2011-2012 Season

Russian Feast

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

David Stewart Wiley, Conductor

Soojin Ahn, Piano

Sun 15 Apr 2012, 3:00 PM
Mon 16 Apr 2012, 8:00 PM
Jefferson Center On Sale 8.15.11

Generously supported by
Robin Hinrichs, D.D.S.
and partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About this Program More Ways To Buy

This all-Russian program includes Rachmaninoff's heroic second Piano Concerto, Borodin's second Symphony and the Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov. It's the exciting and spectacular Masterworks Series finale!

Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Overture About this Music

Borodin Symphony No. 2 in B minor About this Music

ALEXANDER BORODIN
Symphony No. 2 in B minor

Symphony No. 2 in B minor by Alexander Borodin was composed intermittently between 1869 and 1876. It consists of four movements and is considered the most important large-scale work completed by the composer himself. It has many melodic resemblances to both Prince Igor and Mlada, two theatre works that diverted Borodin's attention on and off during the six years of composition.

According to Soviet biographer Serge Dianin, Borodin's friend and biographer Vladimie Stasov believed that Borodin had the knights and heroic figures of ancient Russia in mind with this piece. "The first movement depicts an assembly of Russian knights... the Scherzo could be intended to suggest a headlong chase, but it could equally well be a festive scene... the third movement was to have depicted Bayan, the legendary minstrel who appears in the Lay of Igor's Campaign... and the finale is meant to depict 'the knights' feast, the sound of the gusli, and a jubilant throng of people."

Dianin concludes by stating that the overall character of Borodin's Symphony No. 2 is patriotic, and that he is showing his sincere admiration for the strength and courage of the men of old, who "saved Russia from her enemies." Borodin not only admired these great heroes of Russian history, but was able to capture their essence in his music.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor About this Music

SERGE RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

The concerto was written between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900.[2] The complete work was premiered, again with the composer as soloist, on 27 October 1901, with his cousin Alexander Siloti conducting.

At its 1897 premiere, Rachmaninoff's first symphony, though now considered a significant achievement, was derided by contemporary critics. Compounded by problems in his personal life, Rachmaninoff fell into a depression that lasted for several years. His second piano concerto confirmed his recovery from clinical depression and writer's block. The concerto was dedicated to Nikolai Dahl, a physician who had done much to restore Rachmaninoff's self-confidence.

This piece is now one of Rachmaninoff's most enduringly popular pieces, and established his fame as a concerto composer. Itis significantly featured in David Lean's 1945 film Brief Encounter. It also appears in Billy Wilder's 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. More recently, it is featured prominently in Clint Eastwood's 2010 film, Hereafter.

Soojin Ahn Piano About this Artist

Performing throughout the United States, Europe and Asia to unanimous critical acclaim, Soojin Ahn is recognized as one of the finest pianists of her generation.

Soojin Ahn is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes from international competitions, most notably the Gilmore Young Artist Award and the audience prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Subsequently, she has been the guest soloist with The Boston Pops, Colorado Springs, Jupiter (NYC), Kalamazoo and Omaha symphony orchestras and the Chicago and New England chamber orchestras. In 2001, she was invited by David Robertson to perform Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony with the Chicago Civic Orchestra. Her recitals have been heard in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' Alice Tully Hall, Boston's Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall and in Philadelphia, presented by The Philadelphia Orchestra. She stunned the music community when, for her debut at Korea's Sejong Cultural Center, she performed the twenty-four Etudes of Chopin at the age of 15.

An avid chamber musician, Soojin Ahn has performed with the Manhattan String Quartet and collaborates frequently with violinist Rachel Barton Pine and cellist Wendy Warner.

Soojin Ahn's performances have been broadcast frequently on WMFT in Chicago. Her November 2006 recital on the Fazioli Salon Series was voted "Best Performance of the Year," and was re-broadcast before the end of that year.

Soojin Ahn began playing the piano at the age of three in her native Korea. At nine, she moved to the United States to continue her musical studies. Over the years, her principal teachers included Menahem Pressler, Russell Sherman and Yoheved Kaplinsky. Ms. Ahn holds B.M and M.M. degrees from the New England Conservatory, as well as the Advanced Certificate from The Juilliard School.

Soojin Ahn comes from a very distinguished musical family: Her grandfather, Byong-Soh Ahn, was a violinist and the founding music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and her grandmother, Aene Lee, was a foremost pianist in Korea.

David Stewart Wiley Conductor About this Artist

David Stewart Wiley serves concurrently as Music Director & Conductor of our Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and New York's Long Island Philharmonic. Prior to these positions, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and, before that, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In demand as a guest conductor, pianist, and composer, Maestro Wiley has performed all over the world including numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has led top American orchestras including the symphonies of Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Oregon, Saint Louis, San Francisco, and Utah. David Stewart Wiley is the recipient of the Aspen Conducting Prize (1993), a Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood, the Daniels Prize in Music & Literature from Tufts University, and Virginia's Perry F. Kendig Award for Service to the Arts. Maestro Wiley holds four degrees: Doctor and Master of Music degrees in Conducting from Indiana University, a degree in piano performance with honors from the New England Conservatory, and a degree in Religion, summa cum laude, from Tufts University.

As a solo pianist, David Stewart Wiley has performed with numerous major orchestras throughout the United States and has appeared as a jazz pianist in Boston's Symphony Hall and in recital appearances throughout the U.S. as well as in China, Russia, Romania, Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria. Wiley has collaborated with a diverse list of top artists in the Classical and Pops world, including Billy Joel, Jessye Norman, Leonard Bernstein, Sir James Galway, Midori, Lynn Harrell, John Williams, David Kim, Elmar Oliveira, Jon Nakamatsu, Andre Watts, Norman Krieger, Zuill Bailey, Bernadette Peters, Bruce Hornsby, Jennifer Holliday, Marvin Hamlisch, Mercedes Ellington, Lou Rawls, Doc Severinsen, Michael McDonald, Art Garfunkel, the Pointer Sisters, Ben Vereen, Kool & the Gang, and the Sounds of Blackness. The RSO & Wiley announced that David will extend his contract with the RSO through 2013.

Learn More about David Stewart Wiley

KeyNotes - Pre-Concert w/ David Stewart Wiley 2:00 PM

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Pre-Concert KeyNotes
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	541 Luck Ave SW 24016 Get directions to this event at Jefferson Center.
	Reserve your table at Roanoke restaurants. Dining Options.