2013-2014 120TH SEASON
musicians’ musicians. Rare musicians they are who perform at Princeton University. Ones who have not only devoted years and years to the development of their artistry, but who’ve forged a profound connection to the music they will perform. So you hear, and feel, what a composer intended. The artists we invite to perform at Princeton are, in fact, musicians’ musicians—virtuosos other virtuosos want to listen to. This season, our 120th, we present some of the world’s most sought-after artists and some of the greatest music ever written. And even better, you don’t have to go to Philly or New York to experience it; it’s all right here in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall. Musicians, musicians… musicians’ musicians! Be here for
HISTORY IN THE MUSIC MAKING and enjoy every historic note.
Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY and FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 and 11, 2013, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET All six BARTÓK String Quartets performed in two evenings October 10: Quartets Nos. 1, 3 & 5 October 11: Quartets Nos. 2, 4 & 6 The Takács Quartet—the sole string quartet in Gramophone Magazine’s Hall of Fame—will perform all six of Bartók’s string quartets, which have been part of their repertoire since their origins in the 1970s. It was Takács’ recordings in the 1990s of these seminal works that cemented their position among the world’s top quartets. What will make this event
“the most psychedelic rock music I had ever heard.”
even more compelling are talks and commentary by Princeton musicologist Scott Burnham and others. Here is Princeton professor and composer Steven Mackey’s reaction to the quartets as
professor and composer Steven Mackey on hearing the Bartók Quartets for the first time
a teenager playing electric guitar in rock bands: “Their punchy melodies, muscular rhythms, trippy atmospheres and mind-bending continuities struck me as being the most psychedelic rock music I had ever heard. Bartók ingested folk music and avantgarde techniques in equal measure to make a music that tickled the viscera as well as the intellect. This music is at once quirky, playful, scary and sublime—and well ahead of its time.”
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Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET HAYDN R. MURRAY SCHAFER (b. 1933) DVOŘÁK
Quartet in D Major, Op. 71, No. 2 Quartet No. 3 Quartet in A-flat Major, Op. 105
It takes a brainy group indeed to be Ensemble-in-Residence at Stanford University, which is where the St. Lawrence String Quartet calls home. Its members are as committed to new works by such leading composers of our day as John Adams and Osvaldo Golijov as they are to the established quartet literature of Haydn and the 19th and 20th century giants who followed him. In fact, among their honors are two Grammy Award nominations for Golijov’s Yiddishbbuk. Said Alex Ross in The New Yorker, “The St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection.” In addition to performing quartets by Haydn and Dvořák, they will perform R. Murray Schafer’s String Quartet No. 3, in which they may seem more like samurai warriors than string players. A staple of the ensemble’s repertoire, Schafer’s quartet was described by Mr. Ross as a “spellbinding spectacle, and a hilarious send-up of the emotional infantilism of the ultramodern repertory.”
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RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV,* PIANO BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Op. 26 BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2 SAINT-SAËNS/LISZT/HOROWITZ Danse Macabre SCHUBERT Impromptus Op. 90, Nos. 2 and 3 RAVEL Gaspard de la Nuit “Behzod Abdu-who?” quipped National Public Radio last year. “Not for long.” As rewarding as it is to bring you the world’s most renowned musicians, there’s special joy in introducing a little-known young artist poised to join the ranks of the all-time greats. Behzod Abduraimov, a 23-year-old native of Uzbekistan, is such a talent. “Rip-roaringly exciting” and “a gift from God” are among the breathless reviews he’s elicited, as well as this from the International Record Review: “He has the neuro-motor responses of a jungle cat and the energy reserves of an Olympic athlete in peak form.” After achieving a sensational victory at the 2009 London International Piano Competition, winning First Prize with a thrilling performance of Prokofiev’s Third Concerto, the young phenom toured with the Sydney Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy, a great pianist in his own right. Abduraimov’s electrifying version of
“Behzod Abdu-who?”
Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre is that of an artist possessed—and sporting a rather sly grin.
