After two and-a-half years in the making, the World Premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Third Piano Concerto is finally here. I cannot possibly express the anticipation and excitement about what I might hear with the orchestra–at the first rehearsal, the piece will actually come to life. I’ve recorded the second piano part on a digital Roland instrument and have played along with it to get the idea of the orchestral parts, though it’s never quite the same as having 60+ players surrounding you with an orchestral canvas that comes alive. I tip my hat to the ever brilliant Lowell Liebermann for crafting such a remarkable new concerto for me–and for future pianists to enjoy in the 21st century.
LIEBERMANN WORLD PREMIERE PAIRED WITH BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Milwaukee, WI ““ The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents its second world premiere of the 2005/2006 season with Lowell Liebermann’s Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by pianist Jeffrey Biegel. Milwaukee is the first stop for this first-ever global commissioning project of a new work by an American composer. Largely written in the first two months of 2006, Biegel and Liebermann began work on the commission 2003 with eighteen American and European orchestras. Biegel will join MSO Music Director Andreas Delfs for this world premiere performance, paired with Beethoven’s powerful ‘Ode to Joy’ at concerts May 12 ““ 14, 2006.
Lowell Liebermann is one of America’s most frequently performed and commissioned composers. The New York Times calls him “as much of a traditionalist as an innovator.” Liebermann was last in Milwaukee for the American premiere of his opera The Picture of Dorian Gray, performed by the Florentine Opera and the MSO in 1999. Lowell Liebermann is celebrated for his first two piano concertos, leaving fans in much anticipation for his third.
In late April, Andreas Delfs will conduct the world premiere of Liebermann’s new opera, Miss Lonelyhearts, at The Juilliard School. The work was commissioned by Juilliard in celebration of the opera school’s centennial.
The career of pianist Jeffrey Biegel has been marked by creative achievements and highlighted by firsts. He envisioned and performed the first live internet recitals in New York and Amsterdam, enabling him to be seen and heard by a global audience. Until the age of 3, Mr. Biegel was unable to hear or speak, and only over came the impediment with corrective surgery. The ‘reverse Beethoven’ phenomenon explains his talent for music, Mr. Biegel having heard only vibrations in his formative years.
The ‘Ode to Joy’ concert includes Beethoven’s powerful 9th Symphony performed by the MSO’s 150-member Chorus and guest singers Wendy Nielsen, soprano, Gigi Mitchell-Velasco, mezzo-soprano, Richard Clement, tenor, and Andrew Foster-Williams, bass. This is the final concert for the MSO Chorus in their 30th anniversary season.
Ode to Joy
Friday, May 12, 2006 @ 8:00pm / Uihlein Hall
Saturday, May 13, 2006 @ 8:00pm / Uihlein Hall
Sunday, May 14, 2006 @ 2:30pm / Uihlein Hall
Tickets start under $20. Call 414.291.7605 or visit www.mso.org
World Premiere supported by the Arthur and Nancy Laskin Contemporary Music Fund. Dedicated to supporters of MSO Education programs.
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