17. He has since perform on the world's most esteemed stages with such orchestras and conductors as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, the English Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim, the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with Kent Nagano. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary Leonard Rose, in Schubert's String Quintet in C, alongside Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Tickets, $39 to $99, are on sale now. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit TheWallis.org/Garrick.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.