Violinist Leonidas Kavakos to Launch Carnegie Hall's Perspectives Series with Yuja Wang

Acclaimed violinist Leonidas Kavakos will launch his Carnegie Hall Perspectives series this fall, three concerts that showcase his matchless technique, captivating artistry, and superb musicianship presented throughout the 2021-2022 season. The series includes collaborations with musical friends, showcasing his dynamic virtuosity in recital, orchestral, and chamber music settings.

His Perspectives series begins next Thursday, November 4 at 8:00 p.m. when he appears in recital with frequent musical collaborator pianist Yuja Wang. The evening's program includes J. S. Bach's Violin Sonata in E Major, BWV 1016; Busoni's Violin Sonata No. 2; and Shostakovich's Violin Sonata. This performance will be heard live by music lovers around the globe as part of the Carnegie Hall Live radio broadcast and digital series. Produced by WQXR and Carnegie Hall and hosted by WQXR's Jeff Spurgeon and New Sounds's John Schaefer, the concert will be broadcast by WQXR 105.9 FM in New York, streamed on wqxr.org and carnegiehall.org/wqxr.

The series continues on Tuesday March 8 at 8:00 p.m., when Mr. Kavakos reunites with musical friends-cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax-for an all-Beethoven trio program. The trio last performed together at Carnegie Hall in March 2020, the final concert presented by the Hall prior to its closure due to COVID-19.

The following Monday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m., the series concludes with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, led by Andris Nelsons, in which Mr. Kavakos gives the New York premiere of Unsuk Chin's Violin Concerto No. 2, "Scherben der Stille" ("Shards of Silence"). Co-commissioned for Mr. Kavakos by the BSO, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra, the concerto receives its U.S. premiere earlier that month at Symphony Hall in Boston. Chin won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in 2004 for her first violin concerto. The BSO's March 14 program at Carnegie Hall also includes Ives's The Unanswered Question and Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

When asked about his Perspectives in a Carnegie Hall video interview, Mr. Kavakos spoke of the potential that music has "to connect." Following 18 months when live performances were not possible, he hopes the series provides opportunities for artists and audiences to come together once again. "We all need that more than ever before, to connect through the music, through different [musical] styles, through different ideas, and different collaborations."

For more information on Leonidas Kavakos's Perspectives series, visit carnegiehall.org/kavakos.