Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan will lead the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in piano concertos by Mozart and Shostakovich March 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State Universitys River Campus.
This is a company Ive tried to book for over thirty years, and I am so excited and honored to present their fantastic artistry and talent to the community, said Bob Cerchio, assistant director of Southeasts Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. It seems only fitting as part of our 10th anniversary season to have the finest chamber orchestra in the world come to the River Campus. Its going to be a beautiful, once in a lifetime experience people wont want to miss.
The program will also feature premieres of a new commission for piano, trumpet and strings by Scottish composer Alasdair Nicolson, additional symphonies by Mozart and Haydn, Coplands Quiet City and Shostakovichs Chamber Symphony Op. 110a.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is one of the worlds premier chamber orchestras, renowned for its fresh, brilliant interpretations of the worlds most-loved classical music. Founded by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958, the orchestra quickly gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound through its live performances and vast recording output, including the 1969 best-seller Vivaldis Four Seasons and the soundtrack to 1985s Oscar-winning film Amadeus.
This spring marks the orchestras third U.S. tour with Barnatan.
Barnatan is known for his compelling and insightful musicianship and elegant virtuosity. He has performed extensively with the worlds important orchestras, including those of Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and he has worked with distinguished conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Matthias Pintscher, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2009, he is currently in his third and final season in 2016-2017 as the New York Philharmonics first Artist in Association, a position created and launched by Music Director Alan Gilbert that continues to spotlight Barnatons concerto and chamber collaborations with the orchestra, including his debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival.
Barnatans recordings are critically acclaimed, and his album Darknesse Visible was named one of the Best of 2012 by the New York Times. His 2015 CD Rachmaninov & Chopin: Cello Sonatas on Decca Classics with Alisa Weilerstein earned rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.
Tickets
Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online at http://rivercampus.org/academy-of-st-martin-in-the-fields/.