MUSIC, MARTINIS…AND THE CONCERTMASTER!
Jenine Baines
April 27, 2008
SAN MARINO, Ca. Except for the conductor, there is probably no more important member of an orchestra than the concertmaster, the leader of the first violin section. In addition to playing any violin solos in an orchestral work – unless a guest violinist has been invited for a specific concerto – the concertmaster is often most recognizable as the musician who leads the orchestra in tuning before rehearsals and concerts.
On Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m., the California Philharmonic will offer devotees of its popular chamber music series at the Green Hotel in Pasadena – "Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro" – a chance to meet not only Maestro Victor Vener but concertmaster Pavel Farkas as well. Joining Farkas at this afternoon of cocktails, discussion and music are Cal Phil principal oboist Francisco Castillo, Cal Phil principal cellist Dennis Karmazyn, and pianist Stephen Moore for a program that will include Mendelssohn´s Trio No. 1 for violin, cello and piano – a work which so thrilled composer Robert Schumann that, after hearing it, he hailed Mendelssohn as "the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most illuminating of musicians" – and Martinu´s Quartet for Oboe, Cello, Piano and Violin.
"The trio is one of Mendelssohn´s most popular works for chamber ensembles," says Maestro Victor Vener, Music Director of the California Philharmonic. "And, since this program features Pavel Farkas, who was born in Slovakia, I can´t think of a more exciting work for us to hear than the quartet by Martinu. Martinu is widely considered the heir to Dvorak, the Czech national composer."
It´s this type of ´up close and personal touch´ to the programming that particularly captivates longtime devotees of Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro, says Grace Thompson, General Manager. "I´m especially looking forward to this upcoming concert," Thompson confesses. "It´s not often you get to hear a concertmaster share his thoughts about his career, the world of music and the music he´ll perform."
"And Pavel Farkas is not just any concertmaster," adds Vener. "His artistry as a soloist has captivated audiences worldwide – in Russia, Germany, Holland, Japan and China."
Farkas first stepped into the role of concertmaster when he only 22 years old, serving as concertmaster of the Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra in his native Czechoslovakia. Since that time, he has been concertmaster of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, the Dutch Broadcasting Orchestra, the Orquesta Nacional de Mexico and the touring companies of both the Bolshoi and Joffrey Ballets. A co-founder of the Pacific Symphony, Farkas has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Slovakian Chamber Orchestra.
The violinist´s career is not limited, however, to concert halls. As a freelance musician, he has recorded for Grammy winners Whitney Houston, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Barry White, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and Police, among many others.
"Listen closely and you´ll also hear Pavel on the soundtracks of Ghost, Dances with Wolves and Titanic, which we´re performing at ´Movie Magic´ during our summer season on August 9 and August 10," says Vener.
Farkas´ colleagues appearing with him at "Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro" are equally illustrious. Francisco Castillo – a professor of oboe at Redlands University as well as principal oboist of Cal Phil – has performed with such orchestras as the San Diego Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony and the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. Castillo also leads an active life as a composer. A winner of the Costa Rica National Prize in composition, he was commissioned by the Pasadena Arts Council to compose Concerto for Pasadena; in 1988, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet premiered his Woodwind Quintet, Op 22, No. 1. In addition, audiences around the world heard his composition commemorating the celebration of the 1994 World Cup, Fanfare for a Soccer Championship.
Since making his professional debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra when he was only 16 years old, cellist Dennis Karmazyn has appeared as a soloist with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony, earning praise from the New York Times for his "brilliance and sparkle, subtle tone, command, intensity and breadth." A student of the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Karmazyn was selected by Yehudi Menuhin to appear in concert with him at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York and has performed at major music festivals throughout North America and Europe.
Pianist Stephen Moore has performed worldwide as both a soloist and chamber musician. As well as being a teacher – Moore served as associate professor at Oberlin Conservatory from 1998 to 2005 and, today, is Associate Professor, Performance Specialist/Piano at California State University in Dominguez Hills – the renowned pianist and clinician has co-authored two books, "The Rhythm Inside" and "Rhythm One-on-One."
"Perhaps we should change the name to ´The Concertmaster and the Masters of the Concert Hall," laughs Grace Thompson. "Pavel, Francisco and Dennis are three of the most gifted and exciting musicians performing anywhere in the world today. Cal Phil – and our community – are so very fortunate to have them in our midst."
Tickets for Cal Phil Music, Martinis, and the Maestro start at just $30/person. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200. The box office is located at 1120 Huntington Drive in San Marino and is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Green Hotel is located at 50 East Green Street in Pasadena.
In 1995, Music Director and Conductor Victor Vener and a small group of enthusiastic, dedicated music lovers based in Pasadena, California founded the The CalPhil Foundation. The Foundation, a nonprofit community benefit organization, supports the California Philharmonic in its quest to expand awareness of classical music, thus increasing the interest and support for great timeless music with wide audience appeal, from the classical and operatic repertoire to diverse genres of jazz, pops, Hollywood and Broadway. Also, with a strong commitment to new music and to expanding the symphonic repertoire, the California Philharmonic has presented numerous world premieres of both orchestral and chamber works.
The California Philharmonic began regular programming in 1997 with a five-concert inaugural summer season of Cal Phil Festival on the Green on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. Now, Cal Phil presents twenty-four concerts per year in five different, but equally impressive, venues throughout Los Angeles County. These series include Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall (downtown Los Angeles), Cal Phil at the Ambassador (Pasadena), Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro (Castle Green Hotel in Pasadena) and Cal Phil at The Mill (The Old Mill in San Marino). For more information, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200.
On Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m., the California Philharmonic will offer devotees of its popular chamber music series at the Green Hotel in Pasadena – "Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro" – a chance to meet not only Maestro Victor Vener but concertmaster Pavel Farkas as well. Joining Farkas at this afternoon of cocktails, discussion and music are Cal Phil principal oboist Francisco Castillo, Cal Phil principal cellist Dennis Karmazyn, and pianist Stephen Moore for a program that will include Mendelssohn´s Trio No. 1 for violin, cello and piano – a work which so thrilled composer Robert Schumann that, after hearing it, he hailed Mendelssohn as "the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most illuminating of musicians" – and Martinu´s Quartet for Oboe, Cello, Piano and Violin.
"The trio is one of Mendelssohn´s most popular works for chamber ensembles," says Maestro Victor Vener, Music Director of the California Philharmonic. "And, since this program features Pavel Farkas, who was born in Slovakia, I can´t think of a more exciting work for us to hear than the quartet by Martinu. Martinu is widely considered the heir to Dvorak, the Czech national composer."
It´s this type of ´up close and personal touch´ to the programming that particularly captivates longtime devotees of Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro, says Grace Thompson, General Manager. "I´m especially looking forward to this upcoming concert," Thompson confesses. "It´s not often you get to hear a concertmaster share his thoughts about his career, the world of music and the music he´ll perform."
"And Pavel Farkas is not just any concertmaster," adds Vener. "His artistry as a soloist has captivated audiences worldwide – in Russia, Germany, Holland, Japan and China."
Farkas first stepped into the role of concertmaster when he only 22 years old, serving as concertmaster of the Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra in his native Czechoslovakia. Since that time, he has been concertmaster of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, the Dutch Broadcasting Orchestra, the Orquesta Nacional de Mexico and the touring companies of both the Bolshoi and Joffrey Ballets. A co-founder of the Pacific Symphony, Farkas has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Slovakian Chamber Orchestra.
The violinist´s career is not limited, however, to concert halls. As a freelance musician, he has recorded for Grammy winners Whitney Houston, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Barry White, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and Police, among many others.
"Listen closely and you´ll also hear Pavel on the soundtracks of Ghost, Dances with Wolves and Titanic, which we´re performing at ´Movie Magic´ during our summer season on August 9 and August 10," says Vener.
Farkas´ colleagues appearing with him at "Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro" are equally illustrious. Francisco Castillo – a professor of oboe at Redlands University as well as principal oboist of Cal Phil – has performed with such orchestras as the San Diego Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony and the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. Castillo also leads an active life as a composer. A winner of the Costa Rica National Prize in composition, he was commissioned by the Pasadena Arts Council to compose Concerto for Pasadena; in 1988, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet premiered his Woodwind Quintet, Op 22, No. 1. In addition, audiences around the world heard his composition commemorating the celebration of the 1994 World Cup, Fanfare for a Soccer Championship.
Since making his professional debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra when he was only 16 years old, cellist Dennis Karmazyn has appeared as a soloist with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony, earning praise from the New York Times for his "brilliance and sparkle, subtle tone, command, intensity and breadth." A student of the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Karmazyn was selected by Yehudi Menuhin to appear in concert with him at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York and has performed at major music festivals throughout North America and Europe.
Pianist Stephen Moore has performed worldwide as both a soloist and chamber musician. As well as being a teacher – Moore served as associate professor at Oberlin Conservatory from 1998 to 2005 and, today, is Associate Professor, Performance Specialist/Piano at California State University in Dominguez Hills – the renowned pianist and clinician has co-authored two books, "The Rhythm Inside" and "Rhythm One-on-One."
"Perhaps we should change the name to ´The Concertmaster and the Masters of the Concert Hall," laughs Grace Thompson. "Pavel, Francisco and Dennis are three of the most gifted and exciting musicians performing anywhere in the world today. Cal Phil – and our community – are so very fortunate to have them in our midst."
Tickets for Cal Phil Music, Martinis, and the Maestro start at just $30/person. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200. The box office is located at 1120 Huntington Drive in San Marino and is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Green Hotel is located at 50 East Green Street in Pasadena.
In 1995, Music Director and Conductor Victor Vener and a small group of enthusiastic, dedicated music lovers based in Pasadena, California founded the The CalPhil Foundation. The Foundation, a nonprofit community benefit organization, supports the California Philharmonic in its quest to expand awareness of classical music, thus increasing the interest and support for great timeless music with wide audience appeal, from the classical and operatic repertoire to diverse genres of jazz, pops, Hollywood and Broadway. Also, with a strong commitment to new music and to expanding the symphonic repertoire, the California Philharmonic has presented numerous world premieres of both orchestral and chamber works.
The California Philharmonic began regular programming in 1997 with a five-concert inaugural summer season of Cal Phil Festival on the Green on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. Now, Cal Phil presents twenty-four concerts per year in five different, but equally impressive, venues throughout Los Angeles County. These series include Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall (downtown Los Angeles), Cal Phil at the Ambassador (Pasadena), Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro (Castle Green Hotel in Pasadena) and Cal Phil at The Mill (The Old Mill in San Marino). For more information, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200.
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