News Release
Jaap van Zweden makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut
in concerts featuring Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4
at Severance Hall on January 7 and 9
Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil is soloist in Marc Neikrug’s Violin Concerto
CLEVELAND, December 10, 2009 – Jaap van Zweden (pronounced YAP van ZVAY-den), music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra conducting a program featuring Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 at Severance Hall on Thursday, January 7, and Saturday, January 9, at 8:00 p.m. (He will also conduct the Orchestra’s Fridays@7 concert on January 8 at 7:00 p.m. and the Musically Speaking concert on Sunday, January 10, at 3:00 p.m., both of which also feature Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.) The January 7 and 9 concerts present Marc Neikrug’s Violin Concerto, with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil as soloist. The program for January 7 and 9 begins with Johan Wagenaar’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” Overture, Opus 23, and continues with the Neikrug concerto. After intermission, the program concludes with Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36.
About Johan Wagenaar’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” Overture
This concert overture, the most successful work composed by Johan Wagenaar, a Dutch composer who lived from 1862-1941, is based on the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. In addition to the success of Cyrano de Bergerac onstage, it has been adapted as a film, most recently for the 1987 movie Roxanne, starring Steve Martin. Wagenaar’s overture is written in the Late Romantic style, and is reminiscent of the tone poems of Richard Strauss. This is the first piece by Wagenaar to be performed by The Cleveland Orchestra.
About Marc Neikrug’s Violin Concerto
American composer Marc Neikrug’s Violin Concerto was written in 1982 and given its world premiere in 1984 by violinist Shlomo Mintz with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, which had commissioned the work, under the direction of Sergiu Comissiona. Program annotator Richard Rodda has written that the Violin Concerto contains “music of decidedly modernist harmony, melody, and texture, yet at its core lies a deeply expressive, almost Romantic expression.”Soloist William Preucil served as first violinist of the Grammy-winning Cleveland Quartet and as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra before being named as concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra in April 1995. He has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Orchestra in concerto performances at both Severance Hall and the annual Blossom Festival. Mr. Preucil’s most recent solo appearances with the Orchestra were in November 2008.
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These concerts are sponsored by Baker Hostetler, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence.
William Preucil’s appearance as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from Elizabeth Dorothy Robson.
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The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2009-10 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.
UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra, the firm currently sponsors several other outstanding symphony orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. These partnerships reflect UBS’s dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.
“UBS is proud of our ongoing relationship as Season Sponsor of The Cleveland Orchestra,” said Marten Hoekstra, CEO, UBS Wealth Management Americas. “Supporting the arts is ingrained in our corporate culture and we view our partnership with this internationally renowned orchestra as a reflection of our ongoing commitment to communities where we live and work.”
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Biographical information on Jaap van Zweden and William Preucil follows at the end of this release.
TICKET PRICES (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $66, $44; Dress Circle: $87, $51; Balcony: $66, $51, $31. TICKET SERVICES: The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.
Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours: M-F 9-6; Sat. 10-6. Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.
To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’s website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.
FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS: Concert Previews will be given prior to the January 7 and 9 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in Reinberger Chamber Hall. The Preview, titled “Musical Journeys,” will be given by Hugh Macdonald, professor of Music at Washington University. Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
PARKING: For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.
For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’s website at clevelandorchestra.com.
CALENDAR LISTINGS
Thursday, January 7, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 9, at 8:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
JAAP van ZWEDEN, conductor
WILLIAM PREUCIL, violin
WAGENAAR – “Cyrano de Bergerac” Overture
NEIKRUG – Violin Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY – Symphony No. 4
Ticket Prices: $31-$92 – Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com
Season Sponsor: UBS
Concert Sponsor: Baker Hostetler, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence
Guest Artist Fund: Elizabeth Dorothy Robson
Concert Preview, in Reinberger Chamber Hall beginning at 7:00 p.m.:
“Musical Journeys” featuring Hugh Macdonald, professor of music at Washington University
Jaap van Zweden Biography
Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden spent sixteen years as a professional violinist before becoming a full-time conductor. This season marks his second as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and his contract recently was extended through the 2015-16 season. He will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut with concerts on January 7-10.
Jaap van Zweden was born in 1960 in Amsterdam. He began violin studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory, and at age sixteen entered the Juilliard School to work with Dorothy DeLay. At nineteen, he became the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 1997, after pursuing conducting studies in the Netherlands, Mr. van Zweden changed his professional focus. He subsequently served as chief conductor of both the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague. In addition to his position with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Mr. van Zweden is currently chief conductor and artistic director of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Chamber orchestras, and chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a guest conductor, Jaap van Zweden has led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Oslo Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He has conducted at National Reisopera and Netherlands Opera, in repertoire including Beethoven’s Fidelio, Barber’s Vanessa, Puccini’s La Traviata and Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s Otello, and Wagner’s Lohengrin and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Mr. van Zweden’s future projects include concert performances of Haydn’s Armida and Wagner’s Parsifal.
Jaap van Zweden has recorded Beethoven’s nine symphonies with the Residentie Orchestra, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. His London Philharmonic debut performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 was recorded live. With the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, his discography includes the Brahms symphonies, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and a Bruckner cycle for the Octavia label, with symphonies 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 released to great acclaim.
Mr. van Zweden and his wife, Aaltje, have four children and are committed to bringing awareness and acceptance to autism. In the Netherlands, they have established the Papageno Foundation, which brings music therapy into the homes of autistic children.
William Preucil Biography
William Preucil became concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra in April 1995 and has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Orchestra in concerto performances at both Severance Hall and the annual Blossom Festival. His most recent solo appearances with the Orchestra were in November 2008. He holds the Blossom-Lee Endowed Concertmaster Chair.
Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Preucil served for seven seasons as first violinist of the Grammy-winning Cleveland Quartet, performing more than 100 concerts each year in the world’s major music capitals. Telarc International recorded the Cleveland Quartet performing the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 17 string quartets, as well as a variety of chamber works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms.
From 1982 to 1989, William Preucil served as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, after previously holding the same position with the orchestras of Utah and Nashville. During his tenure in Atlanta, he appeared with the Atlanta Symphony as soloist in 70 performances of 15 different concertos. Composer Stephen Paulus’s Violin Concerto was written for, and dedicated to, Mr. Preucil, who premiered it and then recorded it for New World Records with the Atlanta Symphony and conductor Robert Shaw. Mr. Preucil also has made solo appearances with the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Hong Kong, Minnesota, Rochester, and Taipei.
Mr. Preucil regularly performs chamber music, as a guest soloist with other orchestras, and at summer music festivals. His North American festival performances have included Santa Fe, Sarasota, Seattle, and Sitka, with international appearances in France, Germany, and Switzerland. Each summer, he serves as concertmaster and violin soloist with the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego. Mr. Preucil also continues to perform as a member of the Lanier Trio, whose recording of the complete Dvorˇ ák piano trios was honored as one of Time magazine’s top 10 compact discs for 1993. The Lanier Trio also has recorded the trios of Mendelssohn and Paulus for Gasparo Records.
Actively involved as an educator, Mr. Preucil serves as Distinguished Professor of Violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He previously taught at the Eastman School of Music and at the University of Georgia.
William Preucil began studying violin at the age of five with his mother, Doris Preucil, a pioneer in Suzuki violin instruction in the United States. At 16, he graduated with honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy and entered Indiana University to study with Josef Gingold (former concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra). He was awarded a performer’s certificate at Indiana University and also studied with Zino Francescatti and György Sebök.
