Seattle Symphony: Stravinsky 'The Firebird'

• Efe Baltacıgil, cello
• Alevtina Ioffe, conductor

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov — "The Three Wonders" from Suite from The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57
Dmitri Shostakovich — Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107 (Efe Baltacıgil, cello)
Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird (complete)

Three mighty Russian composers are brought together in one exhilarating program. Shostakovich's dark and brooding concerto is bookended by the fairytale luster of Rimsky-Korsakov's Tale of Tsar Saltan and Stravinsky's Firebird ballet, the masterpiece that launched orchestral music on a new path in the 20th Century. Conductor Alevtina Ioffe, the first woman to be appointed Music Director of the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg, is joined by Seattle Symphony Principal Cello Efe Baltacıgil.

About Seattle Symphony

Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives, and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, and two Emmy Awards, and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle.

https://www.seattlesymphony.org/

About Efe Baltacıgil, cello

Principal Cello of the Grammy-winning Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Turkey’s String Player of the Year, 2013, and awardee of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Baltacıgil is lauded for his risk-taking, passionate performances that immediately capture the heart and imagination.

Recipient of the Peter Jay Sharp Prize, the Washington Performing Arts Society Prize, and first prize in concerto competitions of Istanbul, New York, and the Allentown, Pennsylvania Schadt String Competition, Baltacıgil experienced early acclaim as winner of the 2005 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Recipient of a bachelor’s degree from the Mimar Sinan University Conservatory in Istanbul and an artist diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, Efe began his professional career in the United States as Associate Principal Cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra before joining the Seattle Symphony as Principal Cello in 2011.

https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/about/artists/strings/efe-baltacigil/

About Alevtina Ioffe, conductor

https://www.artistsmanagement.com/artists/alevtina-ioffe/