Ludovic Morlot Leads the Baltimore Symphony in Works by Mozart, Franck and Dukas, October 30-31

Violinist Nikolaj Znaider performs Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5

Baltimore, Md. (September 25, 2008)- Acclaimed violinist Nikolaj Znaider will join the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for Mozart's "Turkish" Violin Concerto No. 5, October 30 and 31 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Led by guest conductor Ludovic Morlot, the program also features Franck's Symphony in D Minor and Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, featured in Disney's Fantasia. Both artists appeared with the BSO in 2001 and 2000 respectively, to critical acclaim. See below for complete program information.

Though he eventually focused on piano, Mozart was a highly gifted violinist in his early years, and was recognized for his beautiful, pure tone. He even composed five concertos for violin by age 19. His concertos were composed to display the violin's singing tone, including the fifth, the Violin Concerto in A Major. Mozart's final, and arguably greatest concerto for violin is nicknamed "Turkish" for the exuberant, quick-tempo section in the finale, where musicians are instructed to play "alla Turca," meaning "in the Turkish style."

Considered by his pupils to be Beethoven's true artistic heir, Belgian composer César Franck composed his only symphony in honor of Beethoven. Franck wrote Symphony in D Minor between 1886 and 1888 in France, a feat rarely attempted by others French composers at that time. The composition is noted for its varied orchestral textures and ringing brass. A recurring theme, or "idée fixe," reappears in different forms throughout the work and concludes with a triumphant finale.

One of Franck's most famous pupils, Paul Dukas, fills out the program with his popular work, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Though the piece is usually associated in America with the Walt Disney film Fantasia, it actually comes from a ballad by the great German poet Goethe, Der Zauberlehrling. The composition explores the tale of a young sorcerer's apprentice who is left alone and casts a spell on a broom so it will help him finish his chores. However, the broom performs his chores far more rigorously than the apprentice intended, and chaos ensues when the apprentice cannot remember how to reverse the spell.

Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Ludovic Morlot is quickly establishing a reputation as one of the leading conductors of his generation. Recent highlights include re-engagements with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic and debuts with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Budapest Festival Orchestra, among others. 

In the 2008-2009 season, Mr. Morlot returns to the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Ensemble Intercontemporain and leads the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic and the Dresden Staatskapelle for the first time.  Mr. Morlot has collaborated with Christian Tetzlaff, Gil Shaham, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Emanuel Ax and Jessye Norman.

Trained as a violinist, Mr. Morlot studied conducting as a pupil of the late Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux School in Hancock, Maine and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Sir Colin Davis. His studies continued at the Royal College of Music as a recipient of the Norman del Mar Conducting Fellowship. From 2004-2007 he served as assistant to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and James Levine.

Nikolaj Znaider, violin
Celebrated as one of the foremost violinists of today, Nikolaj Znaider is regularly invited to work with the world's leading orchestras. Born in Denmark to Polish-Israeli parents, Mr. Znaider studied with the eminent Russian pedagogue Boris Kushnir. Drawing on this eclectic background, his playing has been heralded in Strad Magazine as "extraordinarily intelligent, soulful and impassioned, yet without a hint of indulgence."

An exclusive RCA Red Seal recording artist, Mr. Znaider's latest recording of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn Violin Concerti with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta has been greeted with critical acclaim. He recently returned to the studio record the complete works for violin and piano of Johannes Brahms with Yefim Bronfman. His award winning recordings of Prokofiev and Glazunov Violin Concerti with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Mariss Jansons and Bravo, his album of Romantic virtuosic violin music have also been critically acclaimed and were an Editor's Choice in Gramophone Magazine.

Mr. Znaider is passionate about the education of musical talent and is founder and artistic director of the Nordic Music Academy, an annual summer school which aims to create conscious and focused musical development based on quality and committment.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
Celebrity Concert Series: Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5
Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.- Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH)
Friday, October 31, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.- JMSH
Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.- JMSH*

Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Nikolaj Znaider, violin

Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5, "Turkish"
Franck: Symphony in D Minor

*The Casual Concert program does not include Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5.

Tickets for these concerts range from $26 to $75, and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444 or 410.783.8000, or www.BSOmusic.org.