SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934)
As the title suggests, Rachmaninoff took the 24th of Paganini’s notoriously difficult Caprices for Solo Violin and wrote his own notoriously difficult 24 variations for piano and orchestra. Highlights include the 7th, with its echoes of the medieval chant Dies irae, and the ultra-romantic 18th—probably Rachmaninoff’s “biggest hit.” The Rhapsody became his own signature piece, and he performed it often and to great acclaim on tour. It entered the public consciousness even further when it figured prominently in the sound track of the movie “Ground Hog Day.”

Bramwell Tovey is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth, and warm, charismatic personality on the podium. He has been the popular host and conductor of the New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall since its founding in 2004. Mr. Tovey’s tenures as music director of the Vancouver Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonic, and Winnipeg Symphony orchestras have been characterized by his work in the opera, choral, and British repertoire. He is also a composer and pianist, and has received three Juno Awards — two for Classical Album of the Year, and one for Classical Composition of the Year (Requiem for a Charred Skull) — in addition to a 2007 Grammy Award. He is the first artist to win a Juno in both conducting and composing.

Last year Bramwell Tovey was named principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He also works frequently with the Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, and Bournemouth Symphony orchestras, among many others. A champion of contemporary music, Mr. Tovey developed the highly regarded New Music Festival in Winnipeg during his tenure as music director. In the summer of 2008 he conducted the world premiere of his latest piece, Urban Runway, a co-commission of the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics. He is currently writing a full-length opera, The Inventor, for the Calgary Opera, to be premiered in January 2011.

Bramwell Tovey has been awarded numerous honorary degrees, including a fellowship from the Royal Academy of Music in London; honorary doctorates of law from the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and Kwantlen University College; and a music fellowship from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1999 he received the M. Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, a Canadian prize awarded to artists for outstanding contributions in the performing arts. Mr. Tovey last conducted the New York Philharmonic in July 2008 at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, following his conducting/hosting duties at the Orchestra’s Summertime Classics series.

Pianist Vladimir Feltsman is a regular guest with leading orchestras in the United States and music festivals around the world. Highlights of his 2008–09 season include performances of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra, led by Valery Gergiev, at Avery Fisher Hall and in Chicago, Budapest, and Paris; concerts with the Orchestra de Paris and the New Jersey and New World Symphony Orchestras led by Michael Tilson Thomas; and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov. In the summer of 2008 Mr. Feltsman appeared at the Aspen, Ravinia, and La Jolla music festivals, and played recitals in New York and Chicago.

Born in Moscow in 1952, Mr. Feltsman made his debut with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11, studied piano at the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Professor Jacob Flier, and in 1971 won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris. In 1979, because of his growing discontent with the official Soviet ideology and rigid governmental control of the arts, he applied for an exit visa from the Soviet Union and was immediately banned from performing in public. After eight years of artistic exile, he was granted permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union. He arrived in the United States in 1987, and performed his very first concert in North America at the White House. He made his Carnegie Hall debut that year.

Mr. Feltsman holds the distinguished chair of professor of piano at the State University of New York–New Paltz, and teaches at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He is the founder and artistic director of the International Festival-Institute Piano Summer at New Paltz, a comprehensive month-long training program for advanced piano students that attracts musicians from all over the world. He last appeared with the New York Philharmonic in February 2001, performing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, conducted by Roberto Abbado.