March 7, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Pianist Lilya Zilberstein makes her Oregon Symphony debut with Beethoven’s haunting Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, and guest conductor Tadaaki Otaka returns to conduct Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major on April 5, 6 and 7 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with an additional performance April 8 at Smith Auditorium in Salem. This concert is funded by a grant from the E. Nakamichi Foundation and the Jackson Foundation, with media support provided by The Oregonian.
Zilberstein has appeared with a number of world-renowned ensembles throughout Europe, North America and Japan, including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Helsinki Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), Montreal Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony and the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia under James Levine. She also maintains a busy recital schedule; some of her recent engagements include Madrid, Berlin, Budapest, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Innsbruck, Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Liverpool. In addition, Zilberstein has recorded the Rachmaninoff piano concertos Nos. 2 and 3 for Deutsche Grammophon, as well as music of Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Chopin.
Otaka last appeared with the Symphony in December 2001, when he conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and was characterized by the Oregonian as “a conductor of precise technique, [and] a keen sense of proportion.” Now one of Japan’s leading conductors, Otaka is currently Music Adviser and Principal Conductor of the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, an ensemble he founded in 1995. His extensive guest conducting has included many visits to Australia, the Far East, Europe and North America, with the orchestras of Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Oregon, Lille, Strasbourg, Bamberg, Helsinki, Oslo, The Hague and Rotterdam, among others. He is particularly well known in England, where he has made a number of appearances at the annual Proms concerts. Known for his interpretations of Elgar’s music, Otaka received the Elgar Medal from the Elgar Society in November 2000.
The C minor tonality of Beethoven’s third piano concerto held special meaning for the composer, evoking his own particular “Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress).” Its outer movements are characterized by a dark dramatic edginess, while the second movement is unexpectedly calm and tender. Elgar did not begin composing his first Symphony until 1908, at the age of 50, after his reputation was established, and it lived up to both his own and the public’s expectations. One of his contemporaries described it as “the greatest symphony of modern times, and not only in this country.”
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Harold Gray, Chair of the Portland State Music Department will lead a discussion one hour before the concert of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Guest Conductor Tadaaki Otaka will speak briefly from the podium in “Saturday Interactive.” Media support for “Saturday Interactive” is provided by KINKfm102.
Audience members are invited to stay for a 15-20 minute panel discussion with Symphony staff and guest artists. Media support for “Sunday Post-Concert Discussion” is provided by KBPS Classical 89.9 FM.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, April 7 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with an additional performance Tuesday, April 8 at 8 p.m. at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium in Salem. Tickets range in price from $16 to $72 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Tadaaki Otaka comes from a musical household: his father was a conductor and composer and his mother a pianist. He studied conducting at Toho Gakuen School of Music under the famous professor Hideo Saito (who taught such distinguished conductors as Seiji Ozawa and Hiroshi Wakasugi) and also studied composition, theory, and French horn. He subsequently studied in Vienna with Professor Hans Swarowsky and Professor Spannagel. While still at Toho Gakuen he was appointed a student of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Symphony Orchestra in 1968 and worked with such conductors as Joseph Keilberth, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Lovro von Matacic, Jean Fournet and Otmar Suitner. In 1970 he graduated from Toho Gakuen and gained second prize in the Min-On Concert Association of Japan Conducting Competition. Soon after, he achieved great success conducting the Toho Gakuen String Orchestra in many European cities.
Now one of Japan’s leading conductors, his wide-ranging activities include concert, opera, radio and television and also premieres of works by such distinguished composers as Teizo Matsumura, Toru Takemitsu and Akira Miyoshi. He made his professional broadcasting debut in 1971 with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and was for 20 years Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, during which time he toured extensively with them in the Far East and Europe, becoming their Conductor Laureate in 1991. Between 1981 and 1986 he was Chief Conductor of the Sapporo Symphony and in May 1998 became their Music Adviser and Principal Conductor. Principal Conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra between 1992 and 1998, his recordings with them include notable symphonic and operatic releases and, in his final season, he led their extensive and well-received European tour.
