Jessie Montgomery
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
NEW YORK, NY (August 22, 2019) — Now in its 47th year of innovative conductorless concerts in New York and around the world, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra kicks off its 2019-20 season on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 8:00pm in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall with
a concert of spirited music inspired by the glittering urbanity of
Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony, from the brilliant sunshine of Rome to
the religious pageantry of Naples. The program features 24-year-old
Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki in
Mendelssohn’s passionate Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40 as
well as the composer’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 90, A Major “Italian.”
The evening begins with the world premiere of Orpheus Artistic Partner Jessie Montgomery’s Shift, Change, Turn, and Variations,
a piece that augments Mendelssohn’s musical cityscape by tapping into
the rhythms of modern life. Both a composer and violinist, Montgomery is
Orpheus’s first Artistic Partner, and her post includes taking part in
Orpheus educational initiatives throughout the season and having two
works premiered by Orpheus in concert: the world premiere of Shift, Change, Turn, and Variations
on the season opening concert and a reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s The
Seasons, Op. 37a, co-arranged with Jannina Norpoth, to be performed in
January 2020 with violinist Vadim Gluzman.
Jessie Montgomery’s Records for a Vanishing City
was written for Orpheus in 2016 and has since been performed all over
the world. Montgomery says, “Orpheus’ musicianship and care in learning
and bringing this work to life caused a major shift in my thinking about
orchestral writing. It brought forth a new confidence in my instincts
and values for working with large ensembles. I look forward to our next
adventures together this year continuing to take more risks within the
art form. I think what is interesting about NY in general is that with
such a hotbed of artistic activity going on, there are still a lot of
connections that we can miss. Bringing music to the community, as well
as the concert hall, signifies an opportunity to close those gaps and
create a better and stronger community overall. I love the idea of
introducing new art forms and styles of music to young people while they
are so open to the world around them. Music is felt so immediately, and
in an instant has the potential to change someone’s mood or point of
view. This is especially important in the times we are in and I am
excited that throughout collaboration in the NY public schools, we have
an opportunity to invoke that kind of change.”
Of the new piece, Montgomery says, “Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, the new work Shift, Change, Turn, and Variations
is my opportunity to contribute to the tradition of writing a piece
based on the seasons, as change and rotation is something that we all
experience as humans. This piece is a musical exploration of both the
external and internal seasons which at times seem to be changing along
the same axis.”
No comments:
Post a Comment