Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra US Debut – Aiman Mussakhajayeva, violin & Lowell Liebermann, piano
$10.50-$109
- Lowell Liebermann, piano
- Aiman Mussakhajayeva, violin
- Andreas Delfs, conductor
Lowell Liebermann — Violin Concerto, Op. 74 (Aiman Mussakhajayeva, violin)
Lowell Liebermann — Chamber Concerto No. 1, Op. 28 (Lowell Liebermann, piano)
Sergei Prokofiev — Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 "Classical"
Tles Kazhgaliev — The Steppe Legend: Symphonic Suite ("Kyz Kuu")
The Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra, led by internationally renowned Maestro Andreas Delfs, will make its American debut at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on Monday evening, October 9, 2023 at 8pm in a performance of two major works by Grammy Award-nominated American composer Lowell Liebermann. His popular Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Aiman Mussakhajayeva, and his Chamber Concerto No. 1, with the composer at the piano, will be complemented by a reading of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 "Classical." The program commences with Kazakh composer Tles Kazhgaliev's "Adagio" from Symphonic Suite The Steppe Legend and concludes with his "Kyz Kuu" from Symphonic Suite The Steppe Legend.
About Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra
Founded by Aiman Mussakhajayeva in 1991, the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra has become one of the leading orchestras in Central Asia. Through international concert tours, the orchestra represents Kazakhstan's tradition of musical art and performance and develops international cultural relations.
With the support of the Republic of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Sports and the State Concert Organization Qazaqconcert, the orchestra has performed in the most prominent concert halls of Europe, Asia, and America, and collaborates with leading conductors and soloists from around the world.
About Lowell Liebermann, piano
At once unabashedly romantic and modern, American composer Lowell Liebermann is internationally recognized as an artist of uncommon profundity and popularity. Time Magazine proclaimed: "Now brazen and glittering, now radiantly visionary…the work of a composer unafraid of grand gestures and openhearted lyricism." In the words of long-time music critic Alex Ross of The New Yorker: "Lowell Liebermann is an epicure among American composers, savoring glittery chords, gossamer lines, and velvety textures that more self-consciously intellectual colleagues might be scared to put on paper."
Mr. Liebermann has written more than one hundred forty works in all genres, several of which have gone on to become standard repertoire for their instruments. He has composed four symphonies, a Concerto for Orchestra, three piano concertos, and concertos for many other instruments. His works have been premiered by major orchestras, including the Dallas Symphony, the National Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic. His Sonata for Flute and Piano and Gargoyles for piano are among the most popular contemporary works for their instruments, regularly included in recital and competition programs. His full-length ballet Frankenstein, co-commissioned by London's Royal Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet, has been released on Blu-Ray and DVD. Mr. Liebermann has written two full-length operas, both enthusiastically received at their premieres: The Picture of Dorian Gray, the first American opera commissioned by and premiered in 1995 by l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo; and Miss Lonelyhearts, after the novel by Nathanael West, for the Juilliard School's 100th anniversary in 2005.
A prolific pianist both live and in recording, Mr. Liebermann has given the world premieres of his own solo piano works as well as works by his fellow composers Ned Rorem and William Bolcolm. In 2021, the Steinway label released an CD of works by Schubert, Liszt, Kabeláĉ, Busoni, and his own composition. A year later, Steinway sponsored a second solo piano album by Mr. Liebermann, The Devil's Lyre, featuring music of contemporary British composer David Hackbridge Johnson.
Mr. Liebermann has over one hundred fifty recordings to his credit, released on Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Virgin Classics, Hungaroton, New World Records, Albany, RCA Red Seal, Reference, and many others. His works are published by Theodore Presser Company, Schott, and Faber Music. He has been invited to serve as Composer-in-Residence for numerous distinguished organizations including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan; the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Mr. Liebermann has been a faculty member of the Composition Department of the Mannes School of Music of the New School since 2012. He was the founding conductor of the Mannes American Composers Ensemble, devoted to performing works of living American composers.
https://www.lowellliebermann.com/About Aiman Mussakhajayeva, violin
Preeminent Kazakh violinist Aiman Mussakhajayeva is Rector and Founder of the Kazakh National University of Arts and is Artistic Director of the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with leading orchestras including the Wiener Symphoniker, the National Symphony Orchestra of Russia, and the European Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Mussakhajayeva has worked with conductors including Vladimir Fedoseyev, Valery Gergiev, and Vladimir Ashkenazy; and has collaborated with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, and Bruno Canino. She has won awards at numerous competitions, including the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition (Belgrade, 1976), The Sibelius International Competition (Helsinki, 1985), and the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, 1986)
Ms. Mussakhajayeva's recordings have appeared on Deutsche Grammophon, Consonance, and, most recently, in a world premiere disc of violin works by Lowell Liebermann, on Blue Griffin Records. Róbert Szatmári of Papageno praised Ms. Mussakhajayeva's "expert interpretation" of this "lively, emotional … music."
Ms. Mussakhajayeva is the People's Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan and a UNESCO Artist for Peace. She received the highest state title, Kazakhstan Enbek Eri, for her outstanding contribution to the Republic's cultural development. She received the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the fields of literature, art, and architecture in 2000. She is an Academician of the International Academy of Art and a Cavalier of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. She has also received the Gustav Mahler Silver Medal, the Vatican Award, and the Santa Cecilia Silver Cup for her contributions to cultural ties between Italy and Kazakhstan.
Ms. Mussakhajayeva performs on a 1732 Stradivarius. She is the subject of the documentary film AIMAIN: A Soloist on the Steppes by the Emmy-nominated director/producer team Bernadette Wegenstein and Annette Porter.
About Andreas Delfs, conductor
Andreas Delfs has earned a stellar reputation as one of the most respected conductors in the orchestra world. Mr. Delfs is recognized as a successful, hands-on orchestra builder and as an imaginative and inspiring music director. His passionate and dramatic interpretations of the late Romantic repertoire have drawn critical acclaim, reflecting a constantly evolving artistic maturity marked by the insight, depth, and integrity he brings to the podium. His love of new music and his commitment to discovering and exploring fresh voices have led him to establish close relationships with many of today's composers and to conduct numerous world premiere performances. Mr. Delfs counts among his profound musical inspirations composers including Hans Werner Henze, György Ligeti, Philip Glass, and Roberto Sierra; he has partnered with many of the world's most renowned solo artists, including André Watts, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, and Renée Fleming.
He has held chief artistic posts with several orchestras in North America and Europe. As Music Director (1996–2009) and Conductor Laureate (2009–2015) of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Delfs was instrumental in the orchestra's rise to national prominence. He also led the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as Music Director (2001–2004) and Artistic Consultant (2004–2006). He served as General Music Director of Hanover, Germany (1995–2000), conducting the city's renowned symphony orchestra and opera company. Earlier, Mr. Delfs was Music Director of the Bern Opera; resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Lorin Maazel's tenure; and Music Director, at an early age, of the Orchestre Suisse des Jeunes.
Mr. Delfs studied with Christoph von Dohnányi and Aldo Ceccato at the Hamburg Conservatory. At 20, Mr. Delfs became the youngest-ever Music Director of the Hamburg University Orchestra and Musical Assistant at the Hamburg State Opera. He enrolled at The Juilliard School; studied with Jorge Mester, Sixten Ehrling and Leonard Bernstein; and won the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship.