Preu and Spokane Symphony to Explore the Kingdom of the Sea

Jan 10, 2005

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 509-326-3136

PREU AND SPOKANE SYMPHONY TO EXPLORE THE KINGDOM OF THE SEA
Internationally acclaimed pianist Vladimir Feltsman to play Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto:
SPOKANE: Pianist Vladimir Feltsman and the Spokane Symphony present a concert of exciting music on Friday, January 21, 2005 at 8 p.m. at the Spokane Opera House. Adventures in the Kingdom of the Sea marks the first Symphony YES concert of 2005 featuring one of the most familiar pieces of classical music and one completely new to Spokane audiences.

Guest artist Feltsman will perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, one of the most beloved piano concertos ever written, with Maestro Eckart Preu and the Spokane Symphony. The concert will also include Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's vibrant Sadko Oriental Fantasy and Alexander Zemlinsky's The Mermaid, about the love story of a mermaid and her prince. This is the Spokane Symphony's first performance of The Mermaid.

Russian native Feltsman debuted with Moscow Philharmonic at age 11. In 1979, because of his growing discontent with the official Soviet ideology and rigid governmental control of the arts, Feltsman made his intention to emigrate from the Soviet Union clear by applying for an exit visa. In reply, he was immediately banned from performing in public. After eight years of struggle and virtual artistic exile, he was finally granted permission to leave the Soviet Union.

In 1987, he immigrated to the U.S. and played his first American concert in the White House. The same year, he performed in Carnegie Hall, immediately establishing him as a major pianist in the American scene.

A regular guest soloist with every leading orchestra in the United States, Feltsman appears on the most prestigious concert series and music festivals all over the world. He is recognized as one of the most imaginative and insightful artists of our time.

The Symphony YES Youth Exploration Series provides concert experiences for young people between the ages of 8 and 14 and their parents. Tickets are $30 for one parent and one child. Additional children are $10 and parents are $20. Families who purchase the three remaining concerts may purchase them at the subscription price of $75 for a parent and a child. The families get a program book, a short pre-concert talk with Associate Conductor Morihiko Nakahara and will get to meet Maestro Preu at intermission. Symphony YES is made possible by underwriting support from Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

Feltsman will appear on Classical Chat on City Cable 5 at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28. The taping is open to the public and a question and answer period follows. Preu will present the pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available for $15 to $34 in advance without service charge at the Spokane Symphony ticket office, 818 W. Riverside, Suite100, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT or at spokanesympony.org.