NSCMF 2015 PressReport

CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW Memorable Tchaikovsky opens North Shore Chamber Music Festival Thu Jun 04, 2015 at 1:50 pm By Lawrence A. Johnson The Ariel Quartet performed music of Beethoven Wednesday night at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook. It’s hard to believe, but there was a time not all that long ago when Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor was more talked about than performed. The celebrated recording by Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell and Vladimir Ashkenazy (EMI/Angel) did much to restore the work to its current popularity though it still took decades to nudge its way into the regular repertory. Tchaikovsky’s epic Trio was the principal work Wednesday night in the opening concert of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival at the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook. And, as performed by violinist and festival artistic director Vadim Gluzman, cellist Mark Kosower and pianist William Wolfram, this was as compelling and richly idiomatic a performance of this fascinating work as one is ever likely to hear. Subtitled “In memory of a great artist,” Tchaikovsky’s homage to his colleague Nikolai Rubinstein was said to be inspired by a picnic excursion in which the two men encountered a band of Russian folk musicians. Yet the epic scale and expressive scope of the Piano Trio is, as Wolfram said in his introduction, “almost operatic.” The final movement’s variations are among Tchaikovsky’s most inspired achievements. Not only do they appear to reflect the mercurial personality of the prickly yet charismatic Rubinstein, but the remarkable range and variety seem to encompass something broader and deeper of the Russian soul itself, in tandem with the elegiac gloom of the opening movement. Even a “popcorn” cell phone interruption (twice) didn’t disturb the momentum and communicative thrust of Wednesday’s remarkable performance. With Wolfram’s powerful keyboard work anchoring the music, Gluzman and Kosower proved wonderfully simpatico colleagues, playing with focused, gleaming tone that strongly conveyed the melancholy of the opening movement. The variations were fully characterized with the burnished tone of Kosower–principal of the Cleveland Orchestra—consistently beautiful. The fugal variation went with fizzing energy and the ensuing section had a gentle wistful quality that was most affecting. Launched with immense vitality and swagger, the finale was exhilarating with the coda’s reprise of the somber opening theme feeling resonant and inevitable. In the first half, the Ariel Quartet made an impressive festival debut in Beethoven’s “Razumovsky” Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, no.2. The young Israeli ensemble has a lean, slightly astringent sonority well suited to this middle-­‐period work. The musicians firmly conveyed the minor-­‐key drama of the opening movement, bringing a physical quality to their playing, and often swaying with the music. Yet the musicianship was always close-­‐knit, the Ariel members watching and listening to each other attentively. If the otherworldly heights of the sublime Adagio weren’t quite scaled, the playing had a glowing radiance and went with a natural ease and conversational ebb and flow. The players’ off-­‐the-­‐beat accents in the ensuing Allegretto put across the music’s restless agitation. The playing was especially engaging in the Russian folksong passage–a theme also famously borrowed by Mussorgsky for Boris Godunov–with the musicians batting it back and forth with light agility. The performance was rounded off with a spirited account of the galumphing finale, dynamic details closely observed without ever sounding pedantic. The Ariel Quartet is clearly a greatly gifted ensemble whose star is on the rise. The evening led off with Alfred Schnittke’s Suite in the Old Style, heard in an arrangement for string quintet. In this artful homage the Russian composer mines 17th-­‐ and 18th-­‐century models. Unlike his Moz-­‐Art à la Haydn, Schnittke mostly plays it straight until the finale where his acerbic style breaks through the surface gallanteries. Ilya Kaler’s elegant, sweet-­‐toned violin nicely brought out the Rococo charm, backed by refined tone and nimble articulation from his colleagues in the neo-­‐Baroque fugues. Yet the players also conveyed Schnittke’s subversive element, as with the duel of hard pizzicatos between Kaler and Gluzman. The North Shore Chamber Music Festival continues 7:30 p.m. Friday at The Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook. The program offers Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind and Schumann’s Piano Quintet and duo arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne. nscmf.org 847-­‐370-­‐3984. CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW Bach and Schumann works shine