Daniil Trifonov, Simone Dinnerstein and Inon Barnatan to be Featured in EMERGE: An NJSO Concert Film Trilogy

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and DreamPlay Films will present EMERGE, an NJSO Concert Film trilogy pairing orchestral performances with stunning visuals, mesmerizing dance sequences and format-bending on- and off-stage elements. Music Director Xian Zhang conducts programs featuring a trio of star pianists-Daniil Trifonov, Simone Dinnerstein and Inon Barnatan. The films are directed by award-winning, Newark-raised filmmaker Yuri Alves and produced by DreamPlay Films, part of Newark-based DreamPlay Media.

The films premiere through June at njsymphony.org/emerge and on the NJSO's YouTube channel. They will be available for free.

EMERGE Part 1 premieres April 28. Zhang leads the East Coast premiere of Primal Message by American composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama. Simone Dinnerstein, whose interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations propelled her to international fame, performs Bach's Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056. The program closes with Schumann's Fourth Symphony.

The film features captivating images of and inspired by the people of Newark, and is presented in 4K anamorphic widescreen.

In EMERGE Part 2, premiering May 26, Inon Barnatan brings his "penetrating musicianship, compelling interpretive insight and elegant pianism" (BBC Music) to Florence Price's Piano Concerto in One Movement. Zhang pairs the celebrated American concerto with Mozart's Symphony No. 39.

The film features dance performances by local dancers Cori Barnes and M.A. Taylor, behind the scenes images of the NJSO musicians, and is presented in black-and-white 4K Ultra HD.

Grammy Award winner and Musical America 2019 Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov-"without question the most astounding young pianist of our age" (The Times)-returns to the NJSO in EMERGE Part 3, premiering June 23. He performs Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto, which also features NJSO Assistant Principal Trumpet Anderson Romero. Zhang brings the series to a close with Beethoven's Fourth Symphony.

The film features riveting images of and inspired by the people of New Jersey, presented in 4K Ultra HD.

Zhang says: "For these programs, it was a thrill to reunite with the woodwind and brass players of the NJSO along with three world-class soloists for performances of some of my very favorite repertoire. From works by pathbreaking female composers of color like Nokuthula Ngwenyama and Florence Price to audience favorites from Shostakovich, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, I hope you'll join me and the musicians of the NJSO as we emerge from this difficult year and look to a brighter and more inclusive future."

Director Yuri Alves says: "We aimed to exceed audience expectations for a filmed orchestral performance. I think people will be excited and surprised by this trilogy. All three films are united by an overarching concept and immersive style, yet each one varies significantly from the others-including in the format itself, as we go from anamorphic to black and white to behind the scenes to 360 video and more. And on all of them, you will see Xian, the amazing orchestra and the guest musicians at their best."

To provide a high-quality video and audio experience on audiences' televisions and speakers, DreamPlay Films filmed these performances live on RED cinema cameras. Longtime NJSO audio engineer and multiple Grammy Award winner Tim Martyn recorded and mixed the audio for the concert, recorded on stage at NJPAC in Newark in February and March 2021.

Producer Igor Alves says: "This tremendous collaboration between Yuri, the DreamPlay team, Xian, NJSO and the musicians has created a strikingly memorable series. I hope the EMERGE trilogy, like the companion TRANSCEND film, will be seen as a historic series due its unique sensibility and artistic quality, and also for advancing diversity in this space: here we have a project featuring a female Asian conductor, musical works by composers of color, in a film directed by a Newark-raised Brazilian immigrant, whose images also feature dancers and residents from the neighboring area."

NJSO President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst says: "NJSO Concert Films have taken audiences inside the concert hall and out into the world through the NJSO and Xian Zhang's brilliant performances and DreamPlay Films' captivating imagery of the people and scenery of New Jersey during the pandemic. This new trilogy will pair powerful concerts with evocative visuals for cinematic experiences that inspire and that speak to our time."

The film series, which will be available on demand after the premiere, is part of NJSO Virtual 20-21, the Orchestra's digital season. For more information, visit njsymphony.org/virtual.

EMERGE: An NJSO Concert Film Trilogy

A musical journey without boundaries.

EMERGE Part 1: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, Apr 28, at 7:30 pm

This moment invites us to discover hidden dimensions within, and to see the world with fresh eyes. A new beginning awaits.

Xian Zhang, conductor

Simone Dinnerstein, piano

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director

Igor Alves, producer

DreamPlay Films

Tim Martyn, audio producer

BACH Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056

NOKUTHULA NGWENYAMA Primal Message (East Coast Premiere)

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4

The film features the NJSO and Simone Dinnerstein on stage and captivating images of and inspired by the people of Newark. Presented in 4K anamorphic widescreen.

EMERGE Part 2: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, May 26, at 7:30 pm

In tune with hope and beauty, the world beckons us to move ahead in solidarity and in purpose. Let us create-from love-a better world.

Xian Zhang, conductor

Inon Barnatan, piano

Cori Barnes, dancer

M.A. Taylor, dancer

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director

Igor Alves, producer

DreamPlay Films

Tim Martyn, audio producer

PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement

MOZART Symphony No. 39

The film features the NJSO and Inon Barnatan on stage, dance performances by Cori Barnes and M.A. Taylor and behind-the-scenes images of NJSO musicians. Presented in black-and-white 4K Ultra HD.

EMERGE Part 3: An NJSO Concert Film

Wed, June 23, at 7:30 pm

Light and sound guide our path to grace in the collective soul. It is time to embrace humanity anew and to thrive in the abundance of our destiny.

Xian Zhang, conductor

Daniil Trifonov, piano

Anderson Romero, trumpet

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Alves, director

Igor Alves, producer

DreamPlay Films

Tim Martyn, audio producer

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4

This film features the NJSO and Daniil Trifonov on stage and riveting images of and inspired by the people of New Jersey. Presented in 4K Ultra HD.

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