News Release
Franz Welser-Möst leads The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts
featuring Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with
Yefim Bronfman as soloist on
January 19, 20, and 21 at Severance Hall
Concerts continue three-week mini-festival featuring the three solo concertos of Johannes Brahms
Release date: January 4, 2012
Thursday, January 19, at 8 p.m.;
Friday, January 20, at 8 p.m.; and
Saturday, January 21, at 8 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst
Photo by Don Snyder
Yefim Bronfman
Photo by Dario Acosta
Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall concerts featuring Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Opus 83, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist. The program also includes Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Opus 54, and Sean Shepherd’s Wanderlust. Mr. Shepherd is the Orchestra’s Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow.
These concerts continue a three-week presentation of the three solo concertos of Johannes Brahms, with violinist Lisa Batiashvili and pianist Yefim Bronfman. This mini-festival begins with concerts on January 12, 13, and 14 that feature the Violin Concerto, followed by concerts on January 19, 20, and 21 featuring the Second Piano Concerto and concerts on February 2, 3, and 4 featuring the First Piano Concerto. All concerts are under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst. The mini-festival concludes with a recital of Brahms chamber music performed by Mr. Bronfman and members of The Cleveland Orchestra on Sunday, February 5, at 2 p.m. (Mr. Bronfman will also perform the Second Piano Concerto with the Orchestra and Mr. Welser-Möst in Miami on January 27 and 28.)
Pianist Yefim Bronfman made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in April 1986, as soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting. Since then, Mr. Bronfman has appeared with the Orchestra in more than 25 concerts, including Franz Welser-Möst’s debut as guest conductor with the Orchestra, in February 1993. More recently, Mr. Welser-Möst and Mr. Bronfman performed together in June 2010 in a special outdoor concert with the Vienna Philharmonic that was televised internationally and released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Mr. Bronfman has not performed the Brahms Piano Concertos with the Orchestra previously at Severance Hall, although he performed each concerto once during the 2002 Blossom Festival. Mr. Bronfman’s most recent concerts with the Orchestra were in April 2003.
To hear Yefim Bronfman perform the second movement from Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2, click here.
Sean Shepherd, Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow
With the 2011-12 season, Sean Shepherd began a two-year tenure as The Cleveland Orchestra’s seventh Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow. As part of his duties, Mr. Shepherd will create a new work that will be given its world premiere by the Orchestra during the 2012-13 season. He will also participate in rehearsals, masterclasses, and educational activities serving the Northeast Ohio community.
Prior to Mr. Shepherd’s appointment, his work Wanderlust was premiered by The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Oliver Knussen in May 2009. ClevelandClassical said that Wanderlust “showed skillful and interesting orchestration with especially fine combinations of wooden percussion and string pizzicatos, and great variety, from small woodwind textures to powerful tuttis.” In addition to performances of Wanderlust at Severance Hall on January 19, 20, and 21, 2012, Franz Welser-Möst will conduct the work on January 27 and 28, during The Cleveland Orchestra’s residency in Miami.
Originally from Reno, Nevada, Sean Shepherd is a 2004 graduate of the Juilliard School. He is the winner of the 2009 triennial Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2008 Deutsche Bank Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin, and a first-prize winner in the 2005 international Lutosławski Award. Mr. Shepherd’s new work for the 2012-13 season has been commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra through the Young Composers Fund, established in 1997 by a $1 million gift from Jan R. and Daniel R. Lewis, who reside in Florida. Mr. Lewis is the Chair of the Musical Arts Association of Miami.
FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS
Beginning one hour prior to these concerts, a Concert Preview titled “A Conversation Between Composers” will be given in Reinberger Chamber Hall. The Preview features composer Sean Shepherd in conversation with Keith Fitch, head of composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
These concerts are sponsored by FirstMerit Bank.
Yefim Bronfman’s appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a contribution to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from The Julia Severance Millikin Fund.
Ticket and Parking Information
JANUARY 19 TICKET PRICES: Orchestra: $64, $44; Dress Circle: $87, $50; Balcony: $64, $50, $31.
JANUARY 20 and 21 TICKET PRICES: Orchestra: $69, $50; Dress Circle: $93, $57; Balcony: $69, $57, $39.
Call the Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 for Box seat availability.
Ticket Office
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. The Ticket Office is open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday-Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The office is closed Sundays and holidays, except for those days with performances, when it opens 3 hours before concert start time.
Group Sales (groups of 10 or more)
Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7493 or email groupsales@clevelandorchestra.com for information.
Parking
For information about parking for Severance Hall concerts, click here.
Venue information
Severance Hall, which opened in 1931 as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
For more information or to order tickets, call 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or visit online.
Calendar Listing
Thursday, January 19, 2012, at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 20, 2012, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 21, 2012, at 8:00 p.m.
(Free Concert Preview one hour before each concert)
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Brahms Second Piano Concerto
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
Shepherd: Wanderlust
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6
Tickets: $31-$93
To order: 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141, or visit online to select your own seats and print your tickets at home
Location: Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
All artists and programs are subject to change.
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Press Contact
Ana Papakhian, 216-231-7476; Email