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Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013, 8 pm
Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
DANISH STRING QUARTET *
“modern ”
NIELSEN Quartet No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 14 JANÁČEK Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata” A JOURNEY THROUGH SCANDINAVIAN FOLK MUSIC Three Danes and a Norwegian, all in their early 30s and boasting copious amounts of hair and humor, comprise the Danish String Quartet, newly chosen as members of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two. They joke about being modern Vikings—“perhaps a touch more harmless than our ancestors. We’re not pillaging cities or razing the English coastline! We are simply your friendly neighborhood string quartet with above average amounts of beard.” And talent. The three Danes began to play together while in their teens, and in 2008 were joined by a Norwegian cellist whom they found “hidden away in a castle outside Stockholm.” Playing string quartets is their job, and, they allow, it is hard work, “but we mostly do it for pleasure, like we always did.” Whether their own or their listeners’ pleasure is the greater is debatable. Their musical offering mixes Scandinavian folk music with Nielsen’s Quartet No. 3, a rarely heard Danish masterpiece, and Janáček’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” inspired by Tolstoy’s tale of murderous passion.
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The Guardian (London)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2014, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
LEONIDAS KAVAKOS,* VIOLIN ENRICO PACE,* PIANO ALL-BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23 Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, “Spring” Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96, “The Cockcrow” One of classical music’s hottest properties, Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos regularly concertizes with the world’s greatest orchestras, but his recitals in this country are a precious few. Together with pianist Enrico Pace, Kavakos will perform three of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas, including two written just before the composer penned his Heiligenstadt Testament, a heart-wrenching explanation that encroaching deafness was responsible for his withdrawal from society. Here’s the violinist speaking from his heart about the “Abergavenny” Stradivarius with which he has performed for the last three years: “I’m very fortunate to have the privilege to live with an instrument like this and play on it every day and learn from its sound and be challenged by the possibilities it gives. What else can a violinist ask for in life? The fascinating thing with an instrument… you get to know each other. The chemistry is like that with another human being. An instrument adjusts to the playing of a player and the player adjusts to the instrument. It’s a give-and-take relationship.” Imagine the magic these devoted partners will make together.
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Concert Classics Series
“astoundingly virtuosic and blazingly insightful”
Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
JOYCE DIDONATO* MEZZO-SOPRANO
Craig Terry, piano Songs and arias by composers including ANTONIO VIVALDI, GABRIEL FAURÉ, GIOACCHINO ROSSINI, FRANZ SCHUBERT, ROBERT SCHUMANN, MICHAEL HEAD, and REYNALDO HAHN “A commanding, royal presence” is how Vanity Fair refers to golden-voiced mezzo Joyce DiDonato, who says the characters in her recent album, “Drama Queens,” run the gamut of emotions from “suicidal sadness to rapturous bliss.” For Gramophone Magazine’s Hall of Fame issue, composer Jake Heggie said the Kansasborn mega-star’s staggering artistry “reminds us that in any generation there are few giants… She is a transformative presence... Joyce sings and the world is suddenly brighter. Every gleaming note and phrase is infused with connection, meaning and an almost unnerving empathy.” And here is Alex Ross in The New Yorker: “There are singers who are secure in technique but cautious in expression, there are singers who
“Joyce sings and the world is suddenly brighter.” Composer Jake Heggie
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deliver passion but damage the ears, and then there is Joyce DiDonato, who consistently finds the golden mean... [She] has a way of capturing extreme emotions without resorting to excess: she is a singer not only of flair and power but of intelligence and taste.” The intelligent (not to mention tasteful) thing for you to do would be to purchase tickets to her only 2014 United States recital—right here in Princeton—right now.
Concert Classics Series
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL · CHARLES S. ROBINSON MEMORIAL CONCERT
THE NASH ENSEMBLE OF LONDON Amelia Freedman CBE, Artistic Director Ian Brown, piano · Philippa Davies, flute · Richard Hosford, clarinet · Stephanie Gonley, violin Laura Samuel, violin · Lawrence Power, viola · Rebecca Gilliver, cello
PROGRAM to include DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet and the premiere of works by Princeton composers Adventurous programming and virtuoso performances are hallmarks of this London-based chamber collective, the resident ensemble of London’s Wigmore Hall. They have recorded prodigiously, with nearly 90 CDs of music from Mozart to Dave Matthews, and will soon release a collection of chamber works by Czech composers incarcerated during World War II in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. They have also, quite notably, premiered more than 270 new works, 170 of which they’ve commissioned! Presented in collaboration with Princeton’s Music Department, the Nash musicians will premiere works by graduate students written expressly for them. As a result, you will have the rare opportunity to see and hear the creative process that brings a new piece to life, while stealing a glimpse of one or two of the country’s next great composers.