at North Shore Chamber Music Festival Sat Jun 06, 2015 at 12:34 pm By Tim Sawyier Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe performed Schumann’s duo version of the Bach Chaconne Friday night at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook. The North Shore Chamber Music Festival continued Friday night at the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, where the august roster of artists offered penetrating readings in a compelling program. The evening opened with artistic director and violinist Vadim Gluzman and executive director and pianist Angela Yoffe performing Schumann’s version of Bach’s Chaconne for violin. Schumann created violin and piano arrangements of all of Bach’s solo violin works (as did Mendelssohn), leaving the violin part virtually unchanged while adding a minimal accompaniment that is largely imitative and fills out the harmonies implied in the violin writing. It is hard to imagine a better performance of this Bach cornerstone. Gluzman and Yoffe were completely locked in from beginning to end, Yoffe sensitively responding to Gluzman’s intelligently calculated rubato. In Yoffe’s hands the robust bass Schumann adds to the work’s central major section made the music all the more moving (if possible), and her poised, austere statements of the original theme under the violin’s swirling figuration helped clarify the musical roadmap. Gluzman’s playing was of the highest order throughout. Osvaldo Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind featured clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg and the Ariel Quartet. Spanning five movements and inspired by the three historical languages of the Jewish people (Aramaic, Yiddish, and sacred Hebrew), the 35-­‐
minute work is largely constituted of two textures: a slow, plaintive, gestural writing, contrasted with violent klezmer-­‐infused episodes. While each is persuasive in its own right, the thematic material is insufficient to sustain a work of such duration. Nonetheless, the playing was dynamic and committed. Shterenberg and the Ariel members’ readings of the work’s pyrotechnical passages created a sense of ancient urgency, and the contrasting slow material was amply imbued with idiomatic nuance. The second half featured Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-­‐flat Major, Op. 44, with Gluzman joined by pianist William Wolfram, violinist Lisa Shihoten, violist Atar Arad, and cellist Mark Kosower in a pristine rendition. Wolfram’s playing managed to smolder without ever being overbearing, and Kosower’s tender rendition of the first movement’s second theme elicited equally sensitive responses from his colleagues. The ensemble achieved a remarkably unified sound in the desiccated funeral march, Arad’s solo viola contributions standing out as especially polished. The third movement was fleet and breathless, and the finale burbled with energy, culminating in a trenchant rendition of its closing double fugue. The evening concluded with a nachspiel (literally “after play”) of three short dances. Gluzman shone with Yoffe in Alfred Schnittke’s Polka from his incidental music to Gogol’s The Overcoat, playing with reckless abandon and aggression. Shterenberg then joined the pair for a Shostakovich Waltz, which had similar flair. The Ariel Quartet closed the evening with a sultry performance of Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Primavera Porteña” from Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The North Shore Chamber Music Festival concludes 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook with a program of Busoni, Mozart, and Vivaldi. nscmf.org CHICAGO TRIBUNE Chicago area classical music recommendations Harpsichordist Jory Vinikour in his Lincoln Park apartment, in Chicago, on March 1, 2015.
John von Rhein • Contact Reporter MAY 29, 2015, 8:41 AM North Shore Chamber Music Festival: Directors Vadim Gluzman, violin, and Angela Yoffe, piano, conclude the fifth-­‐anniversary celebration with concerts by the Ariel String Quartet, pianist William Wolfram, clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg and others. Schumann's Piano Quintet and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are among the highlights. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Village Presbyterian Church, 1300 Shermer Road, Northbrook; $10-­‐$45; 847-­‐370-­‐3984, nscmf.org [email protected] Twitter @jvonrhein Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune CHICAGO TRIBUNE Chicago area classical music recommendations Chicago Philharmonic closes its 25th anniversary season June 7 at Pick-­‐Staiger Concert Hall. John von Rhein • Contact Reporter JUNE 5, 2015, 11:54 AM Northbrook Symphony Orchestra: The ensemble steps up its collaboration with the Music Institute of Chicago by featuring eight young soloists from the MIC Academy. The program, conducted by music director Lawrence Rapchak and Academy director James Setapen, includes music by Spohr, Mozart, Haydn and others. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston; $30-­‐$40; 847-­‐272-­‐0755, 800-­‐838-­‐