He made his North American debut in 1985 (American Symphony Orchestra) and in 1987 became Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, making his BBC Proms debut with them the following year. London’s “Sunday Times” wrote, “In his years with the orchestra Otaka has worked wonders in Wales.” His many appearances with them have included tours to Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Russia and the Orchestra's first-ever Japanese and North American visits. Appointed BBC NOW’s Conductor Laureate in 1996, he continues to make frequent appearances with them. He is currently Music Adviser and Principal Conductor of the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, which he founded in 1995 and swiftly established as among Japan’s best chamber ensembles - its first European tour in 2000 garnered excellent reviews from The Netherlands and Austria. For three years until 2001, he was also Director of the Britten-Pears Orchestra, conducting a variety of projects including a fully staged production of “Cosi fan Tutte.”
His extensive guest conducting has included many visits to Australia, the Far East, Europe and North America, with the orchestras of such cities as Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Oregon, Lille, Strasbourg, Bamberg, Helsinki, Oslo, The Hague and Rotterdam. He is a well-known figure in the UK, through his work with BBC NOW, his many Proms appearances and engagements with such orchestras as City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Symphony, London Symphony and London Philharmonic.
Recent seasons have included Rotterdam Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Strasbourg Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and a number of other UK orchestras. The 2001/2002 season included his Oslo Philharmonic debut and the Sapporo Symphony’s 40th anniversary UK tour. Future engagements include his regular BBC NOW and Japanese commitments, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, returns to the London Philharmonic (International Series) and Oregon Symphony, Bergen Symphony, visits to Singapore and Malaysian Philharmonic, a major Japanese tour with NHK Symphony and two Verdi productions for New National Theatre Tokyo.
With BBC NOW, he has made many excellent recordings for Nimbus and also a number of discs for BIS (Firsova, Denisov, Gubaidulina and Takemitsu) and Chandos (Franck). He recorded Britten’s “Peter Grimes” in 1998 with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and a cast led by Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Josephine Barstow. Further releases are planned with BBC NOW and Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo.
Tadaaki Otaka is a recipient of the prestigious Suntory Music Award, given each year to the most impressive individual Japanese musician or ensemble. In 1993 the Welsh College of Music and Drama conferred an Honorary Fellowship on him and he also holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wales. In 1997, he was awarded the CBE, in recognition of his outstanding contribution over many years to British musical life, and in November 2000 was awarded the Elgar Medal by the Elgar Society to mark a compelling record of conducting the composer’s works overseas.
Since winning First Prize in the 1987 Busoni International Piano Competition, Lilya Zilberstein has established herself as one of the most exciting pianists of her generation. In 1998 she was the Prizewinner of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy (other recipients include Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Esa-Pekka Salonen). Ms. Zilberstein has made highly successful solo appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Helsinki Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, RAI Symphony (Turino), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, MDR Symphony (Leipzig), NHK Symphony (Tokyo), Montreal Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony and the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia under James Levine. She also received rave reviews for her debuts with the La Scala Orchestra in Milan, the Mostly Mozart Festival in both New York and Tokyo, and the Carl Nielsen Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. A captivating recitalist, Ms. Zilberstein appears regularly in music centers throughout the United States, Europe and Japan; recent engagements include Madrid, Berlin, Budapest, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Innsbruck, Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Liverpool, as well as two astounding recitals of four-hand repertoire with Martha Argerich.
Lilya Zilberstein has made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon; these include the Rachmaninoff Concerti Nos. 2 and 3 with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, the Grieg Concerto with Neeme Järvi and the Göteborg Symphony, as well as solo works of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Chopin.
A native of Moscow, Ms. Zilberstein is a graduate of the Gnessin Pedagogical Institute and the winner of several Russian piano competitions. She moved to Hamburg in 1990, where she lives with her husband and two young sons.