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Concert Classics Series
Thursday, May 1, 2014, 8 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL · PADEREWSKI MEMORIAL CONCERT
PIOTR ANDERSZEWSKI,* PIANO Works by BACH, SCHUMANN, AND SCHUBERT “Not just a significant artist,” said The New York Times, “Mr. Anderszewski is a colorful personality who cultivates a ‘Polish punker’ look with his sleek black hair and tight leather pants. He would seem to have everything.” On another occasion it opined, “It can be hard not to wax hyperbolic when confronted with Anderszewski’s sensitive touch and potent imagination.” Now, listen to this magical pianist’s own tormented thoughts about the pursuit of musical perfection: “When I play with orchestra I sometimes tell myself, I’ll never play a concerto again. Too many artistic compromises; I only want to do recitals. When I come through the extreme loneliness of the recital—the heroism and also the cruelty involved—I sometimes think that I’ll never do recitals ever again; from now on I’ll only make recordings. When I am recording and I’m free to repeat the work as often as I wish, the possibility of doing better, of it being the best possible performance, and where everything can turn against me—the piano, the microphone, and above all, my own sense of freedom—I think to myself, I’ll never go into a recording studio ever again; it’s even more cruel. In fact, the real, the ultimate, temptation would be to stop everything, lie down, listen to the beat of my heart, and quietly wait for it to stop.” Do not miss this awe-inspiring and inspirational artist.
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Special Event
Thursday, October 24, 2013, 7:30 pm RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
CHRIS THILE,* SOLO MANDOLIN PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH MCCARTER THEATRE
Program of transcriptions of the BACH Violin Sonatas and Partitas, plus his own compositions and other contemporary works Here’s how multiple Grammy-winning mandolinist Chris Thile learned that he was a 2012 recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Award of $500,000. “I started getting these calls from a 312 number, which is Chicago,” he told The Wall Street Journal, “and in this day and age, does anyone answer their phone when they don’t know the number?… I just figured it was a robot call telling me to
“the instrument’s brightest star” The New York Times
vote. Finally they left a message: “Tell no one about this call.” I don’t watch tons of TV but I’ve seen enough to know that that’s what someone says right before you get shot! My tour manager googled the number and it was the MacArthur Foundation.... I still kind of thought that maybe my band mates were messing with me!” Mr. Thile, whom The New York Times calls “the instrument’s brightest star,” transitions between genres with the greatest of ease. A former member of the trio Nickel Creek and current member of the Bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers… collaborator with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer and fiddler Stuart Duncan on the Grammy-winning “Goat Rodeo Sessions”… and composer of music for the post-apocalyptic film “The Hunger Games,” he has just released an album of Bach Sonatas and Partitas transcribed for— you guessed it—mandolin.
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Special Event
Saturday, April 26, 2014, 7:30 pm PROCTER HALL IN THE PRINCETON GRADUATE COLLEGE
GALLICANTUS,* RENAISSANCE VOCAL ENSEMBLE Gabriel Crouch, Director “THE WORD UNSPOKEN,” music of WILLIAM BYRD and his contemporaries Pristine. Spiritual. Otherworldly. This is the sound of Gallicantus, who take their name from the pre-dawn monastic ceremony evoking the renewal of life offered by the coming day. With members drawn from such renowned English vocal
“higher power”
ensembles as Tenebrae (whom Princeton audiences heard last season), The Tallis Scholars and The King’s Singers, Gallicantus are as meticulous about providing context and insight for audiences as they are about crafting interpretations of the music they love. The Word Unspoken reveals the real William Byrd—devout Catholic deeply troubled by the persecution of his brethren, and composer with expressive and emotive powers beyond any of his contemporaries. His music is paired with works by his most prominent
contemporaries, including his great teacher Thomas Tallis and Philippe de Monte, the Flemish composer whose secret gift to Byrd of a setting of Psalm 136 expressed the solidarity of an entire continent, and moved Byrd to compose his own setting of the psalm in return. Listen to this ensemble but a few minutes and you will find yourself believing in the higher power. Of music.