3006; northbrooksymphony.org Chicago Ensemble: The group's 38th season finale ranges from Bach to French composers Debussy, Poulenc and Ibert, to American composer Mark Zuckerman. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, International House, University of Chicago, 1414 E. 59th St.; $25; 773-­‐558-­‐
3448, thechicagoensemble.org Chicago Philharmonic: The orchestra under artistic director Scott Speck concludes its 25th anniversary season with works inspired by visual art, including the Mussorgsky-­‐Ravel "Pictures at an Exhibition" and pieces by Jennifer Higdon and Kenji Bunch. 7 p.m. Sunday, Pick-­‐Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston; $25-­‐$75; 312-­‐957-­‐0000, chicagophilharmonic.org Chicago Sinfonietta: Mei-­‐Ann Chen leads the season finale, "United We Stand," an exploration of the American experience. Dvorak's "New World" Symphony shares the program with the world premiere of Chicago composer James "Kimo" Williams' "Veteran's Lament." 8 p.m. Saturday, Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville; and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $46-­‐$58 (Wentz), $16-­‐$99 (Symphony Center); 312-­‐236-­‐3681, ext. 2; chicagosinfonietta.org Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot's second and final subscription program holds Ravel's "La Valse" and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, along with Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and Stravinsky's "Jeu de cartes"; pianist Denis Kozhukhin is the soloist; 8 p.m. Saturday; $33-­‐$249. Riccardo Muti returns to lead the final subscription weeks of the season. His first program holds Scriabin's "Poem of Ecstasy" and Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" Symphony"; 8 p.m. Thursday (repeated June 12-­‐13); $33-­‐
$220. Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-­‐294-­‐3000, cso.org CSO — Beyond the Score: French composer Maurice Ravel is profiled in creative director Gerard McBurney's multimedia presentation, with musical illustrations performed under Ludovic Morlot's direction. 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $25-­‐$152; 312-­‐294-­‐3000, cso.org Composer in the Loft: The Lincoln Trio plays the world premiere of Ethan Wickman's "Elysium Remembered" in the series' third and final chapter of the season. Works by Haydn, Smetana and Paul Schoenfield share the program. 7:30 p.m. Friday, PianoForte Studios, Recital Hall, 1336 S. Michigan Ave.; $20; 312-­‐291-­‐0291, pianofortefoundation.org Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra: "Through Soviet Jewish Eyes" includes works by Shostakovich, Pavel Haas and Chicago composer Ilya Levinson. Philip Simmons conducts.2 p.m. Sunday, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie; $20; lincolnwoodchamber.eventbrite.com North Shore Chamber Music Festival: Directors Vadim Gluzman, violin, and Angela Yoffe, piano, conclude the fifth-­‐anniversary celebration with concerts by the Ariel String Quartet, pianist William Wolfram, clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg and others. Schumann's Piano Quintet and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are among the highlights. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Village Presbyterian Church, 1300 Shermer Road, Northbrook; $10-­‐$45; 847-­‐370-­‐3984, nscmf.org North Shore Choral Society: The chorus under Julia Davids wraps up its season with a pops concert of big band, jazz, gospel and music theater selections. The North Branch Jazz Ensemble guests. 3 p.m. Sunday, Glenview Community Church, 1000 Elm St., Glenview; $25, $22 for seniors; 773-­‐956-­‐8400, northshorechoral.org Rush Hour Concerts: The summer-­‐long series of free weekly classical music performances continues with a concert given in memory of series founder and director Deborah Sobol. The Civitas Ensemble performs Brahms' Piano Trio in B major. 5 p.m. Tuesday, St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron St.; rushhour.org South Loop Music Festival: Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat" ("The Soldier's Tale") is performed under Roderick Cox's baton, with narration by David Belden. 