October 4, 2004
Russian pianist Yakov Kasman, who made his American debut winning the silver medal in the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997, will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony this evening, announced Symphony President William Ryberg today. Kasman replaces scheduled soloist Louis Lortie, who notified the orchestra just prior to Sunday’s concert that he was unable to perform due to tendonitis in his right arm. Kalmar and the orchestra substituted Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 for the second half of the Sunday evening performance.
“It is always unfortunate when unexpected circumstances cause last-minute changes in the program,” said Ryberg. “However, we are extremely pleased that an artist of Yakov Kasman’s caliber was available for tonight’s performance and that we can present the Rachmaninoff Concerto as scheduled.”
Since winning the Van Cliburn medal, Kasman has appeared as a soloist with more than 40 orchestras in the United States, Russia and Asia. He has 14 recordings with Calliope and Harmonia Mundi; his recording of Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1 and Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings received the “Choc de Monde de la Musique” award in France, was rated highest by “Classics Today” and referred to as “superlative” by the American Record Guide. Kasman is a Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For more information on Kasman, visit www.yakovkasman.com.