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Two new concerts for kids ages 6-12 and their families, featuring musicians from The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, hosted by Bruce Adolphe
Your youngster’s life-long love of music will begin the moment he or she “meets the music” in person in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall. Kids ages six and up embrace the joys of classical chamber music in this renowned program of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, hosted by composer Bruce Adolphe, Director of Family Programs at “CMSLC.” A 21st-century embodiment of composer/educator Leonard Bernstein and comedian/performer Victor Borge, Adolphe makes the discovery—or rediscovery—of chamber music a hoot for the whole family.
Saturday, November 16, 2013, 1 pm
Saturday, March 15, 2014, 1 pm
RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
RICHARDSON AUDITORIUM IN ALEXANDER HALL
A Trilling Event
Leave It to Ludwig
A wacky private ear, Inspector Pulse, must
Beethoven’s instrumental music creates
determine the identity of a highly ornamented
powerful stories. But what is the tale? His music
tune for a desperate client. The tune has a
tells of everyday human life, full of action and
familiar ring, but it is so full of trills, trinkets,
emotions. Beethoven himself will appear in
and decorative doodads that the Inspector
Richardson to help a young pianist play his
must investigate all the ways a melody can be
music as he meant it to be played.
embellished in order to solve the mystery.
Featuring music of BEETHOVEN
Featuring music of TELEMANN, HANDEL, BACH and more BUY BOTH CONCERTS NOW FOR JUST $16 ADULTS, $8 KIDS AND SAVE 20% OFF SINGLE TICKET PRICES. Single tickets go on sale September 3, 2013.
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Family Concerts
Meet the Music
Richardson Chamber Players
Our resident ensemble of performance faculty, distinguished guest artists and supremely talented students
Sponsored by Princeton University Concerts Michael Pratt, Director The Richardson Chamber Players was co-founded by Nathan A. Randall and Michael J. Pratt during the 1994-1995 Centennial Season of Princeton University Concerts. The ensemble comprises musicians who teach instrumental music and voice at Princeton University, distinguished guest artists, and supremely talented students. Their repertoire largely consists of works for singular combinations of instruments and voices, which would otherwise remain unheard. The artistic direction of the group rotates. This season’s programs were conceived by a small committee consisting of violinist Nancy Wilson, flutist Jayn Rosenfeld, and pianist Margaret Kampmeier.
Sunday, November 10, 2013, 3 pm
Brass Bonanza GIOVANNI GABRIELI GEORGE GERSHWIN OSKAR BOEHME DAVID SANFORD BRAHMS
Work TBD Transcriptions for Trumpet and Piano Sextet for Brass in E-flat Minor, Op. 30 Forlorn Rags for Trombone and Marimba Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40
Players to include Brian Brown, tuba; John Ferrari, percussion; Benjamin Herrington, trombone; Francine Kay, piano; Chris Komer, horn; Anna Lim, violin
Sunday, March 2, 2014, 3 pm
Quiet City ELLIOTT CARTER LEONARD BERNSTEIN ROY HARRIS SAMUEL BARBER AARON COPLAND
Tempo e Tempi Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight for Piano Trio and Soprano Adagio for Strings Quiet City
Players to include Elizabeth DiFelice, piano; Wayne Du Maine, trumpet; Alistair MacRae, cello; Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Matthew Sullivan, oboe; Members of the Princeton University Orchestra, Michael Pratt, conductor
Sunday, April 6, 2014, 3 pm
This England RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS ARNOLD BAX BENJAMIN BRITTEN EDWARD ELGAR
Selections from Along the Field Folk Songs Selections from A Birthday Hansel Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Minor, Op. 84
Players to include Elaine Christy, harp; Rochelle Ellis, soprano; David Kellett, tenor; Anna Lim, violin; Jennifer Tao, piano
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SUBSCRIBE TODAY
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF THE LOWEST TICKET PRICES IN TOWN 609-258-2800 · princetonuniversityconcerts.org
TICKET PRICES SUBSCRIPTIONS
SPECIAL EVENTS
FULL CONCERT CLASSICS SERIES (THE BEST DEAL) 9 concerts, includes both Takács String Quartet programs; save up to 30% and pay just $10 for the second TSQ concert!
