WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (November 1, 2019) –The Winston-Salem Symphony will present a Classic Series concert cycle entitled “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2” on Sunday, November 17 and Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Martin West, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Ballet, will take the podium for a concert series that will open with the Overture to Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn, which conjures Shakespeare’s fairies and lovers. The Symphony will then be joined by guest pianist Alexander Kobrin for Sergei Rachmaninoff’s epic Piano Concerto No. 2, considered one of the greatest works in the piano repertoire. The concert cycle concludes with a suite from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous ballet “Sleeping Beauty” about a princess who falls under a 100-year spell and can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.
Kenny Broberg was originally scheduled to be the guest artist for this concert series and was slated to perform Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto. However, Broberg received a rare invitation to perform with the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra by world renowned conductor Valery Gergiev the same weekend he was scheduled to perform with the Winston-Salem Symphony. Renowned pianist Alexander Kobrin, the 2005 Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medal Winner, is stepping in as the guest artist for this Classics concert cycle.
Kobrin, already scheduled to perform at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on Saturday, November 16, will take the stage and perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Winston-Salem Symphony on Sunday, November 17 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stevens Center of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 405 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem. Tickets begin at $24 and are available in advance by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at wssymphony.org.
Magic abounds at this Classics Concert series. Shakespeare’s tale of mystical transformations, both physical and emotional, is brought to life through Mendelssohn’s music. From soaring love themes to humorous moments like the braying motif played by the horns (signifying Puck when he acquires the head of a donkey), all aspects of the fantastical world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is depicted in this delightful piece. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is a towering masterpiece. With its soaring, emotional movements and a fiendish finale, this concerto offers a chance for guest artist Kobrin to highlight his artistry, technical skill, and stamina. To round out the concert, Tchaikovsky’s romantic “Sleeping Beauty” will take the audience on a magnificent musical journey through this fairy tale of love.
Music Lovers’ Luncheon, a fun and informative pre-concert event, will occur the Friday before each 2019–20 Classics Concert and will give attendees a chance to enjoy gourmet dining with a side of engaging conversation with Symphony hosts and guest artists discussing the orchestra world, their experiences, and that week’s concert repertoire. The November 15 Music Lovers’ Luncheon will take place at Old Town Country Club from 12–1:30 p.m. This intimate afternoon event will include an enlightening discussion led by guest conductor Martin West and guest pianist Alexander Kobrin. Music Lovers’ Luncheons are an opportunity to gain insights on the music presented and learn more about the performers personally. Advanced registration is required and can be made by calling 336.464.0145. The luncheon is $25 per person.
This concert series is part of the Winston-Salem Symphony’s annual Toy Drive partnership with The Salvation Army of Greater Winston-Salem. Concert goers are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys for children up to age 12 at the concerts. The toys will be distributed through The Salvation Army of Greater Winston-Salem’s annual Christmas Program.
Maestro Martin West is acknowledged as one of the foremost conductors of ballet, garnering critical acclaim throughout the world. Born in Bolton, England, he studied math at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge University, before studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music and London’s Royal Academy of Music. In fall 2005, West joined the San Francisco Ballet as Music Director having been a frequent guest since his debut two years earlier. He was previously Principal Conductor of English National Ballet and has worked with many of the top companies in North America such as the New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and The Royal Ballet in England. In his years as Music Director, he has been credited with raising the standard and profile of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and has made a number of critically acclaimed recordings with them. He and the Orchestra have also made many world premiere recordings; including music by composers such as Bizet, Moszkowski, Shinji Eshima, and Maury Yeston whose full-length ballet Tom Sawyer was recorded in 2013. His recording of C.F. Kip Winger’s Conversations with Nijinksy was recently nominated for a Grammy. In addition, Maestro West conducted on the award-winning DVD of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid as well as Helgi Tomasson’s productions of the Nutcracker for PBS and Romeo and Juliet for Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.
The distinguished pianist Alexander Kobrin—heralded as the “Van Cliburn of today” by the BBC Russia—has placed himself at the forefront of today’s performing musicians. His many prize-winning performances have been praised for their brilliant technique, musicality, and emotional engagement with the audience. Reviewing Kobrin’s performance of Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat (K. 333) at the New School’s Mannes College of Music, Allan Kozinn of The New York Times wrote: “He surrendered neither the smoothness nor the dynamic fluidity that the modern piano allows, and he gave his sense of fantasy free rein, and creating an almost confessional spirit.” Born in Moscow in 1980, Kobrin was enrolled in the world-famous Gnessin Special School of Music at the age of five, after which he attended the prestigious Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Kobrin is the winner of numerous international piano competitions—besides the Van Cliburn, he has garnered prizes from the Busoni, Hamamatsu, and Glasgow International Piano Competitions. Kobrin has been an active guest soloist with leading orchestras throughout his career, including the New York Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Moscow Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Berliner Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Swedish Radio Symphony, Birmingham Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared in recital at major halls worldwide, including Avery Fisher Hall in New York; the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall in London; the Louvre Auditorium, la Salle Gaveau, and Salle Cortot in Paris; Munich’s Herkulesaal and Berlin’s Filarmonia Hall in Germany; the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire; Sheung Wan Civic Centre in Hong Kong; and the Sala Verdi in Milan, among others. For more information, visit alexanderkobrin.org.
This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis, & Pitt, P.A. and BB&T; Redmond’s Inaugural Season Sponsor Mrs. Charles M. Howell; Symphony Unbound Sponsors Chris & Mike Morykwas; Classics Media Sponsors 89.9 FM WDAV Classical Public Radio; as well as the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony, one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, begins its 73rd season in October 2019. The 2019–20 season will be Timothy Redmond’s inaugural season as Music Director and will include Classics Series concerts featuring renowned guest artists such as Béla Fleck, Rachel Barton Pine, and more. In addition, the season will include a Pops series featuring the Indigo Girls on stage with the Symphony as well as the music of John Williams and a tribute to Tom Petty. A Carolina Christmas returns with special guest artists with North Carolina roots including Laurelyn Dossett. The annual performance of Handel’s Messiah returns along with the Concert for Community featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, four youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs, including the P.L.A.Y. (Piedmont Learning Academy for Youth) Music program providing, primarily to under-served youth, instrumental music instruction and more. The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsors BB&T and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; Redmond’s Inaugural Season Sponsor Mrs. Charles M. Howell; Symphony Unbound Sponsors Chris and Mike Morykwas; as well as generous funding from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. For more information, visit wssymphony.org.
# # #
