Daniil Trifonov to Make NY Philharmonic Debut Performing Prokofiev, 9/28-10/2

Music Director Alan Gilbert, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, will conduct the New York Philharmonic in an all-Russian program featuring Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov, 2011 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition Winner, in his Philharmonic debut; Musorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain; and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, spotlighting Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, Friday, September 28, 2012, at 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 29 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.

The program marks two collaborative milestones: Alan Gilbert's first time conducting Daniil Trifonov and Mr. Gilbert's first performance of Scheherazade with Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow. "Daniil Trifonov is a true sensation," Alan Gilbert said. "Orchestras have the opportunity and responsibility to introduce new talent to the public. Shaping the future of music is something that we take very seriously at the Philharmonic. People whom I trust have told me of Trifonov's brilliant technique and that his musical thoughts are so refined, electric, and imaginative for the Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto."

Remarking on his long-awaited performance of Scheherazade with long-time collaborator Glenn Dicterow, Alan Gilbert said: "Glenn has said that of all the orchestral solos he gets to play, this is his favorite. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to do this piece with him, and finally it's going to happen." The Music Director added: "Scheherazade will always be, in my mind, a piece for Glenn Dicterow. His silken, gorgeous, rich violin sound - truly one of the world's greatest - is perfect for it. The way he spins out a line, his sinuous storytelling, is just amazing."

The Saturday Matinee Concert September 29 at 2:00 p.m. features Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Brahms's Clarinet Quintet with Philharmonic principal players: Acting Associate Principal Clarinet Pascual Martínez Forteza, Principal Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples, Assistant Concertmaster Michelle Kim, PrincipAl Viola Cynthia Phelps, and Principal Cello Carter Brey. This is the first performance of the season's survey of Brahms, featuring his complete symphonies and concertos and four of his chamber works on all of the Saturday Matinee Concerts.

RELATED EVENTS

Pre-Concert Talks
Harvey Sachs, The Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic, will introduce the program. Pre-Concert Talks are $7; discounts available for multiple concerts, students, and groups. They take place one hour before each performance in the Helen Hull Room, unless otherwise noted. Attendance is limited to 90 people. Information: nyphil.org or (212) 875-5656.

National and International Radio Broadcast
This program will be broadcast the week of October 17, 2012* on The New York Philharmonic This Week, a radio concert series syndicated weekly to more than 300 stations nationally, and to 122 outlets internationally, by the WFMT Radio Network. The 52-week series, hosted by actor Alec Baldwin, is generously underwritten by The Kaplen Foundation, the Audrey Love Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Philharmonic's corporate partner, MetLife Foundation. The broadcast will be available on the Philharmonic's Website, nyphil.org. The program is broadcast locally in the New York metropolitan area on 105.9 FM WQXR on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. *Check local listings for broadcast and program information.

Artists Music Director Alan Gilbert, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, began his tenure at the New York Philharmonic in September 2009, launching what New York Magazine called "a fresh future for the Philharmonic." The first native New Yorker in the post, he has introduced the positions of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence and The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, an annual multi-week festival, and CONTACT!, the new-music series, and he has sought to make the Orchestra a point of civic pride for the city and country.

In 2012–13, Alan Gilbert conducts world premieres; presides over a cycle of Brahms's complete symphonies and concertos; continues The Nielsen Project, the multi-year initiative to perform and record Nielsen's symphonies and concertos; and leads the EUROPE / SPRING 2013 tour. The season concludes with June Journey: Gilbert's Playlist, four programs showcasing themes he has introduced, including the season finale: a theatrical reimagining of Stravinsky ballets with director/designer Doug Fitch and New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Sara Mearns. Last season's highlights included tours of Europe and California, several world premieres, Mahler symphonies, and Philharmonic 360, the Philharmonic and Park Avenue Armory's acclaimed spatial-music program featuring Stockhausen's Gruppen, about which The New York Times said: "Those who think classical music needs some shaking up routinely challenge music directors at major orchestras to think outside the box. That is precisely what Alan Gilbert did."

Mr. Gilbert is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies and holds the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies at The Juilliard School. Conductor Laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra, he regularly conducts leading orchestras around the world. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams's Doctor Atomic in 2008, the DVD of which received a Grammy Award. His recordings have received top honors from the Chicago Tribune and Gramophone magazine. In May 2010 Mr. Gilbert received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music and in December 2011, Columbia University's Ditson Conductor's Award for his "exceptional commitment to the performance of works by American composers and to contemporary music."

Daniil Trifonov is emerging as one of the brightest names of the next generation of pianists. During the 2010–11 season, he won medals at three of the music world's most prestigious competitions: the Chopin Competition (Bronze Medal), the Rubinstein Competition (First Prize), and the Tchaikovsky Competition (Gold Medal). Valery Gergiev personally awarded Mr. Trifonov the Grand Prix in Moscow, an additional award given to the best overall competitor in any of that competition's categories.

Born in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, in 1991, Daniil Trifonov began his musical studies at the age of five. He studied at Moscow Gnesin School of Music with Tatiana Zelikman (2000–09). From 2006 to 2009 he studied composition and has written piano, chamber, and orchestral music and has since studied piano at The Cleveland Institute of Music with Sergei Babayan.
Highlights of Mr. Trifonov's 2010–11 season included debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra and Mariinsky Orchestra with Mr. Gergiev, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta, and the Warsaw Philharmonic with Antoni Wit. Recent concerts included his Japanese debut in Tokyo, a Chopin birthday concert in Warsaw conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki, and recitals at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Concert Hall, the Moscow Easter Festival, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, and the Brighton Festival in the United Kingdom. Mr. Trifonov has performed at international music festivals including Rheingau (Germany), Crescendo (Russia), New Names (Russia), Arpeggione (Austria), Musica in Villa (Italy), Dame Myra Hess Series (United States), the International Festival Institute at Round Top (U.S.), Santo Stefano (Italy), and Festival Pianistico di Trieste (Italy). Mr. Trifonov's first CD, featuring a selection of Chopin solo piano works, was released on Decca in 2011. He has also made a number of television recordings in Russia, the U.S., and Italy.

Tickets for these concerts start at $25. Pre-Concert Talks are $7; discounts are available for multiple concerts, students, and groups (visit nyphil.org/preconcert for more information). All other tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office or the Alice Tully Hall Box Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. A limited number of $13.50 tickets for select concerts may be available through the Internet for students within 10 days of the performance, or in person the day of. Valid identification is required. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. [Ticket prices subject to change.]

Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni