STAR VIOLINIST LEILA JOSEFOWICZ BRINGS HER DYNAMIC BRAND OF ARTISTRY TO PACIFIC SYMPHONY FOR ADAMS’ VIOLIN CONCERTO; PROGRAM ALSO FEATURES MUSIC BY MOZART, RAVEL AND STRAVINSKY
Orange County, Calif.—May 14, 2010—Los Angeles native Leila Josefowicz came blazing onto the national stage in 1994 at the age of 17 when she made her highly successful Carnegie Hall debut with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Now considered a full-fledged classical music star with her own vibrant style, the attractive violinist joins Music Director Carl St.Clair and Pacific Symphony in a performance of John Adams’ electrifying Violin Concerto, featuring beautifully interwoven melodies that the orchestra picks up and tosses around like a musical volleyball. Taking place Thursday-Saturday, June 3-5, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the diverse program also includes Ravel’s Suite from “Mother Goose,” Mozart’s Symphony No. 32, and Stravinsky’s Suite from “Firebird.”
Tickets are $25-$105; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org.
Contemporary composer John Adams’ Violin Concerto—now 15 years old—has firmly established itself in the repertoire as one of the most frequently-performed new concertos. Featuring high-flying violin melodies against shimmering harmonies, the piece has attracted the attention of world-class violinists all over the globe, including Josefowicz—of whom Adams wrote in his recently-published autobiography “Hallelujah Junction”:
“Josefowicz especially took the concerto to heart, playing it from memory in cities all over the United States and Europe, finding rhythmic shadings and expressive possibilities that even its composer had never realized were implicit in the music. The concerto is Leila’s signature piece, and her mesmerizing performances became a model for how a serious new instrumental work could indeed achieve repertoire status through the determined advocacy of an exceptionally talented artist.”
“I really enjoy playing the standard works,” said Josefowicz in a recent interview with Strings Magazine. “But it’s even more interesting to hear something that’s only just been written, that’s just starting to be played. What excites me about contemporary music is that the traditions and rules that governed composition of the ‘classics’ can’t be applied anymore. There are no boundaries to what you can do!”
The remainder of the concert runs the musical gamut from the old to the new, from the dearly beloved to the groundbreaking: Ravel’s “Suite from Mother Goose” (ironically, having nothing to do with the English fairytales of the same name) was originally written as a piano duet for a patrons’children; Mozart’s delightful Symphony No. 32 creates the effervescent feeling of an Italian overture to a classical opera, and the finale, Stravinsky’s mythical and magical “Firebird,” brings the power and energy of the original ballet to the concert hall so intensly, patrons might even get a glimpse of the fabled creature itself.
Josefowicz has won the hearts of audiences around the world with her honest, fresh approach to the repertoire and her dynamic virtuosity. A regular, close collaborator of leading composers of the day such as Adams and Oliver Knussen, she is a strong advocate of new music—a characteristic that is reflected in her diverse programs and her enthusiasm for premiering new works. During the 2008-09 season, Josefowicz premiered concertos written for her by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Steve Mackey, and played first performances of Thomas Adès’ violin concerto, “Concentric Paths,” with the Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco and Seattle symphonies. In October 2009, she premiered another concerto written for her by Colin Matthews with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
In recognition of her passionate advocacy and genuine commitment to the music of today, Josefowicz was awarded a 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Josefowicz, who has performed with most of the major American orchestras, is equally active internationally. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994 as well as a 2007 United States Artists Cummings Fellowship.
Pacific Symphony’s Classical Series performances are made possible by the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation, with additional support from the Symphony’s official airline, American Airlines; official hotel, The Westin South Coast Plaza; official classical music station, KUSC; and official television station, KOCE-TV.
Jayce Keane
Director of Public Relations
Pacific Symphony
3631 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 100
Santa Ana, CA 92704
www.pacificsymphony.org
