Seattle Symphony and Seattle International Film Festival come together to bring audiences the epic tale of the legendary Russian hero Alexander Nevsky. Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang will lead the Orchestra in Sergey Prokofiev's sweeping score as the film is shown on a large screen above the stage.
Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Weld will perform the role of the vocal soloist, replacing previously announced Zandra McMaster. Emmy Award–winning producer John Goberman will oversee the production of the program.
Performances will take place Thursday, June 12, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, June 13, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, June 15, at 2 p.m.
Sergey Eisenstein's 1938 film Alexander Nevsky is a patriotic Russian epic depicting the 13th-century invasion of Russia by German knights and their eventual defeat at the hands of a rag-tag force led by the movie's title character, a Russian prince. The film contains landmark battle scenes, implementing what were, at the time, the most advanced special effects and cinematographic techniques. The score, which stands on its own and is often performed in concert, was written by composer Sergey Prokofiev who worked closely with the director to achieve an unusual concordance of music and imagery. It is perhaps the most outstanding example of Prokofiev's popular "heroic" style and contains ample references to music of the period in which the story is set; for example, the crusading knights are suggested in a menacing parody of medieval liturgical chant. Prokofiev's score is widely regarded as a landmark in the history of film music. Please note: As with other films that depict battle scenes, this film is not recommended for children.
The New York Times remarked that Xian Zhang "seems a bigger talent with every appearance." Currently the Arturo Toscanini Associate Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Zhang has made numerous guest appearances across the United States with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and the Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and Toronto symphonies; in the United Kingdom with the London, BBC Scottish and City of Birmingham symphonies, and the Royal Liverpool and BBC Philharmonics; across Europe with the symphony orchestras of Bamberg, Basel, Berlin, Gothenburg, Rotterdam and Tivoli; the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Wiener Philharmoniker. This season, she will debut with the Tokyo Symphony and Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo. Prior appointments include Assistant Conductor for the New York Philharmonic; Music Director of the Lucca Festival Orchestra at the Opera Theater of Lucca; Assistant Professor of Conducting and Music Director of the Concert Orchestra at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Born in Dandong, China, Zhang trained at Beijing's Central Conservatory, where she earned both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, and served on the conducting faculty for one year. She moved to the United States in 1998.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer hails Kathryn Weld as "a remarkable voice, an expressive mezzo with an unusual timbre: full and warm with depth and a light vibrato shaping it." Throughout her career she has made solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic, including performances of de Falla's Three-Cornered Hat and Grieg's Peer Gynt. She has also appeared at Carnegie Hall performing Bach's Mass in B minor with Musica Sacra; abroad with the Bavarian Radio Choir, Consortium Musicum of Munich, Prague Philharmonic, Sapporo Symphony and the Osaka Chamber Orchestra in Japan; in the Northwest with the Helena, Oregon, Wyoming and Portland Baroque Orchestras, with Orchestra Seattle, and at the Northwest Mahler Festival. This April, Weld appeared as a soloist with Seattle Symphony's Pacific Northwest Community Orchestra at the Seeds of Compassion event for the Dalai Lama. In addition, she gives recitals in Paris with accompanist Laurana Mitchelmore; concerts in Helsinki, Moscow and St. Petersburg; and performs 20th-century recital works at Western Organ University with Seattle Symphony Resident Organist Joseph Adam. A National semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, Weld currently serves as an Affiliate Artist Voice Faculty at the University of Puget Sound and at Cornish College of the Arts.
John Goberman is probably best known as the creator of Live from Lincoln Center. Now in its 30th season, this award-winning series of television specials has brought the finest of the performing arts to American audiences. To produce the series, Goberman developed the video/audio techniques and technology by which concerts, opera, ballets and plays can be telecast during live performances without disturbing performers and audiences. As Executive Television Producer for Lincoln Center, he also produced a companion series, Backstage/Lincoln Center, an introduction to the performing arts which includes This Old Cello featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Stagefright with Luciano Pavarotti. He is also the creator of a new form of film/concert experience, Symphonic Cinema, which presents 20th-century symphonic works composed for film and orchestra alongside full-length Hollywood features. For his work on public and commercial television, Goberman has received 11 National Emmy Awards; three Peabody Awards; eight Sigma Alpha Iota awards; the first Television Critics Circle Award for Achievement in Music; and 52 Emmy Award nominations. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bridgeport and was cited by Symphony Magazine as one of the 50 most important people who have made a difference in the history of American music. -- www.seattlesymphony.org
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