Conductor Peter Oundjian and the AFO
to Perform Mahler's Mysterious Seventh
Tickets priced as low as $10
For Immediate Release July 3, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Following his thrilling turn at the podium for Gustav Mahler's epic third symphony last August, conductor Peter Oundjian will return to lead the Academy Festival Orchestra in a performance of Mahler's powerful and tonally ambitious Symphony No. 7 in E Minor at The Granada on Saturday, July 18. Tickets for the concert, which will begin at 8 pm, range in price from $10 to $45.
Emotionally far-ranging, even by Mahler's expansive standards, the seventh symphony also highlights the composer's affinity for thematic contradiction and tonal adventurousness. In fact, with this work Mahler pushed the limits of the traditional tonal system further than ever before, sometimes in direct anticipation of the atonality associated with Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. Although the seventh has no published program, Mahler is said to have been inspired by the night poetry of Joseph Eichendorff (1788-1857), a Romantic poet frequently set to music by composers from Schumann to Hugo Wolf and beyond. Images of the night dominate the three central movements, which can be seen, in the words of leading Mahler expert Henry-Louis de La Grange, as "a sort of ‘symphony within a symphony.'" (Mahler's first biographer, Richard Specht, called it a "dream island.") The two weightiest movements are the complex and dramatic first and the rondo-finale, one of Mahler's most cheerful creations.
Now in his fifth season as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Peter Oundjian is widely regarded as one of today's most exciting conductors. His probing musicality, spirit of collaboration, and engaging personality have earned him accolades from musicians and critics, as well as frequent re-engagements. Mr. Oundjian completed his violin training at Juilliard, where he studied with Ivan Galamian, Itzhak Perlman, and Dorothy Delay. After receiving first prize at the International Violin Competition in Vina Del Mar, Chile, in 1980, Mr. Oundjian went on to serve as first violinist of the renowned Tokyo String Quartet for 14 years before making his formal conducting debut at the Caramoor International Music Festival with the Orchestra of St. Luke's - a performance that saw him share the podium with Andre Previn.
Through his long association with the Tokyo String Quartet, Mr. Oundjian extensively explored the quartet repertoire, including the complete string quartets of Bartók, Beethoven, and Schubert, and received four Grammy nominations. With the quartet, he toured all over the world, performing the complete Beethoven cycle in venues such as Carnegie Hall, La Scala in Milan, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Chatelet in Paris. From 1998-2003, Mr. Oundjian served as the music director of the Nieuw Sinfonietta in Amsterdam. Recent appearances in North America have included engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and return visits to the Aspen, Grand Teton, and Tanglewood festivals. Abroad, Mr. Oundjian has made several appearances with the Zurich Tonhalle and led concerts with the Saarbrucken Radio Symphony, the NDR Hanover Symphony, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Mr. Oundjian also serves as a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music.
As part of its 62nd Summer Festival, the Music Academy also will present an ambitious production of Ambroise Thomas' charming French Romantic opera Mignon, as well as performances by conductor Leonard Slatkin and pianist Christopher Taylor. The Academy is presenting more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which began June 22 and concludes on August 15. Additional highlights will include performances by the Canadian Brass and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by George Manahan, Nicholas McGegan, and Alexander Mickelthwate. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events will be presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
For information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded
in 1947, the Music
Academy of the West is
among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young
classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the
opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of
internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists.
Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full
scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major
symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and
university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers
as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara,
the Music Academy of the West presents more than
200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting
artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and
fully staged opera. The Music
Academy began
broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn
Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
