Paul Watkins, cello & Boris Berman, piano, December 10, 2023

José García-León, Dean

faculty artist series

Paul Watkins, cello Boris Berman, piano Sunday, December 10, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall

Claude Debussy 1862–1918

Sonata for cello and piano, L. 135 I. Prologue II. Sérénade III. Finale

Huw Watkins b. 1976

Sonata for solo cello (2022) United States premiere I. Improvisatory II. Thoughtfully III. Presto IV. Maestoso

Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953

Sonata in C major for cello and piano, Op. 119 I. Andante grave II. Moderato III. Allegro, ma non troppo

intermission

Program, cont.

Robert Schumann 1810–1856

Fantasiestücke for cello and piano, Op 73 I. Zart und mit Ausdruck II. Lebhaft, leicht III. Rasch und mit Feuer

Johannes Brahms 1833–1897

Sonata in F major for cello and piano, Op. 99 I. Allegro vivace II. Adagio affetuoso III. Allegro passionato IV. Allegro molto

As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.

Artist Profiles Paul Watkins, cello Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, cellist Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. Appointed principal cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at age 20, he performs regularly as a concerto soloist with major orchestras throughout the world, including eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms.

A dedicated chamber musician, Watkins was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 to 2013 and joined the Emerson String Quartet in May 2013. In 2014, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit. Watkins also maintains a busy career as a conductor and, since winning the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, has conducted all the major British orchestras and many others in the USA, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Watkins has made over 70 recordings, including 18 solo albums for Chandos, as well as chamber music discs for Decca Gold, Deustche Grammophon, and Hyperion.

At the Yale School of Music, Watkins teaches a studio of graduate-level cellists, coaches chamber ensembles, and directs the Yale Cellos with Assistant Professor Adjunct of Cello Ole Akahoshi. He has been featured in performance many times at Yale as a member of the Emerson String Quartet.

Born in 1970, Watkins studied cello with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps, and

Johannes Goritzki. He plays on an instrument made by Domenico Montagnana and Matteo Goffriller in Venice, circa 1730.

Boris Berman, piano A performer well known to audiences in fifty countries on six continents, Boris Berman regularly appears with orchestras, on recital series, and at festivals around the world. He studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with distinguished pianist Lev Oborin.

An active recording artist and Grammy Award nominee, Berman was the first pianist to record Prokofiev’s complete solo piano works. Some of Berman’s other acclaimed recordings include all of Scriabin’s piano sonatas and a performance of piano works by Shostakovich that received the Edison Classic Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy).

His double CD of Debussy Preludes and other works on Palais des Degustateurs label has received the Choc mark from the French Classica. This was followed by four more acclaimed releases on the same label that featured works by Haydn, Schubert, Brahms, and Silvestrov.

At the Yale School of Music, Berman teaches a studio of graduate students, coaches chamber groups, and heads the Piano Department. He is the Artistic Director of the School’s Horowitz Piano Series and frequently gives solo and collaborative performances as part of that series and others. Berman regularly

Artist Profiles cont.

Upcoming Events

performs and coaches at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival/Yale Summer School of Music, teaches master classes throughout the world, and adjudicates national and international competitions.

dec 11

Tuba Studio Recital YSM Ensembles 4:30 p.m. | Sudler Recital Hall Free admission

dec 12

Guitar Chamber Music YSM Ensembles 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Free admission

dec 13

Lunchtime Chamber Music 12:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Free admission

dec 13

Wei-Yi Yang, piano Horowitz Piano Series 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $17, Yale faculty/ staff start at $12, Students start at $8

dec 14

Bach, Bassoons, and the Beatles YSM Ensembles 7:30 p.m. | Sudler Recital Hall Free admission

jan 16

Brentano String Quartet Oneppo Chamber Music Series 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $31, Yale faculty/ staff start at $23, Students $14

Berman has authored two books published by Yale University Press: Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas: A Guide for the Listener and the Performer (2008) and Notes from the Pianist’s Bench (2000; the new, electronically enhanced edition 2017).

These books were translated into several languages. He is also the editor of the critical edition of Prokofiev’s piano sonatas (Shanghai Music Publishing House, 2011).

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