6 p.m. Sunday, PianoForte Studios, Recital Hall, 1335 S. Michigan Ave.; $20, free for ages 18 and younger; pianofortefoundation.org [email protected] Twitter @jvonrhein Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune DAILY NORTH SHORE ‘A Good Excuse For A Party’ … May 27, 2015 Leave a Comment Amit Even-­‐Tov, cello; Jan Grüning, viola; Alexandra Kazovsky, violin; Gershon Gerchikov, violin NORTHBROOK – The North Shore Chamber Music Festival (NSCMF) is an “inspired summer event not to be missed” (Chicago Classical Review) for Chicagoans and travelers alike. The Chicago Tribune calls the North Shore Chamber Music Festival a “Chicago classical operation that thinks big. Very big. Internationally big.” The annual three-­‐day festival – this year on June 3, 5, and 6 – is presented at the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, just two minutes walk from the Northbrook Metra station. The NSCMF was founded in 2010, to provide Chicago’s North Shore with musical experiences of the same level of excellence as those found in the great halls of the world, but within a very intimate and welcoming environment. Through its summer festival and year-­‐round Creative Learning Program, the organization strives to provide a substantial and deeply meaningful arts experience that is at once entertaining, life affirming, inspirational, and approachable. This is a milestone 5th Anniversary year for NSCMF. In its first four seasons more than 5,200 concert goers from Chicago and 140 towns throughout the North Shore attended festival concerts, which were broadcast live from the stage each year to 350,000 households locally on 98.7 WFMT, Chicago’s premiere classical radio station. The Festival will celebrate the success of its first four seasons on June 6 with a performance of Vivaldi’s bold and passionate “Four Seasons” – a cultural milestone like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” that changed the course of musical history. This year’s Haag/Galvin Young Artists, Masha Lakisova and Elli Choi, both 13, will both perform lead roles in the “Four Seasons” and also Vivald’s “Concerto for Four Violins” alongside violinists Vadim Gluzman, and Ilya Kaler, harpsichordist David Schrader, and the Festival’s New Generation Ensemble. Vadim Gluzman, the Festival’s Founder and Artistic Director, was featured in music historian Jean-­‐Michel Molkhou’s recent book: Great Violinists of the Twentieth Century, Volume 2. The book highlights the careers and artistry of the top 30 greatest violinist of today including Gluzman, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, Hilary Hahn, and Anne Sophie Mutter. Taking a break from a ferociously busy tour schedule Gluzman looks forward each summer to what he happily calls “a gathering of friends.” “One might say that the North Shore Chamber Music Festival is a good excuse for a party,” jokes Gluzman. “Indeed it is … a party to celebrate the most intimate, exciting and rewarding way of music making: chamber music. And this year it is a party to celebrate our 5th anniversary and past four seasons, the tremendous artistry of our musicians and especially our devoted audience, without whose encouragement the festival would be just meaningless,” says Gluzman. “Each program this season brings a whole spectrum of emotions, gives us a chance to experience absolutely magical moments of sublime beauty, great romance and tremendous excitement,” adds Gluzman. Other highlights this year include performances by the acclaimed Israeli Ariel String Quartet of Beethoven’s “Razumovsky Quartet Op. 59, No. 2″ and Osvaldo Golijov’s “Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind”, featuring Ilya Shterenberg, principal clarinetist of San Antonio Symphony. American Pianist William Wolfram will take the lead in Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Trio Op. 50″ (“In Memory of a Great Artist”) and Robert Schumann’s “Piano Quintet in E-­‐
flat major”. Wolfram is winner of the silver medals in both the William Kapell and the Naumberg International Piano Competitions, and a bronze medal winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Music writer Joseph Horowitz, in his book The Ivory Trade, compares Wolfram to Van Cliburn and Vladimir Horowitz as an exemplar of the Romantic virtuoso tradition. Renowned violist and composer Atar Arad is the featured instrumentalist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart’s dark and melancholic Viola Quintet” in G minor, K. 516. Typically regarded as Mozart’s finest writing for small ensemble, the work expresses his unequivocal love of the viola and ushered in a new musical genre in chamber music. Mr. Arad is considered one of the foremost violist of our time and is a Professor at Indiana University’s Jakob school of music. Audiences will also have an opportunity to experience several rarely heard works – like Alfred Schnittke’s “Suite in the Old Style”, performed by violinists Vadim Gluzman and Ilya Kaler, violist Jan Grüning and cellist Mark Kosower, and Ferruccio Busoni’s marvelous “Suite for Clarinet and Piano op. 10″ performed by clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg and pianist William Wolfram. On Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00pm, there will be a pre-­‐concert performance by students from the Betty Haag Academy of Music who participate in NSCMF’s Creative Learning Program. On Friday, June 5 at 6:00pm the Ariel String Quartet will conduct a public discussion on THE ART OF QUARTET PLAYING, which will include a master class given to a student quartet. 