The 2007¬2008 series also featurespianists Misha and Cipa Dichter in a recital of Two¬ and Four¬Hand Piano Masterworks onNovember 7 at 7 PM, and additional programming featuring rarely¬heard works and exclusivepremieres will be announced in the future.The Museum has selected Stephen Vann, former GeneralManager of the New York Philharmonic, to produce the series.
Mr. Feltsman will perform works by Haydn and Chopin and Mussorgsky's Pictures at anExhibition in the series debut. Critics from The New York Times and The Seattle Times havedescribed Feltsman's performances of Mussorgsky's masterwork as "electrifying" and the "best liveperformance." Composed in 1874, the suite of 10 piano pieces presents vibrant music on Russian,Polish¬Jewish, and western¬European themes.
At the conclusion of the program, WQXR's radiopersonality Elliott Forrest will interview Mr. Feltsman in an on¬stage, post¬concert conversation.The music series reflects the Museum's dedication to honoring Jewish culture by focusing onJewish themes, composers, and artists, and by unearthing new and interesting musical works. "Weare very excited about this project, that features eminent artists performing innovative programswhich tie into the Museum's mission of celebrating Jewish culture and heritage before, during, and after the Holocaust," said Dr. David G. Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Inregard to being the debut artist for this series Mr. Feltsman said, "As someone who has struggled toachieve artistic freedom in the face of oppression, I feel a strong connection to the history thisinstitution was founded to preserve.
Performing at the Museum of Jewish Heritage is significant."Additionally, the Museum's state¬of¬the¬art theater, Edmond J. Safra Hall, boasts the only Faziolipiano in a New York performance hall. Fazioli pianos have been produced in northern Italy sincethe company's establishment in 1981; each instrument is exclusively handcrafted combining thefinest materials with premium workmanship and technology. Artists who have performed on Faz ioliinstruments around the world include Vladimir Ashkenaz y, Alfred Brendel, Nikolai Demidenko,Hélène Grimaud, Angela Hewitt, Jeffrey Kahane, Louis Lortie, and Garrick Ohlsson.Vladimir Feltsman, the son of Russian Jewish composer Oscar Feltsman, debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11. In 1971 he won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris, whichled to an extensive tour throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe, and Japan. In 1979, because of his growingdiscontent with the official Soviet ideology and governmental control of the arts, Feltsman applied for an exit visa.
In response, he was immediately banned from performing in public. After eight years of virtual artistic exile, he wasgranted permission to leave the Soviet Union. After his arrival in the United States, he was warmly greeted at theWhite House, where he performed his first concert in North America. That same year, his debut at Carnegie Hallestablished him as a major pianist on the American scene. In addition to a busy performing and recording schedule,Mr. Feltsman holds the Distinguished Chair of Professor of Piano at the State University of New York at New Paltzand teaches at the Mannes College of Music.Elliott Forrest is a Peabody Award¬winning broadcaster and producer.
He can be heard weekda y afternoons onWQXR and on WQXR.com. He is also the host and producer of the national radio concerts of The Chamber MusicSociety of Lincoln Center, The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and The Seattle Symphony and a weekl y podcast forthe New York Philharmonic. For more than 12 years he was host of Breakfast with the Arts on A&E TelevisionNetwork.Stephen Vann's artistic administration career spans more than twentyyears collaborating with many of toda y'sfinest musicians and conductors.
He returns as Artistic Producer for the Museum of Jewish Heritage— A LivingMemorial to the Holocaust after producing Babi Yar Remembered: Yevtushenko and Shostakovich in Word andSong in the fall of 2006 which included the world premiere of the two¬piano version of the first movement ofShostakovich's 13t hsymphony, "Babi Yar." Mr. Vann has served as General Manager of the New YorkPhilharmonic, and Executive Director of the Eos Orchestra, and the Nashville and Columbus, Symphony Orchestras.Mr. Vann has lectured at the American Symphony Orchestra League, the Manhattan School of Music, the Crain'sArts and Business forum, and at Harvard University.Mr. Vann attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts, andgraduated with distinction from the University of Michigan.The Museum of Jewish Heritage —A Living Memorial to the Holocaust's three¬floor Core Exhibition educatespeople of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestryof Jewish life over the past century¬¬before, during, andafter the Holocaust. -- www.mjhnyc.org
