MAGIC OF THE BLUE HOUR

2019-08-09 21:30

Church of the Holy Spirit

Friday, August 9
Church of the Holy Spirit, 9 p.m.
MAGIC OF THE BLUE HOUR
 
ANDREAS OTTENSAMER, clarinet (Austria / Germany)
YUJA WANG, piano (China)
 
Program:
 
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48
 
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Intermezzo in A major from 6 Klavierstücke, Op.118, (arr. for clarinet and piano: Nikolai Popov)
 
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847)
Songs Without Words
2. Allegro leggiero, from the Book Op. 67
               6. Venetianisches Gondellied, from the Book Op. 30
1. Andante un poco agitato, from the Book Op. 102, (arr. A. Ottensamer)
 
Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Carmen, fantasy, for piano
 
**********
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Première rhapsodie, for clarinet and piano
 
Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1949)
Polonaise in A flat Major, Op. 53, Heroic
 
Joseph Horovitz (1926)
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano
Allegro calmato
Lento quasi Andante
Con brio
 
Sponsor of the concert: Luštica Bay
Tickets for this program are available HERE.
Judza Vang.jpg
Andreas Ottensamer grew up in a family of musicians, entering the world of music at the age of four, beginning with piano. At the age of ten, he first began studying cello at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna before moving on to clarinet in 2003, under Professor Johann Hindlerin. He has performed in prominent concert halls across the globe, such as the Musikverein, Konzerthaus, and Philharmonie Berlin, where he has appeared as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, collaborating with artists such as pianist Murray Perahia, violinist Leonidas Kavakos, and cellist YoYo Ma, among others. In 2005, Ottensamer founded The Clarinotts clarinet trio with his father and brother, both principal clarinetists of the Vienna Philharmonic. As an exclusive artist for the Deutsche Grammophon label, he recorded his albums Portraits – The Clarinet Album (2013) and Brahms – The Hungarian Connection (2015), also releasing the New Era compact disc by Decca Classics. He has as well expanded his interests beyond the borders of classical music, resulting in a collaboration with Tori Amos on her album Night of Hunters (2011). Ottensamer is also a sports lover – he played tennis for years, and with his brother he has founded his own football club, the Wiener Virtuosen. Since 2011, he has been the principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Yuja Wang, a pianist about whom both audiences and music critics speak in glowing terms, is recognized for her unique blend of technical bravado, musical contemplation, and emotional depth. She began piano lessons at the age of six, studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and continued her education at the Mount Royal University in Calgary and Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she became an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist. Yuja Wang has collaborated with many eminent conductors, including Abbado, Barenboim, Dudamel, Gergiev, Tilson, Pappano, Dutoit, and Mehta, among others. Her current concert season features tours in South America with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Kirill Petrenko, in Asia with the Munich Philharmonic and conductor Valery Gergiev, and in the USA with cellist Gautier Capuçon, also including the first-ever performance of John Adams’ Piano Concerto with the the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Yuja Wang is also featured as an Artist-in-Residence some of the world’s premiere venues, such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Wiener Konzerthaus. She uses her love for fashion as a “weapon” in changing attitudes regarding appearances in a concert hall.