98.7 WFMT, Chicago’s premiere classical music station, will broadcast the June 3rd and 5th concerts LIVE from the stage at the Village Presbyterian Church, hosted by announcer Dave Schwan. The June 6th performance will be taped for broadcast. 2015 FESTIVAL ARTISTS Ariel String Quartet Alexandra Kazovsky, violin Gershon Gerchikov, violin Jan Grüning, viola Amit Even-­‐Tov, cello Atar Arad, viola Vadim Gluzman, violin Ilya Kaler, violin Mark Kosower, cello David Schrader, harpsichord Lisa Shihoten, violin Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet William Wolfram, piano Angela Yoffe, piano TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION: BOX OFFICE: (847) 370-­‐3984 $25 to $45, and $10 for students. Discounted subscription packages are encouraged. Contact info: By phone: (847) 370-­‐3984 By E-­‐mail: [email protected] By Mail: Specify concert dates and seating section preference and send check to: North Shore Chamber Music Festival, P.O. Box 85, Northbrook, IL 60065 ABOUT NSCMF Boasting an impressive roster of classical music’s top performers each seasons, all old friends, the North Shore Chamber Music Festival has been called an “inspired summer event not to be missed” by Chicago Classical Review and a “Chicago classical operation that thinks big. Very big. Internationally big.” by the Chicago Tribune. The annual three-­‐day festival is presented at the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, just 2 minutes walk from from the Northbrook Metra station. Founded in 2010, the North Shore Music Alliance, the parent organization of the NSCMF, carefully curates a series of annual concerts and a robust educational program that provides Chicago’s North Shore region with a substantial and deeply meaningful arts experience that is at once entertaining, life affirming, inspirational, and approachable. Events include concerts by world-­‐renowned classical musicians, educational forums for the audience, collaborations with organizations such as the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA). 2015 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS All events at the Village Presbyterian Church 1300 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 at 6:00PM* THE NEW GENERATION Pre-­‐concert performance showcasing Chicago area’s talented young musicians. * free with purchase of a ticket to attend concert on June 3 at 7:30PM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 at 7:30PM OPENING NIGHT – “TCHAIKOVSKY RETURNS” Alfred Schnittke: Suite in the Old Style Ilya Kaler, Vadim Gluzman, violins; Jan Grüning, viola; Mark Kosower, cello Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet Op. 59, No.2, “Razumovsky” Ariel String Quartet Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio Op. 50 William Wolfram, piano; Vadim Gluzman, violin; Mark Kosower, cello FRIDAY, JUNE 5 at 6:00PM* THE ART OF QUARTET PLAYING Masterclass / panel discussion with the Ariel String Quartet. * free with purchase of a ticket to attend concert on June 5 at 7:30PM FRIDAY, JUNE 5 at 7:30PM “DREAMS, PRAYERS … AND DANCES” J. S. Bach/R. Schumann – Chaconne for Violin and Piano Vadim Gluzman, violin; Angela Yoffe, piano Osvaldo Golijov – The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet; Ariel String Quartet Robert Schumann – Piano Quintet in E-­‐flat major, Op. 44 William Wolfram, piano; Vadim Gluzman, Lisa Shihoten, violins; Atar Arad, viola; Mark Kosower, cello The “Nachspiel Special” – Polka by Schnittke, Waltz by Shostakovich, and a tango by Piazzolla! SATURDAY, JUNE 6 at 7:30PM GRAND FINALE – “THE FOUR SEASONS” Ferruccio Busoni – Suite for Clarinet and Piano op. 10 Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet; William Wolfram, piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quintet in G minor, K. 516 Vadim Gluzman, Lisa Shihoten, violins; Atar Arad, Jan Grüning, violas; Mark Kosower, cello Vivaldi – The Four Seasons Op. 8 Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Masha Lakisova**, and Elli Choi**, violins; Ariel String Quartet; David Schrader, harpsichord Vivaldi – Concerto for Four Violins, L’Estro Armonico, Op. 3 Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Masha Lakisova**, and Elli Choi**, violins; New Generation Ensemble **Masha Lakisova and **Elli Choi have been selected as this year’s Haag MINSK CHICAGO V International Festival of Chamber Music (2015 North Shore Chamber Music Festival) By Sergey Elkin May 12, 2015 In full swing -­‐ French music festival in the heart of the Chicago Symphony, and on the way -­‐ a new holiday for lovers of the Beautiful: in early June Norsbruke (a northern suburb of Chicago) held fifth anniversary, the International Music Festival of Chamber Music (North Shore Chamber Music Festival). The festival was created in 2011 on the initiative of great musicians -­‐ violin virtuoso Vadim