The Russian National Orchestra returns to the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St., joined by superstar pianist Yuja Wang at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
Conducted by world-renowned pianist, composer and Grammy winner Mikhail Pletnev, Stravinsky’s masterpiece “The Firebird” will highlight the all-Russian program, which also includes selections by Dmitry Shostakovich and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Tickets are available at http://liedcenter.org, by phone at 402-472-4747 or at the Lied Center box office. Tickets are available to students at a 50 percent discount with a valid NCard.
“After sold-out performances by the Cleveland Orchestra in 2014 and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2015, we are thrilled to continue the tradition of bringing the finest orchestras in the world to the Lied Center,” said Ann Chang, artistic director of the Lied Center.
The Russian National Orchestra has been in demand throughout the music world since its 1990 Moscow premiere. Of the orchestra’s 1996 debut at the BBC Proms in London, the Evening Standard wrote, “They played with such captivating beauty that the audience gave an involuntary sigh of pleasure.” More recently, they were described as “a living symbol of the best in Russian art” (Miami Herald) and “as close to perfect as one could hope for” (Trinity Mirror).
The first Russian orchestra to perform at the Vatican and in Israel, the Russian National Orchestra maintains an active international tour schedule, appearing in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Guest artists performing with the orchestra on tour include conductors Vladimir Jurowski, Nicola Luisotti, Antonio Pappano, Alan Gilbert, Carlo Ponti and Patrick Summers, and soloists Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Lang Lang, Pinchas Zukerman, Sir James Galway, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Steven Isserlis, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Simone Kermes and Renee Fleming.
Wang is an astounding artist whose awe-inspiring technique is matched only by her eloquence as a musician. Since her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007 while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, she has established herself as an international sensation and a fixture among the world’s leading orchestras – including those of New York, London, Amsterdam and Berlin – regularly joining them on tours of the Americas, Europe and Asia. Championed early on by pre-eminent maestros including Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Tilson Thomas and the late Claudio Abbado, she is one of today’s most sought-after soloists, as well as a dedicated chamber musician, recitalist and Grammy-nominated recording artist.
Wang has been the subject of television documentaries and graced the pages of magazines ranging from arts and culture to fashion, including Italian Vogue, French Elle and Chinese Marie Claire.
“The Lied Center has a storied tradition of presenting the finest and most sought-after pianists in the world year after year,” Chang said. “We are delighted to present Yuja Wang as part of our 15-16 Piano Series. The growth of the series has translated to remarkable growth of the Lied’s piano and classical music audiences. This is yet another performance not to be missed.”
