Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Performs Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony, Nov. 11-13

BSO travels to Carnegie Hall for encore performance

Baltimore, Md. (October 28, 2010)—Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler’s arrangement of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony on Thursday, November 11, 2010 at 8 p.m. and Friday, November 12, 2010 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, November 13 at 8 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. By performing Mahler’s arrangement of “Eroica,” the BSO continues the 2010-2011 season’s focus on this legendary composer. Also on the program are pieces by two major 20th-century composers: Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto featuring pianist Simon Trpceski and Barber’s Essay No. 2. Please see below for complete concert details.

Beethoven subtitled his Third Symphony "Sinfonia eroica, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man." Many believe that man was French revolutionary Napoleon Bonaparte, as Beethoven originally told his publisher that “the subject is Bonaparte.”  However, upon hearing that Bonaparte crowned himself emperor in 1804, Beethoven tore off the title page of score that bore this dedication. Twice as long as other symphonies, Beethoven’s Third Symphony conveyed aggression and power through unexpected harmonies became a model for other composers to follow. Gustav Mahler arranged “Eroica” for his concerts with such orchestras as the Vienna Philharmonic. Not content to simply recreate Beethoven’s original work, he put a late-Romantic mark on the score by adding more instruments. Many musicians, including Brahms, frowned on Mahler’s use of new melodies and a broader range of dynamics in his retouched version. But Mahler insisted his arrangement was respectful to Beethoven, as he “was determined not to sacrifice one iota of what the Master demands.”

Up-and-coming pianist Simon Trpceski’s previous performances of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto received rave reviews. “[Simon Trpceski] has a marvelous way of seizing the rhythms so that they seem almost early—but not quite. [He] brought an amazing edge-of-the-seat excitement to Prokofiev’s concerto,” said Ivan Hewitt of Telegraph. Prokofiev himself acknowledged that his piece was challenging, saying, "My Third Concerto has turned out to be devilishly difficult.” Prokofiev had fled the Russian Revolution and traveled to the United States in 1918. Encouraged by the Americans’ fascination with him, he finished his Third Piano Concerto for the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera in December 1921.

Samuel Barber accepted a request by conductor Bruno Walter to compose a piece for the 100th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic in 1942. Waiting to be drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II, Barber noted that his Second Essay “has no program. One perhaps hears that it was written in wartime.” A composer dedicated to lyrical, expressive music, this brief essay offers a gorgeous example of Barber’s Romantic style.

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 and Barber orchestral works.

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.

Simon Trpceski, piano
With the ability to perform a diverse range of repertoire—from Haydn and Chopin to Debussy and Stravinsky—Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski has captivated audiences worldwide and established himself as one of the most remarkable young musicians to have emerged in recent years. Mr. Trpceski is praised not only for his impeccable technique and delicate expression, but also for his warm personality and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image.

In North America, Mr. Trpceski has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, the New York and Los Angeles philharmonic orchestras, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto and Baltimore symphony orchestras. In Europe, he is a frequent soloist with the London and City of Birmingham symphony orchestras. He has also performed with the Royal Concertgebouw, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Rotterdam, Strasbourg and St. Petersburg philharmonics.

During the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Trpceski makes his Carnegie Hall debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop and performs with the Montreal, Atlanta and Boston symphony orchestras, along with numerous ensembles worldwide. Recital appearances include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Paris, Munich, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Prague, Milan and Tokyo.

Simon Trpceski has received much praise for his four EMI recital recordings, including Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice and Debut Album awards. March 2010 saw his debut concerto recording with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko (Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3), which debuted in the top 10 on the UK's specialist classical chart. In addition to his international engagements, Simon Trpceski is a faculty member at his alma mater, the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje.

COMPLETE CONCERT DETAILS
Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony
Thursday, November 11, 2010 at 8 p.m.—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Friday, November 12, 2010 at 8 p.m.—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 8 p.m.—Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Avenue, New York, Ny.

Marin Alsop, conductor
Simon Trpceski, piano

Barber: Essay No. 2, Op. 17
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Beethoven (arr. Mahler): Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” ‡

‡ Denotes a BSO premiere

Tickets for the Baltimore performances range from $28 to $88 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

Tickets for the Carnegie Hall performances range from $15.50 to $90 and are available through the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 212-247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org.