Peter Oundjian and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Examine Elgar’s Enigma Variations in Off the Cuff, February 28

Program also features Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

Baltimore, Md. (February 2, 2009) – Guest conductor, Peter Oundjian, will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The performance will also feature Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from his widely acclaimed opera, Peter Grimes. Editor’s note: “Off the Cuff” concerts start an hour earlier than most BSO performances. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends before 8:30 p.m. See below for complete program information.

First performed more than one hundred years ago, Elgar’s Enigma Variations employs fourteen variations, each serving as a musical tribute to his wife and closest acquaintances. His best-known, large-scale composition Elgar’s “enigma” stems from two puzzles. The first puzzle is to determine which of Elgar’s friends each variation represents, and the second is to discover the hidden theme upon which all of the variations are based. Saturday’s program will include the Off the Cuff series’ engaging conversational approach to performing, with an introduction by the conductor himself, as well as a Q&A session following the concert.

Peter Oundjian, conductor
A dynamic presence in the orchestral world, Peter Oundjian continues to make his mark as one of today’s most exciting faces on the conducting scene. His strong bond with the musicians and community of Toronto continues through his fifth season as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. At the beginning of his tenure, Mr. Oundjian created the now-annual Mozart Festival and the New Creations Festival.

Mr. Oundjian is principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony, where he helped to create and launch an innovative multi-disciplinary festival during his tenure as the orchestra’s artistic advisor. He played a major role at the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York for over a decade having served, most recently, as its artistic advisor and principal conductor. From 1998-2003, he was the music director of the Nieuw Sinfonietta in Amsterdam and recorded BIS CD of his own arrangements of the Beethoven Grosse Fugue, Op. 133 and the String Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131, Grosse Fugue in B Flat Major.

Mr. Oundjian’s 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons feature return visits to many of the orchestras with which he has built ongoing relationships including the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he served as the director of the Absolutely Mozart Festival for the four years of its existence, San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, Baltimore and Colorado Symphonies, as well as Caramoor, Tanglewood, Aspen and Music Academy of the West summer festivals. Frequent engagements with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and the Radio Philharmonique in Paris, as well as forthcoming appearances with the Royal Scottish National and Budapest Festival orchestras are highlights abroad.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
Elgar’s Enigma Variations
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.  – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Peter Oundjian, conductor

Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Elgar: Enigma Variations 

Tickets for these concerts range from $25 to $60, and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444 or 410.783.8000 or www.BSOmusic.org.

*BSO patrons are encouraged to visit BSOmusic.org/cuff to learn more about exclusive Off the Cuff restaurant promotions.

###