Press Releases
-
All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America and is not responsible for content.
Press Releases
Legendary Pianist Menahem Pressler and the Parker Quartet Open the 35th Rockport Chamber Music Festival on June 3, 2016
May 10, 2016 | By Karen Herlitz
Legendary Pianist Menahem Pressler and the Parker Quartet Open the 35th Rockport Chamber Music Festival on June 3
The 35th Rockport Chamber Music Festival opens Friday, June 3 at 7 pm with the Parker Quartet and legendary pianist Menahem Pressler with a program of Haydn, Dvorák and Bartók. Formed in 2002, the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation. The Quartet began touring on the international circuit after winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France. Additionally, Chamber Music America awarded the quartet the prestigious biennial Cleveland Quartet Award which led to receiving a Chamber Music America commissioning grant, enabling the ensemble to commission and premiere “Capriccio,” an hour-length work by American composer Jeremy Gill. The Quartet’s debut commercial recording of Bartók’s String Quartets Nos. 2 and 5 in 2007 earned high praise from numerous critics. The Quartet’s second recording, György Ligeti’s complete works for string quartet, released in December 2009 won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance and they are the last string quartet to have won this category. The Quartet was founded, and is currently based, in Boston having recently joined the faculty of Harvard University’s Department of Music as Blodgett Artists-in-Residence. In addition, the Quartet will continue its visiting residency at the University of South Carolina. From 2008 to 2013, the Quartet spent much of its time in St. Paul, MN, where they served as Quartet-in-Residence with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2008–2010) and were the first-ever Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio (2009–2010).
Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans almost six decades. Now, at 91 years old, he continues to captivate audiences throughout the world as performer and pedagogue, performing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated and robust teaching career. Pressler’s world-renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. For nearly 60 years, Menahem Pressler has taught on the piano faculty at the world-renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Among his numerous honors and awards, Pressler has received six Grammy nominations, lifetime achievement awards from Gramophone magazine and the International Chamber Music Association, Chamber Music America’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Gold Medal of Merit from the National Society of Arts and Letters, the prestigious Wigmore Medal, the Menuhin Prize, among many others. PROGRAM HAYDN: Quartet in D major, Op.71, No.2 BARTÓK: String Quartet No.1 DVORÁK: Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81
A reception to celebrate the 35th Annual Rockport Chamber Music Festival will immediately follow the concert at the Rockport Art Association and Museum. All concert attendees are invited to attend. Tickets: $65-$98
On Saturday, June 4 at 8 pm, the percussion ensemble NEXUS—Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Russell Hartenberger, Garry Kvistad—performs in the opening weekend of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. Formed in 1971, Nexus stands out in the contemporary music scene for the innovation and diversity of their programs, their impressive history of collaborations and commissions, and their influential improvisatory ideas. Recent NEXUS highlights include performances with the acclaimed orchestras such as the Rochester Philharmonic, a tour of Japan, and back-to-back residencies at the Ojai Festival in California where the Los Angeles Times music critic commented, “Ojai felt, for that hour, was like holy ground.” NEXUS has contributed greatly to musical education with symphonic and solo programs for family audiences from The Story of Percussion in the Orchestra to their concert An African Celebration. NEXUS members consistently write compositions that become core repertoire for percussion ensembles. A Pre-Concert Talk will be led by Dr. Jeremy Gill at 7 pm. Tickets: $35-$49
PROGRAM MUSIC OF STEVE REICH: Music for Pieces of Wood Mallet Phase Drumming Part 1 LOUIS HARDIN: Moondog Suite (arr. Russell Hartenberger) Guest artist: Maria Finkelmeier, vocals
GEORGE H. GREEN: Caprice Valsant (arr. Becker GEORGE H. GREEN: Just a Kiss from You (arr. Becker) DVORAK/DABNEY/GREEN: Castle Valse Classique (arr. Kimura) GREEN: Alabama Moon (arr. Becker)
On Sunday, June 5 at 5 pm, Trio Solisti with violinist Maria Bachmann, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, and newly appointed pianist Fabio Bidini, perform in the Festival. Trio Solisti has forged a reputation as “the most exciting piano trio in America” (The New Yorker) and possesses a repertoire that encompasses the standard repertoire and works by contemporary composers, rave reviews follow the trio throughout its concert tours. Founded in 2001, Trio Solisti has performed at prestigious concert venues throughout the nation. The ensemble has a varied discography on a number of record labels, and actively champions contemporary music, collaborating with leading composers such as Philip Glass, Lowell Liebermann, Paul Moravec, and Kevin Puts. Alongside its ongoing touring activities, Trio Solisti has recently embarked upon a number of exciting new ventures. In the fall of 2015, the ensemble unveiled a three-concert series at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, presenting the complete piano chamber music of Brahms. In addition, Trio Solisti is working with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon to commission a piano trio to be premiered in 2017. Trio Solisti proudly marks its 15th year as Ensemble-in-Residence at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, and is pleased to celebrate the 14th season of Telluride MusicFest, an annual chamber music festival founded by the ensemble. A Pre-Concert Talk will be led by Dr. Jeremy Gill at 4 pm. Tickets: $38-$52
PROGRAM BEETHOVEN: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3 LOWELL LIEBERMANN: Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 122 BRAHMS: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EVENTS On Saturday, June 4 at 10 am, the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet brings an engaging family-friendly program of classical music. Winners of multiple competitions, the Quartet is currently in full-time residence at Harvard University. Admission is free, no tickets required.
Summer Subscriptions are available with purchase of 5 or more concerts from the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Rockport Jazz Festival or any of the summer jazz, folk, world and pop concerts. Subscribers receive discounts, exchange privileges and discounts on additional summer purchases. Unless otherwise indicated, all concerts and events are held at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01966. For tickets or more information, visit our website at www.rockportmusic.org or call 978.546.7391.
ABOUT ROCKPORT MUSIC Founded in 1981 as the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music presents exceptional concerts and cultural events in the “stunning acoustics and dramatic setting” (Boston Globe) of the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Best known for its summer chamber music festival featuring some of the world’s finest ensembles and soloists, Rockport Music has expanded its offerings to include year-round presentations of jazz, folk, pop, and world music, high-definition broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and National Theatre (London), and special film presentations. Education and community outreach activities serve nearly 10,000 students and adults throughout Cape Ann and the North Shore annually. Rockport Music is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
