OSL Chamber Ensemble: Beethoven's "Eroica"

• Benjamin Hochman, piano

Join St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble for a program highlighting a wide range of musical expression across different times and cultures.

The evening begins with Jessie Montgomery's Rhapsody No. 1 for Solo Violin. Renowned for her imaginative fusion of classical, folk, and jazz elements, the contemporary American composer and violinist has noted that Rhapsody was the first solo piece she wrote for herself, inspired by the works of Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. Captivating and wistful, the piece transports listeners through intricate melodies and expressive timbres.

Claude Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp follows, a chamber music gem that showcases the interplay between the flute, viola, and harp, creating an ethereal soundscape that encapsulates Debussy’s fascination with color and atmosphere. Written against the backdrop of World War I, the sonata resonates with both melancholy and hope.

A livestreamed Beethoven's "Eroica" arranged for piano quartet was one of OSL's major virtual undertakings of the pandemic era. To close this program, we'll get to hear this monumental work live, with pianist Benjamin Hochman guiding us through the profound and powerful journey in the intimate setting that only chamber music can provide.

About St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble

St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble was founded in 1974 when a group of virtuoso musicians began performing chamber music concerts at Greenwich Village’s Church of St. Luke in the Fields. Today, the 24 Ensemble musicians make up the artistic core of Orchestra of St. Luke's. Every season, OSL features the Ensemble in its Chamber Music Series that explores beloved chamber works and brings attention to lesser-known or rarely-performed works through three distinct programs performed at The Morgan Library & Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and Merkin Hall. Throughout the season, musicians of the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble perform on almost every program presented by OSL.

About Benjamin Hochman, piano

Pianist and conductor Benjamin Hochman’s most recent recording for Avie Records, in which he performs and conducts the Mozart piano concerti no.s 17 and 24 with the English Chamber Orchestra, exemplifies the elegance and musical sensitivity which has propelled his career as a concerto soloist, recording artist, chamber collaborator, recitalist, and conductor across Europe and the United States. Winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Hochman is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes, among them the Partosh Prize by the Israeli Minister of Culture, the Outstanding Pianist citation at the Verbier Academy, and the Festorazzi Award from the Curtis Institute of Music. His recording Variations with Avie Records was selected by The New York Times as one of the best recordings of 2015.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut with the Israel Philharmonic, Hochman has enjoyed an international performing career, appearing as soloist with the New York, Los Angeles, and Prague Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestras under conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda, Trevor Pinnock, John Storgårds, and Joshua Weilerstein. His performance venues include Konzerthaus Wien; Berlin Konzerthaus; Amsterdam Concertgebouw; the Louvre, Paris; Liszt Academy, Budapest; Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg; New York’s 92nd Street Y; and Suntory Hall, Tokyo. Festival highlights include IMS Prussia Cove, Israel Festival, Klavierfestival Ruhr, Lucerne, Santa Fe, Spoleto, and Verbier.

Hochman is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Claude Frank, and the Mannes College of Music, where he studied with Richard Goode. A graduate of The Juilliard School’s conducting program where he received the Bruno Walter Scholarship and the Charles Schiff Award, Hochman trained under Alan Gilbert from 2016-2018. Conducting highlights include the English Chamber Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic, The Orchestra Now at Bard Music Festival, and the Florida and Juilliard Orchestras. Mr. Hochman is a Steinway artist.