Sunday, October 25th 2009 at 4 pm
Program:
J.S. BACH Chaconne in E minor (from Partita No. 2, BWV 1004)
ROBERT SCHUMANN Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121
GEORGES ENESCU Sonata No. 3 for Violin in a minor, Op. 25
Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos gives a benefit performance for the Candlelight Concert series on October 25th, 2009, accompanied by the distinguished Hungarian pianist, Péter Nagy. Mr. Kavakos has established himself as a violinist and artist of rare quality, known at the highest level for his virtuosity, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing.
Mr. Kavakos began studying the violin with his father at the age of five. At 12, he was the youngest member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. At sixteen, in 1985, he won the Sibelius competition. Three years later, he won the Paganini competition, and following these successes, pursued an international career as a soloist. Mr. Kavakos now appears in concert throughout the world with the great orchestras and conductors. He regularly visits the major international festivals. He plays the “Falmouth” Stradivarius of 1692 and a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini of 1782 (Torino).
Mr. Kavakos is an established chamber musician and collaborates with many distinguished partners – Heinrich Schiff, Natalia Gutman, Emanuel Ax, Lars Vogt, and Elisabeth Leonskaya, among others. He regularly plays at the major European halls, and last season gave a series of chamber music recitals at the Verbier Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was also resident at the Concertgebouw in a dedicated weekend of recital and chamber music and has served as artistic director of the Camerata Salzburg.
In addition to his most recent disc of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Camerata Salzburg, and Mendelssohn piano trios with cellist Patrick Demenga and pianist Enrico Pace, Kavakos has a distinguished catalogue of recordings. In 1991, he won the Gramophone Award for the first recording ever of the original version of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto (1903/04) on BIS. Further recordings include the violin concerto by Hindemith with the BBC Philharmonic (Chandos), solo sonatas by Ysaÿe (BIS), works by Debussy, Kreisler, Paganini et al (Delos) as well as Sibelius’ Humoresques (Finlandia). On ECM, he has released a recording of sonatas by Enescu and Ravel together with pianist Péter Nagy, along with a recording of works by Bach and Stravinsky which received the following accolade, “…the exquisite tenderness of the playing gives the music a sense of timeless, poignant beauty…the performance here is exceptional for its unruffled poise and delicious details. Not to be missed”. [Gramophone May 2005].
The October 25th performance for Candlelight Concerts will take place at the Wilton Congregational Church, just north of Wilton center on Route 33. Tickets will be available at the door one-half hour before the concert and are $25 ($10 for students). For more information on this concert or on subscriptions to the Candlelight series or to request a brochure, phone 203-762-3401 or 203-762-5019. Candlelight Concerts benefits the Wilton Library. Individual and corporate contributions are gratefully accepted.