The Rogue Valley Symphony will be performing concerts with extraordinary pianist Alexander Ghindin on November 11, 12, and 13, 2016. Cleveland International Piano Competition winner Ghindin will be featured on two works: Liszt’s Totentanz and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The orchestra will perform a second work by Liszt, Mazeppa, and an additional work by Rachmaninoff as well, The Isle of the Dead. Concerts will be on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 pm in the SOU Music Recital Hall, 405 S Mountain Ave, Ashland; Saturday, November 12 at 7:30pm in the Craterian Theater at the Collier Center for the Performing Arts, 23 S. Central Ave, Medford; and Sunday, November 13 at 3pm in the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center, 830 NE Ninth St, Grants Pass.
Alexander Ghindin entered the Moscow Conservatory in 1994 at the age of 17. In the same year, he won the 4thPrize at the prestigious 10th International Tchaikovsky Competition and was the youngest prize winner ever. In 2006, he was named “Honoured Artist of Russia”. In 2007 Ghindin won the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Ghindin has since established himself as a pianist of great distinction. He has performed numerous concerts in his native Russia, as well as in Europe, the U.S. and Japan with top orchestras. Ghindin now serves as the Artistic Director of the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center. The Plain Dealer said Ghindin “is a dynamic artist who also wraps his heart around lyrical phrases. Put another way, he has the power and speed of a virtuoso, plus the perception and poise needed to explore the inner workings of a score.”
Music Director Martin Majkut wanted to pair Rachmaninoff and Liszt together because they both were piano virtuosos first and then became successful composers for orchestra. Majkut remarked, “It’s always interesting to see how you transfer what you achieve with virtuosity on piano to orchestral writing. Not just in terms of technical virtuosity, but also in colors or variation in instruments.” One of Majkut’s goals was to present lesser known works by these two recognizable composers. Majkut is particularly looking forward to Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini because of its beauty.
Conductor Martin Majkut will give a pre-concert talk one hour before each performance.
Concerts: Friday, November 11, SOU Music Recital Hall, Ashland, 7:30pm, Tickets: $36, $42, $48, $55. Youth (ages 6-18) $10
Saturday, November 12, Craterian Theater, Medford, 7:30pm, Tickets: $15, $25, $31, $36, $42, $48. Youth (ages 6-18) $10
Sunday, November 13, Grants Pass Performing Arts Center, Grants Pass, 3pm, Tickets: $15, $22, $30, $37. Youth (ages 6-18) $10 At the Grants Pass performance, tickets are available for $5 each to Oregon Trail Card holders from “SNAP”.
Tickets can be purchased online at rvsymphony.org or by phone at (541)708-6400 for all performances. Medford concert tickets can also be purchased through the Craterian Theater at craterian.org or (541)779-3000.