Back to Press Release List > 03/09/2010 - Szymanowski Series: The Philadelphia Orchestra Returns to Carnegie Hall 4/13 with Piotr Anderszewski

On Tuesday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m., The Philadelphia Orchestra completes its three-concert series at Carnegie Hall this season in a program led by Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit with soloist pianist Piotr Anderszewski. The program features two influential, beloved early-20th century works—Debussy’s La Mer (“The Sea”) and Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps (“The Rite of Spring”)—along with Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 4 “Symphonie concertante,” a rarely performed work for piano and orchestra by the Polish composer, a contemporary of both Debussy and Stravinsky.

This concert is one of three at Carnegie Hall this spring in which Mr. Anderszewski will focus on the music of Szymanowski. In addition to his performance of the “Symphonie concertante”—one of the composer’s late works written after he had begun to integrate the music and intense rhythms of Poland’s folk songs into his compositions—Mr. Anderszewski will lead two programs of Szymanowski’s chamber music, songs, and piano pieces on May 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall with the Belcea Quartet, soprano Iwona Sobotka, and violinist/violist Henning Kraggerud. Complete program information is listed below.

About Szymanowki, Mr. Anderszewski says, “There is something so universal about his music. Bartók is the obvious link, especially with the last period of Szymanowski’s writing, when he was very interested in folk music from the south of Poland. He really explored very deeply this folk music, and he said himself how much he admired Bartók. I find Szymanowski to be much more Germanic. Szymanowski has very strong German roots (purely as a composer I mean, not anything else). There is a very strong sense of counterpoint. He is someone who was educated on Wagner, someone who was educated on Richard Strauss. The first early pieces of Szymanowski feel very, very strongly like post-Romantic German music. Throughout his compositions, right to the end (even though his style evolved and changed), there’s always a presence of this. And this is how I like to link him with Schumann, especially with late Schumann.

About the Artists
In recent seasons pianist Piotr Anderszewski has appeared with the Berliner Philharmoniker; the Boston, Chicago and London symphony orchestras; The Philadelphia Orchestra; and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He has developed a special reputation for playing and directing ensembles, collaborating with many around the world including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and soloists of the Berliner Philharmoniker. With the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, he has created a play and direct partnership that has been particularly fruitful, resulting in an extensive tour and a recording of Mozart's G major and D minor piano concertos. An exclusive Virgin Classics recording artist since 2000, Mr. Anderszewski released his first disc on the label of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. His strong identification with this work went on to become the subject of a documentary film by Bruno Monsaingeon. Mr. Anderszewski recently collaborated with Mr. Monsaingeon on a second prize-winning film, Piotr Anderszewski: Voyageur Intranquille, released by Idéale Audience in 2008. Mr. Anderszewski's discography also includes a Grammy Award-nominated CD of Bach's Partitas 1, 3, and 6 and a critically-acclaimed disc of works by Chopin. His affinity for the music of his compatriot Karol Szymanowski is captured in a highly-praised recording of the composer's solo piano works, which received the Classic FM Gramophone Award in 2006 for best instrumental disc. His most recent release for Virgin Classics is of a recital recorded live at Carnegie Hall in December 2008. In 2002, he received the prestigious Gilmore Award, given every four years to a pianist of exceptional talent. He has also been a recipient of the Szymanowski Prize (1999) and the Royal Philharmonic Society's Best Instrumentalist award (2001).

Charles Dutoit is Chief Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic. Beginning this year, he also began his tenure as Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. Since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1980, Mr. Dutoit has gone on to conduct all the major orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. He has also performed regularly with many of the great orchestras of Europe, including the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as the Israel Philharmonic and the major orchestras of Japan, South America, and Australia. Mr. Dutoit has recorded extensively for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, CBS, Erato, and other labels with American, European, and Japanese orchestras. His more than 170 recordings, half of them with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, have garnered more than 40 awards and distinctions.

Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording technologies and outreach. The orchestra has maintained unity in artistic leadership with only seven music directors throughout its history: Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach. This rich tradition is carried on by Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit. Highlights of Mr. Dutoit’s second season include performances of Berlioz’s Te Deum and Symphonie fantastique. During his tenure, Mr. Dutoit will also showcase the music of the Ballets Russes, continuing in the 2009–10 season with performances of Stravinsky’s Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. The Philadelphia Orchestra annually reaches more than one million music lovers worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. Each year, the orchestra presents a subscription season in Philadelphia, as well as education and community partnership programs, annual appearances at Carnegie Hall, and a three-week tour. Its summer schedule includes performances at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts, free neighborhood concerts, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

The Belcea Quartet—composed of violinists Corina Belcea-Fisher and Laura Samuel; violist Krzysztof Chorzelski; and cellist Antoine Lederlin—has gained a reputation as one of the leading quartets of their generation. They continue to take the British and international chamber music circuit by storm, regularly receiving critical acclaim for their performances. The quartet was established at the Royal College of Music in 1994 and has since been coached by the Chilingirian, Amadeus, and Alban Berg quartets. They are the Associate Ensemble at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and are Quartet in Residence at the Atheneum Concert Hall in Bucharest. The Belcea Quartet has an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics and won the Gramophone Award for best debut recording in 2001. For their recording of the complete Bartók quartets, they were awarded the title Chamber Music Ensemble of the Year by Germany's Echo Klassik Awards and in 2008 were nominated for a Gramophone Award. The Belcea Quartet’s international engagements regularly take them to the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Zurich’s Tonhalle, Paris’ Chatelet and Opera Bastille, and New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, among many others. The quartet regularly works with leading instrumentalists including Thomas Adès, Isabelle van Keulen, Michael Collins, Paul Lewis, Imogen Cooper, Yovan Markovitch, Natalie Clein, Piotr Anderszewski, and Valentin Erben.

Program Information
Tuesday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Charles Dutoit, Chief Conductor
Piotr Anderszewski, Piano

KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Symphony No. 4, Op. 60 "Symphonie concertante"
CLAUDE DEBUSSY La mer
IGOR STRAVINSKY Le sacre du printemps

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with Walter Frisch, Professor of Music, Columbia University.

The Trustees of Carnegie Hall gratefully acknowledge the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Debs in support of the 2009-2010 season.

Tickets: $37, $44, $56, $76, $103, $114
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Saturday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall
PIOTR ANDERSZEWSKI, Piano
BELCEA QUARTET
   Corina Belcea-Fisher, Violin
   Laura Samuel, Violin
   Krzysztof Chorzelski, Viola
   Antoine Lederlin, Cello
Iwona Sobotka, Soprano

KAROL SZYMANOWSKI String Quartet No. 1, Op. 37
BÉLA BARTÓK Three Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, BB 45b
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Metopes, Op. 29
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Slopiewnie, Op. 46b
BÉLA BARTÓK String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7

Tickets: $52, $58
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Sunday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall
PIOTR ANDERSZEWSKI, Piano
BELCEA QUARTET
   Corina Belcea-Fisher, Violin
   Laura Samuel, Violin
   Krzysztof Chorzelski, Viola
   Antoine Lederlin, Cello
Henning Kraggerud, Violin and Viola
Iwona Sobotka, Soprano

KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Mythes for Violin and Piano, Op. 30
LEOŠ JANÁCEK In the Mists
ROBERT SCHUMANN Märchenbilder, Op. 113
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Songs of a Fairytale Princess, Op. 31
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI String Quartet No. 2, Op. 56

Tickets: $52, $58
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Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.

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