CHRIS THILE, solo mandolin
Takács String Quartet [2 concerts] St. Lawrence String Quartet Behzod Abduraimov Danish String Quartet Leonidas Kavakos Joyce DiDonato Nash Ensemble of London Piotr Anderszewski
A $259 B $209 C $129 CLASSIC SERIES 8 Thursday night concerts A $249 B $199 C $119 RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS 3 Sunday afternoon performances All subscriptions are $39. Or, add the three concerts to a FULL or CLASSIC subscription and pay just $24. MEET THE MUSIC
Buy both concerts now for just $16 adults, $8 kids and save 20% off single ticket prices.
MAKE YOUR OWN SERIES Choose 3 or more different concerts from all of our offerings and save 10% off the single ticket prices. Please call us at 609-258-2800 to make your own series or buy one of our suggested packages below.
BLOCKBUSTERS
Leonidas Kavakos, violin Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano Piotr Anderszewski, piano
THE STRING QUARTET
Takács String Quartet St. Lawrence String Quartet Danish String Quartet
ART OF THE PIANO
Behzod Abduraimov, piano Nash Ensemble of London Piotr Anderszewski, piano
STRING FEVER
Chris Thile, mandolin Leonidas Kavakos, violin Nash Ensemble of London
SUNDAY AFTERNOON SERENADES
Add this event to a FULL or CLASSIC subscription and receive a 20% discount off single ticket prices. All tickets $28.
GALLICANTUS, Renaissance vocal ensemble Add this event to a FULL or CLASSIC subscription and receive a 20% discount off single ticket prices. All tickets $12. Space is limited; order soon to guarantee a spot.
STUDENT TICKETS Students of all ages with a valid ID can attend our concerts for as little as $5. Student tickets go on sale September 3, 2013.
SINGLE TICKETS If available, single tickets go on sale September 3, 2013. To be alerted about single ticket sales, please sign up for our e-mail or mailing list by visiting princetonuniversityconcerts.org.
VENUES & PARKING All concerts take place in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, unless otherwise noted. Richardson Auditorium is located on the Princeton campus behind Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.
ON CAMPUS Parking is available in the visitor parking area in Lot 23 and at the West Garage, both located on Elm Drive off of Faculty Road, a ten-minute walk to Richardson Auditorium. TigerTransit extends its hours of the Central Line shuttle bus from both locations to Richardson on concert nights. The shuttle runs every fifteen minutes until 10:30 pm.
OFF CAMPUS The best place to park is at metered spaces near Palmer Square and along Nassau Street. Three municipal parking garages that charge a fee are located on Chambers, Hulfish and Spring Streets in downtown Princeton near Palmer Square.
ACCESSIBILITY Richardson Auditorium is accessible to patrons with disabilities. Space for wheelchair seating is available upon request. A limited number of parking spaces are available on campus for people with valid handicap permits. Please call the Concert Office for more information at 609-258-2800.
Richardson Chamber Players (3 concerts)
PLEASE NOTE A $6 processing fee is added to all orders. We are not able to offer refunds or exchanges on ticket orders. All programs and artists are subject to change.
WOOLWORTH CENTER PRINCETON NJ 08544
If you received a duplicate, please recycle this brochure by passing it along to a friend.
WHY SUBSCRIBE? Single Ticket Discount Full subscribers receive $5 off single ticket prices to all Princeton University Concert events.
Ticket Discounts When possible, we offer discounted tickets to subscribers only. This year, add CHRIS THILE, GALLICANTUS, RICHARDSON CHAMBER PLAYERS or MEET THE MUSIC Family Concerts to a full subscription package and receive a discount.
The Best Seats Subscribers get the best reserved seats and can choose exactly where they want to sit.
PHOTOGRAPHY TAKﾃ，S STRING QUARTET: Keith Saunders. ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET: Marco Borggreve. BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV: Ben Ealovega. DANISH STRING QUARTET: Caroline Bittencourt. LEONIDAS KAVAKOS: Daniel Regan. JOYCE D I DONATO: Josef Fischnaller. NASH ENSEMBLE OF LONDON: Hanya Chlala. PIOTR ANDERSZEWSKI: K. Miura. CHRIS THILE: Christopher Lane. GALLICANTUS: Susan Porter-Thomas. MEET THE MUSIC Illustrations: Roger Roth. GRAPHIC DESIGN and ILLUSTRATION
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