Le Petit Trianon Theatre (San Jose, CA)
San Jose's Mission Chamber Orchestra welcomes returning guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu for a program of treasured works from the classical period and beyond. Nakamatsu will showcase his spellbinding artistry on Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23, and the evening also includes Beethoven's 8th Symphony and a contemporary piece by Michael Senturia inspired by the ancient Jordanian ruins at Petra.
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The last date listed for Classic Treasures was Saturday November 7, 2009 / 7:30pm. (view all dates)
Currently at Le Petit Trianon Theatre:
The San Jose-based Mission Chamber Orchestra continues its presentation of spirited performances at Le Petit Trianon with a concert of music imbued with the spirit of Bohemia: forest covered hills, sparkling streams and country dances. This all-Czech program will feature selections from Dvorak, Suk and Vorisek. Learn More
Hearing Nokamatsu play is always a treat, and the venue -- Le Petit Trianon -- has excellent acoustics. I did not enjoy the 12-tone piece, but it was evocative of its namesake, and we were treated to a Q&A session with the conductor, soloist and composer after the concert.
Enjoy the unsurpassed acoustics of the historic Le Petit Trianon Theatre in downtown San Jose. Built in 1923 as an adaptation of the Petit Trianon in Versailles, the building today is home for many of San Jose's arts groups and is a magnificent, intimate space in which to experience a live performance.
Jon Nakamatsu, pianist
Evergreen Valley High School Strings, guest performers
Mission Chamber Orchestra, the San Jose-based orchestra that brings spirited performances of classical and contemporary music to Silicon Valley audiences, is thrilled to welcome back “poet of the keyboard” Jon Nakamatsu, with his spellbinding artistry and awe-inspiring technique, in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 23. This program of treasured works from the classical period and beyond includes Beethoven’s buoyant, tongue-in-cheek Symphony no. 8 with its many surprises. And a quick trip to Jordan via Michael Senturia’s Petra offers a few more!
Michael Senturia's "Petra"
The ancient ruin of Petra, set in the hills of the Jordanian desert and reached by a descent through a narrow gorge which cleaves high rock walls on both sides, inspires awe and mystery both for its human imprint and the natural setting which surrounds it. Of the remains of this first century B.C. city, none is more impressive than the Treasury, a temple hewn out of a sheer sandstone wall which greets visitors as they emerge from the twists and turns of the narrow defile with high multi-colored rock walls rising on both sides.
The tension between man’s attempt to tame his physical surroundings and nature’s eternal sway finds musical reflection in an opening dialogue contrasting wide-spaced sustained pitches with the hollow, taut response of tom-toms and tambourine, themselves a dialogue, and themselves in dialogue with the silence that surrounds them. The choice of these unpitched instruments with their accompanying silences symbolizes the aridity and desolateness and human emptiness of the setting and also its mid-eastern location.
Gaetano Donizetti's "Allegro for Strings in C Major"
This is a short, cheerful work for strings only in the classical style. MCO will be joined by string players from Evergreen Valley High School, and Peggy Spool, the artistic director of Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose will be guest conducting this work.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Symphony no. 8 in F major"
Music historian David Ewen says Beethoven's 8th Symphony "is like a graceful basilica standing beside the two cathedrals of the Seventh and the Ninth." It is shorter than all Beethoven's other symphonies, except for the first symphony, and is much more light-hearted in character than the last five symphonies. Humor and tongue-in-cheek moments abound. Beethoven was quite fond of this work, and considered it to be better than some of his larger works.
Full Program:
Beethoven, Symphony no. 8
Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 23
Faure, Pavane
Donizetti, Allegro for strings
Senturia, Petra
About Jon Nakamatsu
One of the most sought-after pianists of his generation, Jon Nakamatsu is a frequent concerto soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and solo recitalist throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Initially brought to global attention in June 1997 by being named Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jon Nakamatsu has subsequently appeared as soloist with numerous major orchestras. His extensive recital tours throughout the United States and Europe have featured performances in New York City (Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall), Washington, DC (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Paris, London and Milan. He has appeared with various illustrious chamber ensembles and has made three United States tours as the guest soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet.
Named Debut Artist of the Year (1998) by NPR's "Performance Today," Jon Nakamatsu has been profiled by "CBS Sunday Morning" and Reader's Digest magazine, and is featured in "Playing with Fire," a documentary on the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, aired nationwide on PBS. Earlier, in 1995, he was named the First Prize winner of Miami’s Fifth United States Chopin Piano Competition. He records exclusively for harmonia mundi usa, which has released six CDs, including an orchestral album containing performances of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with Christopher Seaman and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as albums devoted to the music of Brahms, Chopin, Foss, Liszt and Wölfl.
Jon Nakamatsu has studied privately with Marina Derryberry since the age of six, has worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, and studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California. In addition, he has pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. A former high school German teacher, Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in German Studies and a master’s degree in Education.
About Michael Senturia
Michael Senturia was born in Washington D.C. in 1937. In 1959 he joined the Harvard music faculty as a theory instructor in the department and conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra. From 1962 to 1992 he was a member of the music faculty of the University of California, Berkeley and conductor of its University Symphony Orchestra. Since his retirement, Mr. Senturia has written instrumental music for wind and string groups and vocal music for his classical a cappella group “Coro D’Amici.” Petra, completed in September 2008, was given its premiere by the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra under Tim Smith in February 2009.
The Mission Chamber Orchestra performs symphonic works in small venues at affordable prices. Now in its 12th season, the orchestra, conducted by Emily Ray, reaches out to the diverse audiences of Silicon Valley with both special ethnic concerts and traditional concerts. Exciting professional soloists are featured, and the orchestra also presents works by contemporary composers.
at Le Petit Trianon Theatre
on April 24th