All-Star Lineup Comes Together For Concert Honoring Andrei Sakharov at Carnegie Hall This Month

On Sunday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m., an extraordinary lineup of internationally renowned musicians will come together in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage to celebrate Andrei Sakharov-the late physicist, humanist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner for championing universal human rights, disarmament, and peace-in whose name the European Union established the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The afternoon's all-star roster of artists includes violinists Gidon Kremer and Maxim Vengerov; cellist Steven Isserlis; pianists Lera Auerbach, Evgeny Kissin, and Georgijs Osokins; and the Emerson String Quartet in its final Carnegie Hall appearance during the ensemble's farewell season. This historic musical celebration takes place on what would have been Mr. Sakharov's 102nd birthday after the originally planned centennial concert in 2021 was postponed due to the pandemic.

The tribute concert opens with violinist Gidon Kremer performing Igor Loboda's Requiem for solo violin, a work written by the Georgian composer in response to the Crimea conflict in 2014. The program also includes Mieczysław Weinberg's Violin Sonata No. 6, Op. 136bis, featuring Mr. Kremer-an ardent champion of the Polish-born Russian composer-collaborating with pianist Georgijs Osokins. Weinberg, whose music is rarely performed, was a close friend of Shostakovich and is considered a major composer of Soviet Russia who suffered under the Stalin regime. The centerpiece of the concert will be the culminating work on the program-Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81-performed by Evgeny Kissin and the Emerson String Quartet. Brahms's Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, featuring Maxim Vengerov and Evgeny Kissin; Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5, Etude-tableau in A Minor, Op. 39. No. 2, and Etude-tableau in C Major, performed by Lera Auerbach; and Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 with Maxim Vengerov, Steven Isserlis, and Evgeny Kissin round out the performance.

"The legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich once told me that Andrei Sakharov was 'the greatest man of the twentieth century,'" said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "Especially with the dark times that we face in the world today, it is ever more important that we revisit his legacy as we summon our own courage and commitment to fight for the right for everyone to live in a free society. We are deeply grateful to Evgeny Kissin and the remarkable group of artists who will come together to pay tribute through this meaningful performance."

"Andrei Sakharov was my hero for as long as I can remember," said Evgeny Kissin. "As soon as the idea of organizing a concert to honor him came about, I was fully committed. I contacted the other artists, and we put together a program. We had to postpone the concert because of the pandemic. Fortunately, the Andrei Sakharov Foundation was really dedicated, while Carnegie Hall was incredibly supportive of the idea, so the concert is going ahead, two years after Mr. Sakharov's centennial. His ideas and moral authority are ever more relevant today."

Program Information

Sunday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

CONCERT IN HONOR OF ANDREI SAKHAROV
An All-Star Chamber Music Afternoon

Gidon Kremer, Violin
Maxim Vengerov, Violin
Steven Isserlis, Cello
Georgijs Osokins, Piano
Evgeny Kissin, Piano
Lera Auerbach, Piano
Emerson String Quartet
Eugene Drucker, Violin
Philip Setzer, Violin
Lawrence Dutton, Viola
Paul Watkins, Cello

IGOR LOBODA Requiem
BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major
RACHMANINOFF Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
RACHMANINOFF Etude-tableau in A Minor, Op. 39. No. 2
RACHMANINOFF Etude-tableau in C Major
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 2
WEINBERG Violin Sonata No. 6, Op. 136bis
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81

Tickets, priced at $92-$305, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, dates, and prices are subject to change.