onStage centennial season opens with A Far Cry
Sept. 23 kick-off event features Simone Dinnerstein on piano
A Far Cry stands at the forefront of an exciting new generation in classical music. On Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra will be joined by pianist Simone Dinnerstein in Palmer Auditorium.
A Far Cry, the Grammy nominated, self-conducted orchestra, “brims with personality or, better, personalities, many and varied,” according to The New York Times. A Far Cry was founded in 2007 by a tightly-knit collective of 17 young professional musicians — the Criers — and since the beginning has fostered an innovative structure of rotating leadership among the group, both on stage and behind the scenes. By expanding the boundaries of orchestral repertoire and experimenting with the ways music is prepared, performed and experienced, A Far Cry has been embraced throughout the world with hundreds of performances coast to coast and across the globe, and hundreds of thousands of online views of live streaming concerts and YouTube archives.
American pianist Simone Dinnerstein is an inventive artist who is motivated by a desire to find the musical core of every work she approaches. The New York-based pianist gained an international following with the remarkable success of her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Released in 2007 on Telarc, it ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many "Best of 2007" lists, including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker.
The concert program spans the centuries, with works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Philip Glass and includes a newly commissioned piano concerto by Glass. “There are almost no concertos written for piano and strings since Bach's time. Both Glass and I have a strong interest in the music of Bach and how it impacts us today. The pairing of the Bach concerto with his own composition will create myriad strands of connectivity, enabling the listener to draw bridges between the old and the new,” Dinnerstein said.
“I have been aware of A Far Cry for a few years and as I was searching for a season opener to celebrate our centennial of presenting the performing arts I thought they were a perfect match,” said Robert Richter, Connecticut College’s director of arts programming. “What better way to celebrate our centennial than with an innovative chamber orchestra made up of young musicians? Add to that a world class pianist and a program that spans the ages. It will be a fantastic concert!”
Reserved seating tickets are $28; seniors, $25 and students, $14.
For tickets and information call 860-439-2787 or visit the onStage Guest Artist Series website. Tickets may also be purchased online.
August 28, 2017
