Louis Langrée Leads Baltimore Symphony and Simone Dinnerstein in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, October 22-25

Program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Haydn’s “Funeral” Symphony

Baltimore, Md. (August 3, 2009)–Louis Langrée leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 featuring Simone Dinnerstein on Thursday, October 22 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. Also on the program are Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Haydn’s Symphony No. 44, “Funeral.” Please see below for complete program information.
 
Famous for her interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Simone Dinnerstein will make her BSO debut with a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. Mozart composed this concerto in the same timeframe in which he completed The Marriage of Figaro, and many techniques used in this concerto are echoed in his famous opera. Mozart meant for this piece to stay within a small group of piano virtuosos?he himself most likely gave its first performance.  Louis Langrée brings his own mastery of Mozart to the concerto, having directed the Mostly Mozart Festival for the past six seasons.

Book-ended by two of his more famous symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 is often overlooked. Completed in 1806, the work uses styles that emanate from those used by his teacher, Joseph Haydn. In contrast to Beethoven’s better-known symphonies, which grapple with big human issues, the Fourth shows the mischievous, life-affirming side of Beethoven’s genius.

Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 is nicknamed the “Symphony of Mourning” because Haydn requested the slow Adagio movement to be played at his funeral. Written during his “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Stress) period, the music is darker and much more complex than his early works. It was generally assumed that classical pieces beginning in a minor key would end in an uplifting major key in order to dispel any sense of misery. This is not the case with Symphony No. 44, which has an ending reminiscent of tragedy and despair.

Louis Langrée, conductor
The French musician Louis Langrée has been music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York since December 2002 and his first seven festivals have been marked with extensive critical acclaim. During the 2009-2010 season, he conducts the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. This season he also makes his debut at La Scala in Milan and Opera Comique in Paris.

Louis Langrée has worked with many other orchestras in both Europe and further afield, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Rome Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Le Concert d’Astrée. He also has extensive Opera experience including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Dresden Staatsoper. He has held positions as music director of the orchestras in Liège and Picardie and also of the Opéra National de Lyon and Glyndebourne Touring Opera.

Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has gained international attention since making a triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2005, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations. Recent and upcoming performances include recital debuts at The Kennedy Center, Vienna Konzerthaus, Lincoln Center, Mostly Mozart Festival, Aspen and Ravinia festivals. She will also perform in Cologne, Paris, London, Copenhagen, Vilnius, Bremen, Rome, Lisbon and at the Stuttgart Bach Festival; as well as performances with the Dresden and Czech Philharmonics, New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the symphonies of Baltimore, Atlanta and Minnesota. She has performed on the People's Symphony series at Town Hall, Lincoln Center's Great Performers series and at The Metropolitan Museum. In July 2009, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. Ms. Dinnerstein’s first two recordings–the Goldberg Variations and The Berlin Concert (Telarc)–both earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart during their first weeks on sale. She has performed with cellist Zuill Bailey for more than a decade, and their recording of Beethoven's complete works for piano and cello was released on Telarc in August 2009.

Ms. Dinnerstein is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she was a student of Peter Serkin. She studied with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music and in London with Maria Curcio.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
Simply Classical
Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH)
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. – Music Center at Strathmore
Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. – JMSH

Louis Langrée, conductor
Simone Dinnerstein, piano†

Haydn: Symphony No. 44, "Funeral"
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4

† Denotes a BSO artist debut

Tickets for these concerts range from $28 to $90 and go on sale September 1, 2009 through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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