Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Performs World Premiere of Local Composer Jonathan Leshnoff’s Starburst, April 29–30

Acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham performs Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto

Marin Alsop explores Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in Off the Cuff, May 1

Baltimore, Md. (April 8, 2010) – Music Director Marin Alsop will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a program celebrating Russian music on Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore and Friday, April 30 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program features the world premiere of Baltimore composer Jonathan Leshnoff’s Starburst and renowned violinist Gil Shaham in Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto. The program concludes with Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. Maestra Alsop will also explore this iconic symphony in depth during the final Off the Cuff concert of the 2009-2010 season on Saturday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Please see below for complete concert details.

Co-commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas Symphony Orchestra and the Fundación Orquesta de Extremadura (Spain), Jonathan Leshnoff’s Starburst receives its world premiere at these concerts. An associate professor of music at Towson University and a composer-in-residence with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Leshnoff is also a graduate of Johns Hopkins, the Peabody Institute and the University of Maryland. His energetic Starburst begins with a lively rhythm in the upper woodwinds and strings, and as the title implies, builds upon the excitement and vigor from the orchestra, before ending with an exhilarating musical explosion.

Critically acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham joins the BSO in Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto. The work’s neoclassical style is imitative of a Baroque chamber work and allows for frequent duets between Mr. Shaham and members of the orchestra.

The audience-favorite Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 concludes the program. Comprised of four intricate movements, the violin central to each, Rachmaninoff brings together a wide variety of emotions representing his experiences as a struggling symphonist. Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 will also be performed in an Off the Cuff concert on May 1.

Marin Alsop, conductor
Hailed as one of the world’s leading conductors for her artistic vision and commitment to accessibility in classical music, Marin Alsop made history with her appointment as the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With her inaugural concerts in September 2007, she became the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She also holds the title of conductor emeritus at the Bournemouth Symphony in the United Kingdom, where she served as the principal conductor from 2002-2008, and is music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California.

In 2005, Ms. Alsop was named a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this prestigious award. In 2007, she was honored with a European Women of Achievement Award, in 2008 she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2009 Musical America named her “Conductor of the Year.”

A regular guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ms. Alsop appears frequently as a guest conductor with the most distinguished orchestras around the world. In addition to her performance activities, she is also an active recording artist with award-winning cycles of Brahms, Barber and Dvorák.

Marin Alsop attended Yale University and received her master’s degree from The Juilliard School. In 1989, her conducting career was launched when she won the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize at Tanglewood where she studied with Leonard Bernstein.

Gil Shaham, violin
Violinist Gil Shaham is internationally recognized by audiences and critics alike as one of today’s most virtuosic and engaging classical artists. He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with celebrated orchestras and conductors, as well as for recital and ensemble appearances on the great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.

Gil Shaham’s 2009-2010 season will be marked by several exciting projects. His “Violin Concertos of the 1930s” project highlights masterpieces by influential composers in that decade and features 35 performances of works by Barber, Berg, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Walton. Highly anticipated performances include appearances with Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Tilson-Thomas and the London Symphony Orchestra, Robertson and the New York Philharmonic and Jansons with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Last December, Shaham and the New York-based Sejong performed and record works by Haydn and Mendelssohn in a tour of Asia that includes performances in Korea, China, and Taiwan. In April, he will join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for a tour of the west coast performing Mozart, Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

Among his more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs, are a number of best sellers, appearing on record charts in the U.S. and abroad. These recordings have earned prestigious awards including multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’or and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Mr. Shaham’s recent recordings have been produced for his own label Canary Classics: The Butterfly Lovers and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Singapore Symphony; The Faure Album with Akira Eguchi; The Prokofiev Album with Orli Shaham; Mozart in Paris; Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Major with Yefim Bronfman and cellist Truls Mørk; Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and David Zinman; and works by Spanish composer Pablo Sarasate with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla and León and Alejandro Posada.

COMPLETE CONCERT DETAILS
Russian Perfection
Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. - The Music Center at Strathmore*
Friday, April 30, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall**

Marin Alsop, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin 

Jonathan Leshnoff: Starburst ‡ (World Premiere)
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

Marin Alsop leads this program celebrating Russian music of the past century up to today-from a world premiere and BSO Co-commission by Baltimore composer Jonathan Leshnoff to the sensuous melodies of Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony from a hundred years ago. Acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham joins the BSO for the neo-classical wit and stylish eloquence of Igor Stravinsky's Violin Concerto composed in 1931.

* Music Notes LIVE! is a free pre-concert lecture at the Music Center at Strathmore, hosted by WETA's David Ginder. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. and is free to ticket holders.

** Classical Conversations is a free pre-concert lecture at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. and is free to ticket holders.

‡ Denotes a BSO premiere

Tickets for these performances range from $26 to $85 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

Off the Cuff: Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2
Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall 

Marin Alsop, conductor

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

Tickets for this performance ranges from $26 to $85 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.