The blog for the Celebrity Series of Boston- a Boston based arts organization which presents an annual concert series. Here you can find news about our season, local and international arts, and much more! www.celebrityseries.org
Find a piano, upload and image or a movie, read about Play Me, I'm Yours: www.streetpianosboston.com
Check out our 75th Anniversary Season: www.celebrityseries.org.
Pianist Van Cliburn in Tel Aviv, 1962
Pianist Van Cliburn has died at age 78. The Shreveport, Louisiana native's triumph at the 1958 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow made him a household name.
Van Cliburn made his Celebrity Series debut in 1960 and performed on the Series a total of 13 times - all in recital and all at Symphony Hall - most recently in 2001.
Numerous winners of The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition have also appeared on the Celebrity Series over the years, including Jose Feghali, Jon Nakamatsu, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Alexander Kobrin, Olga Kern, and Hoachen Zhang.
Coverage of Van Cliburn's death:
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post
Los Angeles Times
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BBC News
Chicago Tribune
Videos:
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in Moscow (1962)
Christie's Auction Interview (includes clip of 1958 competition)
At The Kennedy Center Honors (2001)
The much anticipated Boston debut performance by pianist Daniil Trifonov at Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music at Bard College in Cambridge is sold out, but you can watch it live. The recital will be simulcast on ConcertWindow in HD with no commercials tonight at 8pm. Click on the link below and follow instructions on the page:
Tonight's performance marks the launch of the Debut Series, a series of 5 performances by the next generation of the world's outstanding artists, presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston.
Matthew Guerierii's review in today's Boston Globe said of Lise de la Salle's Celebrity Series debut recital on Saturday evening:
"... in Lise de la Salle’s excellent Celebrity Series concert on Saturday-the French pianist’s Boston recital debut-the focus of energy was the point of contact between finger and key. The effect was both vintage, foregrounding a clavichord-like primacy of touch, and modern: clarity as an illusion of objectivity."
Read all of the review (login required)
Keith Powers previews Lise de la Salle's Boston recital debut for Boston Classical Review (article).
More for info or tickets for Lise de la Salle's January 28 recital.
Lang Lang during his masterclass at Sanders Theatre on Saturday
Matthew Guerrieri reviewed this past Sunday's Celebrity Series recital by pianist Lang Lang, the culmination of the superstar pianist's stay in Boston. Here's a snippet:
"During intermission, Lang swapped the fine-grained German Steinway for a brassier American one (something of a star-privilege trademark for him), then offered all 12 of Chopin’s Op. 25 Études, a fully stocked cabinet of virtuosity highlighting Lang’s penchant for show, not to mention showing off - the two A-minor études, nos. 4 and 11, were thrillingly cocky torrents, the relentless octaves of the B-minor positively blazed."
Read all of A dash of daring serves Lang.
#Liszt200 Twitter chat with pianist @lang_lang today at 5pm eastern. Get your #Liszt questions ready!
Lang Lang Master Class
Pianist Lang Lang will present a masterclass in association with the Celebrity Series of Boston and Harvard University Office of the Arts, Learning From Performers, on Saturday, October 29 at 3pm at Sanders Theatre. Admission free and open to the public, tickets required.
Tickets will be distributed to Harvard affiliates from Tuesday, October 18 through Thursday, October 20 in person only at the Harvard Box Office (1350 Massachusetts Ave. at Holyoke Center, Harvard Square). Limit two per person with valid Harvard ID.
All remaining tickets, limit two per person, will be available beginning Friday, October 21. Remaining tickets available by phone and online (service fees apply) as well as in person: 617.496.2222 (TTY 617. 495.1642), www.boxoffice.harvard.edu
Celebrity Series of Boston will present Lang Lang at Symphony Hall, Sunday, October 30 at 3pm.
Left to Right: Former Celebrity Series Executive Director Walter Pierce, incoming Executive Director Gary Dunning, outgoing Executive Director Marty Jones, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Chairman of the Celebrity Series Board of Directors, Joshua Boger at the Mad About Marty gala, May 2, 2011.
The Celebrity Series of Boston has been in the news in the last few weeks, and this blog is bit behind in getting you the links you need (hey, we've been a little busy), so here's a make-up post:
First up, Lloyd Schwartz, of the Boston Phoenix and NPR's Fresh Air, gaves us his take on the St. Petersburg Philharmonic with Yuri Temirkanov on the podium and Boston native-wunderkind-cellist Alisa Weilerstein as soloist as well as longtime Boston favorite (his and ours) pianist Dubravka Tomsic.
Matthew Guerrieri gave us his review of the eminent Russian orchestra for The Boston Globe.
Northeastern University scholar and author (check out The Last Impresario sometime, if you haven't already) Harlow Robinson reviewed Dubravka Tomsic's recital for the Globe.
Matthew Guerrieri reviewed Dawn Upshaw's April 29 Jordan Hall recital, Cashman Kerr Prince did the same for The Boston Musical Intelligencer.
Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein covered Mad About Marty, the star-studded retirement party for our fearless leader, Marty Jones for the Globe's Names column.
On the blogoshpere, Paul Levy gave us this post on the party on his Not Running a Hospital blog, as did Denise Korn on her K Blog.
Below are pianist Dubravka Tomsic's encores from her recital on Friday night:
1. Lizt: "Forgotten Waltz"
2. Chopin: "Minuette Waltz"
3. Lizt: Concert Etude - "Dance of the Gnomes"
4. Lizt: Concert Etude - La Leggereza
Leif Ove Andsnes
Celebrity Series of Boston President and Executive Director Martha H. Jones announced today that pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has cancelled his Jordan Hall performance, scheduled for April 1, due to illness. The Celebrity Series and Mr. Andsnes were unable to find a suitable date to reschedule the performance.
Patrons who purchased tickets via Celebrity Series of Boston will be contacted as to their options. All other patrons are requested to contact their place of purchase for refunds.
Press release
This review is online now but should appear in tomorrow's print edition:
"The music world is marking the bicentennial of the birth of Franz Liszt — composer, virtuoso, and all-around diabolical genius. The latest event in the ongoing celebration came on Wednesday, when Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin brought an all-Liszt recital to a packed Symphony Hall."
Read all of Evgeny Kissin plays up to the many challenges of Liszt.
Who knew pianist Evgeny Kissin was a child composer? Watching this video all I could do was think back on my (apparently) misspent youth as Evgeny tosses off ditties he wrote before the age of ten...
This prodigy turned merely incredible, outstanding adult performer will play an all-Liszt program in his Celebrity Series recital at Symphony Hall on March 2.
Time for another edition of Read Thoughtfully:
"The difference between my programs and those of other pianists is that mine are boring not only in the first half but also in the second." -Artur Schnabel
Leon Fleisher just seems to get more relevant with each passing year. He recently spoke with Stuart Isacoff for The Wall Street Journal, in part to promote his book, My Nine Lives. Here's a taste:
"Players try to convince us by using body English—they writhe or look up at the ceiling—all to prove how affected they are by the music. They don't realize what a distraction it really is. We are supposed to be impressed by their show of emotion, but in reality they are merely erecting a barrier between the music and my soul."
Read all of Music's Obi-Wan Kenobi.
