Watts Plays Grieg / Britt Orchestra / André Watts

Sunday, August 16, 2009 • 8 p.m.

Photo by Steve J. Sherman

Closing night of the 2009 season opens with Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg's Lyric Suite and then the spotlight is on pianist André Watts as he performs Grieg's Piano Concerto, one of the most popular piano concertos of all time.

Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Only two weeks later Bernstein asked him to substitute at the last minute for the ailing Glenn Gould, thus launching his career in storybook fashion. More than 45 years later, André Watts remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars. His performances each year with the world's great orchestras and conductors and his sold-out recitals and appearances at the most prestigious international festivals take him to every corner of the globe.

After intermission, the program continues with music of Igor Stravinsky. The first piece is based on Norwegian folk melodies (from the land of Grieg) and the second is based on a Russian folk tale. Firebird, written by the 28-year old composer in 1910, was the first of three ballets written in collaboration with impresario Sergei Diaghilev. It was later staged by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet with artist Marc Chagall as costume designer. Stravinsky's Firebird Suite provides an exciting close to this 47th Britt Classical season.

Pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. by Valerie Ing-Miller, Northern California Program Coordinator at Jefferson Public Radio.

LISTEN & WATCH SAMPLES:

Piano Concerto (audio)
The Firebird Suite (1919 version) (video)
Andre Watts plays Rachmaninoff Candeza (audio/video)

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