Area art galleries and museums aren’t the only ones celebrating the opening of the Denver Art Museum’s groundbreaking, Daniel Libeskind-designed addition.
An array of performing arts organizations are getting into the action, as well, with no offering more high profile than the Colorado Symphony’s commission of a new work to mark the building’s debut.
As part of its season-opening set of concerts Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the orchestra will present the world premiere of Daniel Kellogg’s “Refracted Skies” – its title reflecting the unconventional structure’s jutting angles and planes.
“There is a vivid, almost prismatic quality to the way he uses the orchestra that struck me as being ideal for paying tribute to and celebrating the vision represented by Libeskind’s new building,” said Jeffrey Kahane, the symphony’s music director.
Kellogg, who joined the music faculty of the University of Colorado at Boulder a year ago, had a new work performed this summer at the Aspen Music Festival. And last year, the Philadelphia Orchestra premiered “Ben,” the composer’s commemoration of Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.
Adding a further jolt of excitement will be the appearance of André Watts, one of the most important pianists of the past half-century. He will join Kahane and the symphony in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
Here are 10 other classical programs worth noting during the fall season in Colorado:
Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad, CU Artist Series, Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado at Boulder, Sept. 21: Salerno-Sonnenberg and the guitar duo both had earned international acclaim by the time they joined forces on an album of Gypsy music in 2000. They enjoyed the collaboration so much that they have regularly toured together since, gaining a new set of fans in the process.
Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Lawrence Leighton Smith, conductor, Joshua Bell, violinist, Pikes Peak Center, Oct. 9: In 2006-07, Colorado audiences will get a double dose of Bell, who has emerged as one of classical music’s biggest stars in part because of his performances on several prominent movie soundtracks. The violinist returns in May for an appearance with the Colorado Symphony.
London Symphony Chorus, Lamont Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Golan, conductor, Newman Center Presents, Gates Concert Hall, Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver, Oct. 14: Formed in 1966 to complement the famed London Symphony, the chorus also performs independently. For its first American performance away from the East Coast, it will join DU’s Lamont Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Rossini’s “Stabat Mater.”
Colorado Symphony, Marin Alsop, conductor, Angela Cheng, piano, Boettcher Concert Hall, Oct. 20-22: The most famous love triangle in classical-music history involved Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. This program will include a work by each, including an obscure piano concerto by Clara, who is best known as one of the 19th century’s great concert pianists.
Olga Kern, pianist, Gates Concert Hall, Oct. 25: Since being named a co-winner of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Kern has seen her career skyrocket. The unceasingly charismatic artist made her Colorado Symphony debut in May 2005, delivering an electrifying, sit-up-and-take-notice performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.3.
Colorado Symphony, Colorado Symphony Chorus, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor, Todd Palmer, clarinet, Boettcher Concert Hall, Oct. 27-29: Argentina-born Osvaldo Golijov has earned a place among this era’s most heralded composers. This program spotlights a new string orchestra version of one of his most popular works: “Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind.”
The English Concert, Andrew Manze, violinist, Friends of Chamber Music, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Nov. 1: With more than 100 recordings to its credit, this English-based ensemble is not only one of the world’s most respected early-instrument ensembles but also one of the best chamber orchestras of any kind. The concert will be the Friends’ first offering in the Caulkins Opera House.
Ivo Pogorelich, pianist, Newman Center Presents, Gates Concert Hall, Nov. 11: The Croatian-born pianist exploded onto the international scene when his elimination from the 1980 International Chopin Competition caused an uproar. The sometimes eccentric artist is attempting a kind of career rehabilitation after falling out of the limelight in recent years.
Gidon Kremer, violin, Andrius Zlabys, piano, Andrei Pushkarev, percussion, Friends of Chamber Music, Gates Concert Hall, Nov. 21: During his 30-year career, Kremer has become one of the world’s most admired violinists. He has done it not by sticking with the classics but by going well beyond them. Typical of his diversity, this program ranges from J.S. Bach to Alfred Schnittke.
Anonymous 4, Darol Anger, fiddler, Scott Nygaard, guitarist, CU Artist Series, Macky Auditorium, Dec. 1: The world’s most revered vocal quartet teams with a well-known fiddler and guitarist for “Long Time Traveling.” The program offers a journey into the heart and soul of American music, featuring spirituals, folk songs and gospel favorites.
