Years
2019 2018
Symphony Concert
2018-09-22

FSSO’s 4th Symphony Concert presented in collaboration with the OSM:

International guest pianist and FSSO virtuosi promise an evening of musical poetics

Conductor: Alexander Fokkens
Soloists: Vitaly Pisarenko (piano),
Odeion String Quartet,
Paul van Zuilenburg (trumpet),
Kobus Malan (oboe),
Danrè Strydom (clarinet),
Brahm Henkins (bassoon) and
Shannon Armer (French horn)
Date: Saturday, 22 September 2018
Time: 19:30
Venue: Odeion, UFS

On Saturday 22 September 2018, the Free State Symphony Orchestra’s (FSSO’s) fourth symphony concert of the year brings to the stage international piano virtuoso, Vitaly Pisarenko, and places a spotlight on the local talent of the Odeion String Quartet as well as a number of the FSSO’s principal players.

Regarded as one of the finest young musicians of his generation, Pisarenko has been dubbed as a ‘poet at the piano’ and is performing as guest piano soloist with the FSSO as part of the South African leg of his current world tour. After performing in a series of recitals and concerts with local orchestras, he moves on to the UK, Belgium, Hong Kong and Argentina. The concert in Bloemfontein will be his second last performance in South Africa.

Described by the New York Times as an “immensely gifted pianist… with prodigious technique, myriad shadings and scrupulous accuracy”, the Russian-born pianist already had his first public recital at the age of six. After winning the 8th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in 2008, he took his place in the musical world as a pianist “of unusually soft touch and captivating expressiveness”, rapidly gaining worldwide recognition. His style has prompted more than one critic to compare his playing to that of “a young Franz Liszt”.

This evocative pianist will perform Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, Opus 31 with the FSSO’s Paul van Zuilenburg as the trumpet soloist. Shostakovich originally composed the concerto as an experimentation with a neo-baroque combination of instruments. Despite the title, the work might more accurately be classified as a double concerto rather than a piano concerto in which the trumpet and piano command equal prominence. The trumpet parts frequently take the form of sardonic interjections, leavening the humour and wit of the piano passage work.

The Odeion String Quartet with Samson Diamond (violin), Sharon de Kock (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola) and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello) are the soloists in Elgar’s masterpiece, Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and Strings. Scored for a string quartet and string orchestra, Elgar originally composed it to show off the players’ virtuosity. The score soon came to be recognised as a masterpiece and is likened to a multi-layered symphonic poem for string orchestra.

The programme concludes with Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds in E-flat major which is scored for solo oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. The soloists for the Sinfonia Concertante will be four principal players of the FSSO: Kobus Malan (oboe), Danré Strydom (clarinet), Brahm Henkins (bassoon) and Shannon Armer (French horn).

When asked how he felt about joining the FSSO for this concert, Pisarenko responded by saying that this performance would represent a number of firsts for him: “Although this is my third visit to South Africa, it will be the first time that I perform in Bloemfontein. I’ve also always loved Shostakovich’s piano concerto and have wanted to play it for a long time. It is such a beautiful and expressive concerto, and I’ll be playing this fantastic piece for the very first time with the FSSO.”

Alexander Fokkens, CEO and Creative Director of the FSSO, concludes: “It’s very exciting to be able to showcase our immensely talented local orchestral musicians alongside a musician of Vitaly’s calibre. The programme for the evening will not only show off individual talent, but create an orchestral experience that will feel musically varied and poetically moving.”

Fokkens will also be conducting the concert on the evening. The FSSO’s fourth symphony concert for this year is presented in collaboration with the Odeion School of Music.


Admission:

Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults - R150; Pensioners and block bookings of 10 and more - R100; Children 3 to 18 years - R50.

Tickets are available at any Computicket outlet or online at online.computicket.com. For enquiries, contact Ella Kotze at the FSSO on 051 401 2342, Ninette Pretorius of the OSM on 051 401 2504, or visit the FSSO’s Facebook page (@ Free State Symphony Orchestra) for more information and regular updates.

For media enquiries and visuals, contact Daphney Teffo on 082 506 3551 or e-mail rdteffo@gmail.com


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YURA LEE violin recital

with Tertia Visser Downie (piano)

8 November 2013

Odeion

19:30

Violinist/violist Yura Lee, first prize winner of 2013 ARD Competition in Germany, is enjoying a career that spans almost two decades, and takes her all over the world. Her musical integrity and her compelling artistry were praised by both the critic and some of the most respected artists of today.

At age twelve, Yura became the youngest artist ever to receive the Debut Artist of the Year prize at the "Performance Today" awards given by National Public Radio. She also received the Avery Fisher Career Grant - one of the most prestigious prizes given to young artists. She received numerous international prizes from competitions, including the first prize at the 2013 ARD Competition (Germany), first prize and the audience prize at the 2006 Leopold Mozart Competition (Germany), first prize at the 2010 UNISA International Competition (South Africa), first prize at the 2013 Yuri Bashmet International Competition (Russia), and top prizes in the Indianapolis (USA), Hannover (Germany), Kreisler (Austria) and Paganini (Italy) Competitions.

Yura studied at the Juilliard School (New York City), New England Conservatory (Boston), Salzburg Mozarteum (Austria), and at the Kronberg Academy (Germany). Her main teachers included Namyun Kim, Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Miriam Fried, Paul Biss, Thomas Riebl, Ana Chumachenko, and Nobuko Imai.  

As a soloist, she has appeared with many major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Symphonieorchester, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, and many others. She has performed with conductors Christophe Eschenbach, Lorin Maazel, Myung-Whun Chung, among many others.

Yura will be accompanied by pianist, Tertia Visser Downie.  Tertia is an accomplished South African pianist who studied under national and international piano masters John Antoniadis, and London-based Martino Tirimo after winning the prestigious Mabel Quick Scholarship.

She completed her honours degree in music at the University of Stellenbosch, as well as achieving the UNISA Performers’ and Teachers’ Licentiates, with distinction in both qualifications. Performing numerous solo recitals in South Africa and internationally, Tertia has also featured with various orchestras.

Tertia regularly gets invited as an official accompanist at national music competitions and regularly accompanies talented and award winning musicians at various events and concerts.  She was one of the official accompanists at the UNISA International String Competition in 2010, accompanying Yura.

During 2009, she joined renowned poet Philip de Vos on a national tour to bring masterpieces Pictures at an exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky and Kinderscenen by Schumann to stage, radio and television. With diverse talent and creativity, in 2008 Tertia took the leading female role in Pieter Dirk-Uys’ play, Appassionata, and performed the Beethoven Sonata with the same name.

Tertia has produced five CDs of her own as well as establishing and managing her Tots in Tune program designed to introduce classical music to young toddlers.  She also released a fourth CD with well-known cellist Marian Lewin at the end of 2009.

She is a part time lecturer in piano at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town.

Programme:

Beethoven: Sonata for violin and piano in D major, Op. 12 No. 1

Brahms: Sonata No. 3 for violin and piano in d minor, Op. 108

Kreisler: Praeludium & Allegro, Liebesleid, Liebesfreud

Tchaikovsky: Waltz-Scherzo

Admission: R130 (adults), R90 (pensioners), R50 (students and learners), R50 (group booking of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket.

Enquiries: Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504)

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