Chamber Music NZ Present Understated Virtuosity

Chamber Music New Zealand Present Julian Rachlin and Richard Hyung-ki Joo

"... super-fine and platinum-tipped... refreshing to hear such understated virtuosity"
The Times

Esteemed soloists Julian Rachlin (Violin and Viola) and Richard Hyung-ki Joo (Piano) play two concerts only for Chamber Music New Zealand in Auckland and Wellington on the 21 and 22 November 2006.

This is their first visit to New Zealand and the last concert it the 2006 celebrity season.

Julian Rachlin gained international acclaim in 1988 when he won the "Young Musician of the Year" Award at the Eurovision Competition in Amsterdam. He has since established himself as one of the most charismatic and exciting violinists of his generation and is praised for his powerful and refreshing interpretations.

'Rachlin has a brilliant high-octane technique that he deployed to great ovation-producing effect.. with thrilling passage-work and artfully applied tonal coloration.. it spoke with simplicity and directness.' New York Times

Julian Rachlin emigrated from Lithuania to Vienna as a child, eventually becoming the youngest soloist ever to play with the Vienna Philharmonic. Now a frequent soloist with the world's greatest orchestras, he continually brings audiences to their feet in top concert halls throughout the world. In recognition of his immense talent, he received one of the most prestigious awards for classical musicians, the coveted "Accademia Musicale Chigiana" International Prize.

He has performed with, and regularly returns to, Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestra Philharmonica della Scala, Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra London, San Francisco Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and NHK Symphony. Among the top class conductors, Julian has performed under Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Myung-Whun Chung, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Roger Norrington, Krysztof Penderecki, André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Riccardo Muti and Wolfgang Sawallisch.

In 2000, he began to perform on the viola and now regularly includes the viola repertoire in his performances. He frequently takes part in many European festivals including Salzburg, Verbier, Schleswig Holstein, the BBC Proms, Lucerne and Salzburg's Mozartwoche. Following his successful performance at the Dubrovnik Festival in the summer of 2000, he was offered his own festival there, "Julian Rachlin and Friends". This is now a regular annual festival and rapidly growing in international renown.

Julian is a fervent chamber musician and is joined by, pianist Richard Hyung-ki Joo for these two very special concerts.

Grand Prize Winner of the Stravinsky International Piano Competition, Richard Hyung-ki Joo has performed all around the world including venues such as Carnegie Hall, Musikverein, Barbican Hall, and a command performance for the US President, at the White House.

Hailed by Yehudi Menuhin as "a most engaging human being of great talent," Richard has captivated international audiences with his multi-dimensional artistry and irresistible charisma.

Chamber music is an important part of his musical life and besides concerts with his piano trio, "Dimension", he has enjoyed performing with musicians such as Lidia Baich, Thomas Carroll, Thomas Christian, Michael Collins, Alex da Costa, Gervase de Peyer, Rafal Payne, Fuminori Shinozaki, Radovan Vlatkovich and also members of the Alban Berg , Artis, Belcea , and Hugo Wolf quartets

The legendary songwriter Billy Joel chose Joo to record Joel's classical piano pieces for the album "Fantasies and Delusions" released on the Sony Classical label

Stunning to hear in concert- he is a virtuoso'

Paul Simon

Born in England , of South Korean parents, Mr. Joo began his formal training in the UK at the Menuhin School with Peter Norris and Seta Tanyel and later earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music , where he studied with pedagogue Nina Svetlanova. Other teachers include Richard Goode, Ferenc Rados, and Oleg Maisenberg. From an early age, through his own compositions and his versatility in various musical styles,

Mr. Joo has been searching for new ways in which classical music can be performed. He has written and created several shows that integrate comedy and music including "DUEL", which has been presented at the Edinburgh and Avignon Festivals, and his latest show, "A Little Nightmare Music", co-written with Aleksey Igudesman (TRIOLOGY), was premiered at the Musikverein, Vienna. His most recent composition was premiered at Wigmore Hall in London. Other highlights include concerto appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Julian Rachlin and Richard Hyung-ki Joo programme

Auckland

Tuesday 21 November 2006, 8pm Auckland Town Hall Programme 1

Progamme 1

SHOSTAKOVICH: Viola Sonata Opus 147

MOZART: Violin Sonata in A K52

CHAUSSON: Poème

BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor Opus108

Wellington

Wednesday 22 November 2006, 8pm Wellington Town Hall Programme 2

Programme 2

SHOSTAKOVICH: Viola Sonata Opus 147

MOZART: Violin Sonata in A K526

CHAUSSON: Poème

FRANCK: Violin Sonata in A major.

ENDS

© Scoop Media