World-class artists continue to perform with the Kansas City Symphony, and the May 31-June 2 concerts are no exception.
Virtuoso violinist Gil Shaham and his 1699 “Countess Polignac” Stradivarius will be featured in a three-concert series with the Symphony under the baton of Music Director Michael Stern.
“We’re delighted to welcome back Gil Shaham,” said Frank Byrne, executive director of the Kansas City Symphony. “He is one of the most celebrated and brilliant violinists of our time. While he has performed with us in the past, it will be his first time in Helzberg Hall. We anticipate that the unparalleled clarity of Shaham’s playing will be realized as never before in Kansas City.”
The Illinois-born, Israeli-raised musician has enchanted audiences with his exquisite violin performances for more than three decades. At the age of 18, opportunity knocked for Shaham. The young prodigy made headlines — and essentially got his first big break — when he stepped in last minute to replace legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman who had been slated to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra. From then on, Shaham went from performing only a few concerts a year to a pace of about 40-50 concerts annually.
Kansas City’s Stern not only considers Shaham a consummate artist but also his friend.
“My friendship with Gil goes back a long time,” Stern said. “Some of my happiest music making has been in performances we’ve shared. He is, of course, a complete player; one could really say a violinist’s violinist. He is obviously a master, producing as captivating a sound on his instrument as anyone I’ve ever heard, and a searching, intelligent, wonderfully communicative musician. But for me, even more than all these gifts, is Gil’s unfailing ability to be perfectly in the moment in any phrase he is playing, and to radiate nothing but joy at the same time. That indeed is very rare.”
For his upcoming Kansas City visit, Shaham will play Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, a haunting piece dedicated to the composer’s young friend, beautiful girl and promising actress, Manon Gropius, who succumbed to polio in 1935 at age 18. Manon was the daughter of Alma Mahler (widow of composer Gustav Mahler) and architect Walter Gropius.
Inscribed on the concerto’s title page, “In Memory of an Angel,” Berg intended to “translate characteristics of the young girl’s nature into musical terms” in the first portion of the composition while evoking her suffering and metamorphosis in the conclusion. Berg’s work incorporates musical influences from Schoenberg’s twelve-tone technique, the Viennese waltz, Carinthian folksong and Mahler’s music.
“Gil is very close to this music, which I think is so spiritually beautiful and deeply human,” Stern said. “For a successful performance, the concerto requires a great player who understands the Viennese lyricism, which informs every bar of this 20th century masterpiece. With Gil, the music is in great hands.”
Highly sought after by top orchestras and conductors throughout the world, Shaham frequently elects to perform major violin works from the 1930s, which is a continued area of focus for him. Several notable composers, such as Barber, Prokofiev, Berg, and Stravinsky, produced significant violin concertos within that decade. Shaham also has recorded more than two dozen concerto and solo albums — many bestsellers and award-winning records, including multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’Or and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Shaham collects many accolades from the media, too. The New York Times has called him “one of today’s preeminent violinists.” Violinist.com put it bluntly, “The man has serious chops…” The San Francisco Chronicle has called his playing, “limpid and tonally resplendent.”
When not touring, Shaham has found opportunities to work on musical projects with his family. Most recently, he collaborated with his sister and pianist Orli Shaham to release “Nigunim: Hebrew Melodies” on his own label, Canary Classics. The recording showcases both traditional and modern Jewish music, including the world-premiere recording of Israeli composer Avner Dorman’s work “Nigunim,” which the New York Times praised for its “explosive energy.”
As part of the Kansas City Symphony three-concert series, Music Director Michael Stern will begin with a piece for muted brass, Ruggles’ “Angels,” and then each concert closes with Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great.” Tickets to Schubert’s Ninth and Gil Shaham on May 31, June 1 and 2 are available through the Symphony Box Office by calling 816-471-0400, or select seats online at www.kcsymphony.org. Tickets start at $22. Group and senior discounts are available. Students 25 and younger with a valid I.D. may purchase tickets for $10. The Symphony performs at Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Performing Arts Center, located at 1601 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.
