Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Opens with Strauss Celebration Tonight

In its first concert of 2015, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate the music of Richard Strauss. Tonight, January 17, Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the orchestra welcome pianist ILYA YAKUSHEV, who most recently played with the Philharmonic in the 2011 season-opening concert. The Philharmonic will perform Strauss's early Serenade for Winds and his towering tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life). Between the two Strauss pieces, Mr. Yakushev will play J.S. Bach's First Keyboard Concerto. Tickets (starting at $15) are available at tickets.riphil.org, and the RIPO box office at 401.248.7000. The January concert is sponsored by The Joseph and Rosalyn Sinclair Foundation. Guest Artist Sponsors for Ilya Yakushev are Dr. Herbert Rakatansky and Ms. Barbara Sokoloff. An Open Dress Rehearsal takes place Friday January 16 at 5:30pm.

"Ein Heldenleben is one of Strauss's most colossal tone poems, and we haven't performed it in nearly 20 years," says LARRY RACHLEFF, Music Director. "This 40-minute work for 100 musicians is a muscular testimony to Strauss himself, his own hero's welcome. Opening the concert is a piece for just 13 wind instruments, which he composed when he was only 17. In between, Ilya Yakushev returns to give us a rare performance of J.S. Bach's First Keyboard Concerto. He'll bring the same dexterity and virtuosity we've known from Ilya in Russian music to this beautiful, spiritual, energetic music of J.S. Bach." Rachleff concludes: "I just love this program of Strauss and Bach, a fascinating combination of two of the most significant composers of our canon. Come and hear Ilya play Bach, and the rest of us knock down some Strauss!"

Russian pianist ILYA YAKUSHEV, with many awards and honors to his credit, continues to astound and mesmerize audiences at major venues on three continents. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 2007 with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, performing Prokofiev's First and Fourth Piano Concertos as part of the Symphony's Prokofiev Festival. His performances were included in the top ten classical music events of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle, and prompted a return to the Symphony in September 2009 with Maestro Tilson Thomas performing Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto. Winner of the 2005 World Piano Competition, Mr. Yakushev received his first award at age 12 as a prizewinner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition in his native St. Petersburg. In 1997, he received the Mayor of St. Petersburg's Young Talents award, and in both 1997 and 1998, he won First Prize at the Donostia Hiria International Piano Competition in San Sebastian, Spain. In 1998, he received a national honor, The Award for Excellence in Performance, presented to him by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Most recently, Mr. Yakushev became a recipient of the prestigious Gawon International Music Society's Award in Seoul, Korea. Mr. Yakushev attended the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in his native St. Petersburg, Russia, and subsequently came to New York City to attend Mannes College of Music where he studied with legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman.

Season 70 offers symphonies by Beethoven, Prokofiev and Sibelius; concerti by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Saint-Sa?ns and Tchaikovsky; and popular favorites Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Ravel's Boléro and Orff's Carmina burana. Twentieth-century highlights include works by Adams, Orff, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, and Weill. The season's final concert features the world premiere of a commissioned work by the New England native composer Pierre Jalbert in honor of the Orchestra's 70th Anniversary. Several well-known guest artists will perform with the orchestra, including returning violinists Augustin Hadelich and Jennifer Koh, cellist Alban Gerhardt, mezzo-soprano Susan Lorette Dunn, and pianists Ilya Yakushev and Joyce Yang. Pianist Jon Nakamatsu made his debut with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. The Providence Singers, Christine Noel, artistic director, will share two performances with the Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah in December and Carmina burana in May, which also features the Rhode Island Children's Chorus (also directed by Ms. Noel). Capping off this anniversary season, world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell appears with the Philharmonic in a Gala Celebration of Season 70! on Friday March 6 at The Vets.

The Philharmonic's season features eight Classical concerts on Saturday nights at The Vets. Four are preceded by Amica Rush Hour concerts on Friday, and four have Friday Open Rehearsals. The Amica Rush Hour Series offers an early start time - 6:30pm - on remaining Fridays April 10 and May 8. These shorter, informal, accessible concerts feature full performances of select repertoire from the Saturday Classical concerts. Open Rehearsals, on remaining Fridays January 16,February 20 and March 20 at 5:30pm, offer insight into the collaboration between the conductor, guest artists and orchestra musicians as they prepare for the upcoming classical concert. The Philharmonic showcases Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday, January 31 at 7:00pm at The Vets and appears with the Indigo Girls on Saturday, February 13 at 7:00pm at PPAC, both conducted by Resident Conductor Francisco Noya. Mr. Noya also conducts our annual Link Up!Education Concerts and Summer Pops Concerts. Subscriptions and individual concert tickets are on sale now. Call the Philharmonic box office at 401.248.7000, or visit tickets.riphil.org.

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