Gluzman (he is the artistic director of the festival) and his wife, pianist Angela Yoffe (she is the Executive Director). In the book, the musicologist Jean-­‐Michel Molko "Great Violinists of the Twentieth Century, Volume 2 "Vadim Gluzman has been named among the thirty greatest violinists of our time. He was in a decent company with Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, and Hon Hilary Anne-­‐Sophie Mutter. Abstracting from the incessant touring every summer violinist allocates time for the festival, calling it "a great opportunity to meet with friends in chamber music." During the first four years of concerts of the festival was attended by over five thousand two hundred people from Chicago and one hundred forty settlements around the city. Every year since the first festival, the concerts are broadcast live on the biggest wave in Chicago classical music -­‐ radio station 98.7WFMT. There will be no exception this year's festival. Concerts 3 and 5 June broadcast live concert on June 6 will be recorded and played back in the recording. Leading all the concerts -­‐ Dave Schwan. Among the participants of the festival -­‐ a string quartet "Ariel"(Israel), pianist William Wolfram and Angela Yoffe, Vadim Gluzman and violinists Ilya Kaler, Professor Jakob school of music at Indiana University, violist Atar Arad, concertmaster of clarinets Symphony Orchestra of San Antonio (Texas) Ilya Shterenberg very young talents -­‐ thirteen Masha Lakisova and Ellie Choi (Haag / Galvin Young Artists). The range of music performed, as always, is huge -­‐ from Bach to Schnittke, from Vivaldi to Golihova. Before you -­‐ some details of the upcoming concerts. June 3rd, 6.00 pm. The festival will open a special presentation of the "New Generation", which act young, talented musicians of Chicago and the suburbs. Admission is free for those who purchased tickets for the evening concert at 7.30 pm. June 3rd, 7.30 pm. Despite the title of the opening concert of the festival -­‐ "Tchaikovsky back" -­‐ in the evening's program not only works of the great Russian composer. The concert opens Suite in the Old Style by Alfred Schnittke. Soloists: Ilya Kaler, violin, Vadim Gluzman, violin; Jan Gruening, viola; Mark Kosover, cello. The second quartet ("Razumovsky") L. van Beethoven will be performed by the String Quartet "Ariel", and in the finale of Tchaikovsky's turn comes up. Piano Trio will perform the composer William Wolfram, piano; Vadim Gluzman, violin; Mark Kosover, cello. In his book "TheIvory Trade "musicologist Joseph Horowitz compares with Van Cliburn Wolfram and Vladimir Horowitz, as a successor to the romantic tradition of piano playing. June 5, 6.00 pm. "The art of playing in the quartet" -­‐ the so-­‐called master-­‐class of the String Quartet "Ariel". Musicians will share with us the secrets of the profession. Admission is free for those who have tickets for the evening concert at 7.30 pm. June 5, 7.30 pm. The second concert of the festival is called "Dreams, prayers and dancing ...". We are waiting for a lot of interesting! Program: Chaconne for Violin and Piano by JS Bach (Vadim Gluzman, violin; Angela Yoffe, piano), Osvaldo Golihova essay "Dreams and prayers of Isaac the Blind" for clarinet and string quartet (Ilya Shterenberg, Clarinet, String Quartet "Ariel "), Piano Quintet in E Flat Major Schumann (William Wolfram, piano, Vadim Gluzman, violin, Lisa Shihoten, violin, Atar Arad, viola; Mark Kosover, cello). The works of one of the most interesting contemporary composers Osvaldo Golihova not often heard in Chicago. He was born into a Jewish family in the Catholic Argentina, studied in Israel and now lives in America. Actively working in the opera, symphony and chamber genres. After the "main menu" concert -­‐ wonderful "dessert": Polka Alfred Schnittke, Shostakovich Waltz and Tango A.Pyatstsoly. This final night, I'm sure no one can remain indifferent! June 6, 7.30 pm. The final concert of the festival. Program: Suite for Clarinet and Piano F.Buzoni (Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet, William Wolfram, piano), String Quartet in G Minor by Mozart (Vadim Gluzman, violin, Lisa Shihoten, violin, Atar Arad, viola; Yang Gruening , viola; Mark Kosover, cello), "Four Seasons" by Vivaldi (violinists Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Masha Lakisova and Ellie Choi; String Quartet "Ariel"; David Schrader, harpsichord), Concerto for four violins by Vivaldi ( Vadim Gluzman violinists Ilya Kaler,Masha Lakisova and Ellie Choi; String Quartet "Ariel"; New Generation Ensemble). Nota bene! Concerts Fifth International Music Festival of Chamber Music (North Shore Chamber Music Festival) will be 3, 5 and 6 June in Village Presbyterian Church at 1300Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. Season tickets and single tickets for concerts of the festival can be purchased by calling 847-­‐
