Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han bring elegance to Russian program Nov. 3
October 13, 2005
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han bring talent, imagination and commitment to their many roles as concert performers, recording artists, artistic administrators, educators and cultural entrepreneurs.
"They form a very dramatic union, capable of captivating audiences with magnetic intensity and powerful interpretations," writes Lera Auerbach, a Russian-born composer whose Sonata No. 1 for Violoncello and Piano is one of three works Finckel and Wu Han plan to perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in Schwab Auditorium on the Penn State University Park campus. The Russian program also features Prokofiev's Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119, and Rachmaninov's Sonata for Piano and Cello in G Minor, Op. 19.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are on sale now at $25 for an adult; $10 for a University Park student; and $19 for a person 18 and younger. For tickets and information, visit www.cpa.psu.edu or phone 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at Eisenhower Auditorium, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; Penn State Tickets Downtown, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays; and Bryce Jordan Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
A performance by the elegant and dynamic married couple is not only a chamber music concert; it's a theatrical event. "When a pair of genuine artists explodes on the stage, exuding not only glamour and theatrical flair but also superb musical insight, the audience's thrill is twofold,"
writes a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The duo‚s performances have been heard in prestigious venues across North America, Europe and Asia. They were named artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2004. They‚re also the founders and artistic directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in California‚s Silicon Valley.
In 1997 Wu Han and Finckel created ArtistLed, the first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company. Their more than half a dozen ArtistLed recordings have been broadly acclaimed. A Time critic called their Tchaikovsky disc "a performance that ranks among the great chamber music recordings of the postwar era." Their Russian classics recording, featuring music by Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, was a BBC Music Magazine "editor's choice."
Apart from their duo work, each performs as a soloist. Finckel is also the cellist of the Grammy® Award-winning Emerson String Quartet.
Patrons who purchase tickets to the concert in advance will receive a free Audio Notes compact disc produced by the musicians. The audio program notes CD includes musical excerpts and comments from the musicians.
Cramer Studio, Inc., sponsors the performance. WPSU is the media partner. Artistic Viewpoints, sponsored by the Center for the Performing Arts Community Advisory Council, provides insight from the duo and is offered free to interested ticket holders one hour before the performance.
Contact: Laura Sullivan (814) 863-6379