Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble with Simone Dinnerstein
Thursday February 18, 2010
8:00 PM
Koerner Hall
Genre: Classical: Chamber, Classical: Piano Postlude Performance
An "all-Bach" programme is reinvented in the hands of this hip NYC ensemble, conducted by Kristjan Järvi. The performance will feature Simone Dinnerstein, a rising star pianist known for her stunning recording of the Goldberg Variations. Ms. Dinnerstein is "an utterly distinctive voice in the forest of Bach interpretation." (The New York Times)
Absolute Ensemble Kristjan Järvi, conductor Adam Taubic, violin Shalini Vijayan, violin Edmundo Ramirez, viola Mike Block, cello Mat Fieldes, bass Hayley Reid, flute Keve Wilson, oboe Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet Damien Primis, bassoon Wayne du Maine, trumpet Mike Seltzer, trombone Gene Pritsker, guitar Matt Herskowitz, piano Damien Bassman, drums & percussion
Program
"Inovation J.S." (composed using Bach two part inventions No. 5 in Eb Major and no. 8 in F major) by Charles Coleman
Reinventions (composed by Gene Pritsker)
~Intermission~
Undertow, based on Invention #9 in F minor from 3 part inventions (composed by Matt Herskowitz)
"Raga on a Theme by Bach" (composed by Mike Block)
toopART Reinventions [composed by Daniel Schnyder]
Absolute Ensemble
Simone Dinnerstein
For more information on the Absolute Ensemble and Simone Dinnerstein please click Program Notes below
Absolute Ensemble
Kristjan Järvi, Conductor
Since its inception in 1993, fans have slowly witnessed something of a metamorphosis of Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble. Beginning in New York as another new music group, Järvi seemed unable to quench his appetite for music of all genres. The group Järvi lovingly describes as "musical omnivores" lends itself to the kind of performance usually foreign to the classical breed. Members are frequently called upon to improvise, as well as arrange and compose. Choosing to integrate rather than segregate music, the group fuses its classical roots with everything from jazz and rock to world music and hip-hop. By defying categorization and creating a totally new sound, Absolute is a refreshing guide to the future of music. The American Record Guide claims Absolute "may be the most alluring and virtuosic … of today's new music groups." Absolute has released eight albums and in turn received a list of accolades, including the German Record Critics Prize and a Grammy nomination.
Absolute Ensemble has toured the globe with concerts in Vienna, Zürich, London, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Weimar, Stockholm, Umeå, Bolzano, Milan, Torino, Catania, Tallinn, Pärnu, Monterey, Bergen, New York, West Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, and Oulu.
Simone Dinnerstein
Piano
American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has fast been gaining international attention since making a triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2005. The New Yorker has called Ms. Dinnerstein, "the pianists' pianist of Generation X."
Recent and upcoming performances include her recital debuts at The Kennedy Center and the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart Festival, the Aspen and Ravinia festivals; in Cologne, Paris, London, Copenhagen, Rome, and Lisbon; as well as debut performances with the Dresden Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble, Tokyo Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony. In July 2009, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.
In 2007, Ms. Dinnerstein released her debut solo CD on Telarc, a recording of the Goldberg Variations, which earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart during its first week of sales. In 2008, Ms. Dinnerstein's recital debut at the Berlin Philharmonie was recorded live, and was also No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart when it was released. Her latest recording, the complete works by Beethoven for piano and cello with Zuill Bailey, was released in 2009.
Ms. Dinnerstein is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she was a student of Peter Serkin. She was a winner of the Astral Artist National Auditions. She also studied with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music and in London with Maria Curcio. Ms. Dinnerstein lives in New York.
All of tonight's artists are making their Royal Conservatory and Canadian debuts.