370-­‐3984, by e-­‐mail office @ nscmf. Org, by mail (North Shore Chamber Music Festival, P. O. Box 85,Northbrook, IL 60065) and on the website http: // www. Nscmf. Org /, where you will find detailed information about the history of the festival and the upcoming concerts.There are discounts for students when buying tickets. See you at the festival! The Wilmette Beacon World-­‐renowned violinist to play North Shore Chamber Music Festival Ilya Kaler, a Wilmette resident and one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin today, will perform on June 3 and June 6 at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook. Eric DeGrechie, Editor 11:23 am CDT May 27, 2015 Share + When you’re a famous violinist sought after by music festivals around the world, especially in the summer, it can be difficult finding much time to be near home. Such is the case for Ilya Kaler, a Wilmette resident since 2006, who is one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin today. The Russian-­‐born violinist will be performing at the fifth annual North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook, which runs from June 3 through June 6 at The Village Presbyterian Church. -­‐ See more at: http://www.wilmettebeacon.com/world-­‐renowned-­‐violinist-­‐play-­‐north-­‐
shore-­‐chamber-­‐music-­‐festival#sthash.EtKasls3.dpuf WILMETTE BEACON ‘Without music, life would be a mistake’ Eric DeGrechie, Editor 10:23 am CDT June 9, 2015 Share + This might be the first time I’ve ever quoted Friedrich Nietzsche in a column or editorial, which is surprising considering all of the interesting things the German philosopher said during his lifetime. I’ve never been much of a musician. I tried to teach myself guitar many years ago. I bought an electric guitar at a garage sale along with an instructional CD. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the discipline to learn more than a few chords. Looking back, I wonder if things would’ve gone differently if I had learned from an instructor testing me. I’ve long since sold the guitar, but my wife recently caught me looking at used ones online. When I was a child, I always asked my parents for drums, but they were having none of it. They mostly feared that I would be keeping them and my younger sisters awake with all of the thrashing and pounding. In retrospect, I’m sure they probably would’ve been right. Despite my inability to play music, I’ve always appreciated it. Rock is my favorite genre, but I really love everything. The Wilmette/Kenilworth community is filed with talented musicians as evidenced by the various people we’ve written stories on in recent weeks. One of my favorites appeared in the May 21 edition. Assistant Editor Christa Rooks told the story of Wilmette mother Katy Cox, who released her first album last month. The 43-­‐year-­‐old mother began taking singing lessons at the age of 11, participated in musicals while in high school and majored in theater at the University of Notre Dame. Soon thereafter, she decided to pursue law and put any musical dreams on hold. That all changed a few years ago when she started performing her own music and eventually released the new album. A few weeks ago, I spoke with Wilmette resident Ilya Kaler. The Russian-­‐born violinist performed at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival at the beginning of the month. A violin professor at DePaul University’s School of Music, Kaler is the only violinist to ever win gold medals at these three highly prestigious competitions: the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, 1986), the Sibelius (1985) and the Paganini (Genoa, 1981). Speaking with a world-­‐renowned musician was especially interesting and Kaler graciously gave me nearly 30 minutes of his time. “To say I have a favorite piece to play. it’s difficult to discern which one,” said Kaler, who was performing music from Busoni, Mozart, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky at the Northbrook festival. “Any concert performer would tell you that your favorite pieces is the one you perform tonight. It’s like food. Sometimes you like something and you eat it maybe for a while, but then you want to switch it up.” This week, we talked to Ari Fisher, the 2010 New Trier graduate who will soon be scoring his second silent film, “The Return of Draw Egan.” As a freshman, Fisher won a pilot program in which he fully scored music for the silent film, “David Copperfield.” We wrote a story about that accomplishment back in 2011. He is now a master’s student in the Composition Department at Indiana University. Well, you can flip a few pages and find out more. Are you a musician getting ready to release a new album or playing a concert in Wilmette or Kenilworth? I would love to learn more. Please email me at [email protected]. -­‐ See more at: http://www.wilmettebeacon.com/editor/%E2%80%98without-­‐music-­‐life-­‐
would-­‐be-­‐mistake%E2%80%99#sthash.P1lvKG7w.dpuf