Promenade Concert

By
Naomi.Kudo
 on November 12, 2008 3:21 PM | 
Promenade Concert

               
Montgomery Advertiser (AL)
November 11th, 2008
James Conely



  

   An amazing pair of former winners of the Montgomery Symphony's Blount-Slawson Competition continued to amaze a standing room only audience on Monday evening at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.


   Performing in Auburn-Montgomery's Promenade Concerts, violinist Anna Lee, this year's winner of that competition, accompanied by pianist Naomi Kudo, the 2004 winner of the same competition, have already received international acclaim individually in concerts here and abroad along with winning several other competitions. Their remarkable talent was evident in works by Tartini, Saint-Saëns, Chopin, Bartók, and Sarasate.


  Tartini's G minor sonata known as the "Devil's Trill" opened the program. Its subtitle refers to the number of devilish trills for the violin, but the same appellation might just as well have been applied to Saint-Saëns' G minor sonata, which they played next. Both sonatas made exceptional demands on the performers, but the extended, stunning finger work for piano as well as violin in Saint-Saëns' final "Allegro molto" was spellbinding for power, speed, and accuracy.


   Nathan Milstein's arrangement of the C-sharp minor "Nocturne" by Chopin followed, a contrast in style and mood for its haunting, lyrical melody and improvisatory cadenzas for violin. Then the program turned to the jaunty rhythms and quaint melodies of six "Roumanian Folk Dances" by Bartók as transcribed by Zoltan Szekely.


    Continuing with folk idioms, Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen," or "Gypsy Airs," completed the published program, ending with a stunning flourish and blazing finale.


   The whole program was played without intermission or any other break except to acknowledge enthusiastic applause, which brought the performers back on stage for an encore: Edward Elgar's "Salut d'Amour."


    The performance was brilliant by any standard. Playing an Amati violin, Lee's tone was strong but ostensibly unforced, and her technique was equally impressive, even more so considering that she is only 13 years old. At age 21, pianist Naomi Kudo also played with exceptional maturity, sensitivity to the solo violin, and consummate skill.
 

    These two are indeed international artists and seasoned performers even at their ages. They have separate careers as individual soloists but have played together for a little over a year. Hearing them again whenever there is an opportunity to do so would be welcome.

2008

By
Naomi.Kudo
 on October 24, 2008 9:08 AM |

January 12th, 2008 at 6 PM
2008 National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts Gala

Soho Studios at Wynwood Convention Center
2136 NW First Avenue
Miami, Florida

 

Program to include:

Chopin Etude Op.10 No.3 in E major
Chopin Etude Op.10 No.12 in C minor "Revolutionary"



January 19th, 2008 at 8 PM
The Juilliard School's 2008 ChamberFest

Peter Jay Sharp Theater
New York, New York 10023


Program to include:
Brahms Horn Trio in E flat major Op.40.


Pala Garcia, Violin
Sydney Braunfeld, Horn



March 6th, 2008 at 8 PM
"New York-Paris-Vienna"
Chamber music concert with students from the Juilliard School, Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Dans Paris, and the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts

Glaserner Saal/Magna Auditorium at Musikverein
Vienna, Austria


Program:
Faure Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor Op.15



March 27th, 2008 at 7 PM
Screening of Tomasz Magierski's "Defining Chopin"

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
233 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10016


Program:

Haydn Sonata Hob.XVI/20 in C minor
Chopin Waltz Op.64 No.2 in C sharp minor
Schumann-Liszt "Widmung"



April 22nd, 2008 at 6 PM
Chamber Music Concert

St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University
New York, New York

Program to include:
Olivier Messiaen "Quartet for the End of Time"

Pala Garcia, Violin
Robert Walker-Lacomba, Clarinet
Elizabeth Chung, Cello



April 23rd, 2008 at 6 PM
Chamber Music Concert
American Irish Historical Society

991 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10028

 

Program:

Schumann Carnaval Op.9
Ysaye Sonta No.3 for solo Violin
Brahms Violin Sonata No.1 in G major Op.78


Sean Lee, Violin


April 25th, 2008 at 6:30 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival Opening Gala and Dinner

Dalton Recital Hall, Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Program:
Haydn Sonata Hob.XVI/20 in C minor
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann-Liszt "Widmung"
Chopin Polonaise Op.53 in A flat major



April 26th, 2008 at 8 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Goodrich Chapel, Albion College
Albion, Michgan


Program:
Bach French Overture in B minor BWV831
Carl Vine Piano Sonata No.1 (1990)
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann Carnaval Op.9



April 28th, 2008 at 3:30 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michgan


Program:
Bach French Overture in B minor BWV831
Carl Vine Piano Sonata No.1 (1990)
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann Carnaval Op.9



April 29th, 2008 at 7:30 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Calvin College Fine Arts Center
Grand Rapids, Michgan


Program:

Bach French Overture in B minor BWV831
Carl Vine Piano Sonata No.1 (1990)
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann Carnaval Op.9



May 4th, 2008 at 1 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

First Congregational Church
Battle Creek, Michgan


Program:

Bach French Overture in B minor BWV831
Carl Vine Piano Sonata No.1 (1990)
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann Carnaval Op.9



May 11th, 2008 at 3:30 PM
2008 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra
Robin Fountain, Conductor

Mendel Center/Hanson Theatre
Benton Harbor, Michgan


Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 in C major K.467



May 16th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
PianoForte Salon Series
Live on WFMT Radio

PianoForte Foundation
Chicago, Illinois


Program:

Haydn Sonata Hob.XVI/20 in C minor
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann-Liszt "Widmung"
Rimsky-Korsakov-Rachmaninoff "The Flight of the Bumblebee"
Chopin Polonaise Op.53



May 17th, 2008 at 3 PM
Pure Piano Series

PianoForte Foundation
Chicago, Illinois


Program:
Bach French Overture in B minor BWV831
Carl Vine Piano Sonata No.1 (1990)
Ravel Sonatine
Schumann Carnaval Op.9



May 23rd, 2008 at 11 AM
The Juilliard School's 103rd Commencement Ceremony
Honoring Placido Domingo, Carmen de Lavallade, Hank Jones, Charles Simonyi, Anna Deavere Smith, Mitsuko Uchida

Avery Fisher Hall
New York, New York 10023

Program to feature a movement of:
Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor Op.34



August 16th, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Thy Chamber Music Festival

Kirsten Kjaers Museum
Langvad, Denmark


Program to include:
Prokofiev Flute Sonata in D major Op.94 with Craig Goodman, flute