Pianist Horacio Gutiérrez Plays Mozart October 1-2

Conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier to return to the Meyerhoff stage

Baltimore, Md. (August 16, 2011) - Always a favorite at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and pianist Horacio Gutiérrez in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 19 on Saturday October 1, 2011 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 3 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Also on the program is Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 and Elgar's In the South. Please see below for complete program details.

Jean Sibelius, the father of Finnish music, composed his popular and dramatic Fifth Symphony from 1918-1922, at a time during which Schoenberg was experimenting with his 12-tone compositions and Hindemith penned some of his most outrageous experimental works. Sibelius largely ignored the European musical community's post-World War I reaction and his works continued to be tonal, harmonically integrated and lyrical.   

Pianist Horacio Gutiérrez shows off the technical mastery that has garnered him praise from around the world. Since his professional debut in 1970 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gutiérrez continues to perform with the world's most prestigious orchestras. He will perform Mozart's graceful Piano Concerto No. 19, a work composed as part of the composer's prolific outpouring of 12 piano concerti created in a brief two-year span from 1784 to 1786. Mozart's popularity as a keyboard soloist during the 1780's coincided nicely with his need to earn money to support his new wife Constanze and their growing family. His Piano Concerto No. 19 touts a spirit of play throughout, culminating in the finale's exuberant display of contrapuntal fireworks.

The program also includes British composer Elgar's work In the South. Similar to Sibelius, Elgar was inspired by the landscape of the Italian Rivera during a vacation, which resulted in the cheerful, episodic orchestral piece. 

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
Yan Pascal Tortelier is Principal Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and enjoys a distinguished career as a guest with the world's most prestigious orchestras.

He began his musical career as a violinist and at 14 won first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire and also made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and from 1974 to 1983 he was Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Further positions have included Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster Orchestra (1989-1992) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2005-2008). Following his outstanding work as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic between 1992 and 2003, including annual appearances at the BBC Proms and a very successful tour of the US to celebrate the orchestra's 60th anniversary season, he has been given the title of Conductor Emeritus and continues to work with the orchestra regularly. He also holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Yan Pascal Tortelier has collaborated with major orchestras including the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras, Czech Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala Milan, and in North America, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Montreal Symphony Orchestras. Further afield he has collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and the Hong Kong and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras.

Horacio Gutiérrez, piano
Considered one of the great pianists of our time, Horacio Gutiérrez is consistently praised by critics and audiences alike for the poetic insight and technical mastery he brings to a diverse repertoire. Since his professional debut in 1970 with Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Gutiérrez has appeared regularly with the world's greatest orchestras and on its major recital series.

In past seasons, Mr. Gutierrez has given recitals at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Berlin's Philharmonie, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival and New York's Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, as well as in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Cleveland. He recently performed on subscription and on tour with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Recent engagements include returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony and the Seattle Symphony. A favorite of New York concertgoers, Mr. Gutiérrez has performed on numerous occasions at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall in recital and with orchestra. He has been a frequent soloist at the Mostly Mozart Festival and has appeared on its season-opening Live from Lincoln Center telecast. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Guarnieri, Tokyo and Cleveland quartets as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 1982, he was the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize.

COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS
BSO Classical Concert: Gutiérrez Plays Mozart
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8 p.m.—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH)
Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 3 p.m.—JMSH

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
Horacio Gutiérrez, piano

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 19
Elgar: In the South

Tickets range from $28 to $61 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.