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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “AMBASSADOR OF FRENCH MUSIC” PASCAL ROGÉ BRINGS THE BRILLIANCE OF RAVEL TO HONOLULUAll-French concert program highlights the charm of Berlioz and DukasARTISTS: CONCERTS: PROGRAM: TICKETS: Honolulu – Renowned French pianist Pascal Rogé will make his Honolulu Symphony debut in the upcoming all-French concert program featuring masterworks by Dukas, Ravel and Berlioz as the Halekulani MasterWorks series continues on Saturday, March 29 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 4 p.m. Principal Conductor Andreas Delfs returns to the podium for this riveting evening of exquisite music, including the brilliant Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major, Dukas’ mesmerizing Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Berlioz’s inspired Symphonie fantastique. Tickets start from only $21 and are for sale at all Ticketmaster outlets (1-877-750-4400) and Times Supermarkets. Rogé’s name is synonymous with the best playing of French repertory today. He is recognized as one of the great pianists of his generation and as a worldwide ambassador of French music. Rogé exemplifies the finest in French pianism; his playing of Poulenc and Ravel in particular is characterized by its elegance, beauty and delicate phrasing. In the review of Rogé’s recent Ravel recording, Gramaphone Magazine writes: “illuminating, enchanting, a luxuriant version... this is arguably the finest recording of Ravel’ piano works.” Rogé’s interpretation of the two Ravel concertos with Charles Dutoit and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra won both a Grand Prix du Disque and an Edison Award. Ravel began composing the G Major Concerto in 1930. It received its premiere in January 1932, with the composer conducting. Ravel told a newspaper interviewer that this work was a “concerto in the strict sense, written in the spirit of Mozart and Saint Saëns.” “I believe,” said Ravel, “that a concerto can be both gay and brilliant without necessarily being profound or aiming at dramatic effects . . . . In the beginning, I thought of calling my work a ‘divertissement,’ but afterwards considered this unnecessary, since the noun ‘Concerto’ adequately describes the kind of music it contains.” This all-French concert program takes its title from Berlioz’s captivating Symphonie fantastique. Renowned for its brilliantly imaginative orchestration, the work reflects the composer’s fascination with the supernatural. Completed and premiered in 1830 – 100 years before Ravel’s G Major Concerto was conceived – Symphonie fantastique revealed Berlioz as a true original. Composed in 1897, Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice became his defining work. While it received a popular reception at its premiere, Sorcerer’s Apprentice gained universal acclaim when Walt Disney included it in the film soundtrack of “Fantasia.” Children and adults in almost every country around the world can now vividly recall Mickey Mouse as the clumsy yet adorable Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Dukas’ magical, inspired music. Released in 1940, “Fantasia” made Sorcerer’s Apprentice an international classic. More about Pascal RogéPascal Rogé is known as one of the most stylish artists of his generation, both as concert artist and recitalist. A native of Paris, Rogé has performed in almost every major concert hall in the world. In the western hemisphere, orchestral appearances include most notably the symphonies of Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Montréal, Philadelphia, Saint Louis, Seattle, and Toronto; engagements abroad include the BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hallé Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus, all the major London orchestras, Netherlands Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Vienna Symphony, and the Zurich Tonhalle. One of the world’s most distinguished recording artists, Rogé became an exclusive Decca recording artist at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has won many prestigious awards, including two Gramophone Awards, a Grand Prix du Disque and an Edison Award for his interpretations of the Ravel and Saint-Saens concerti. Other recordings include the complete piano works of Poulenc and Ravel, four albums of Satie, two of Debussy, and a Bartók cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra. For the Poulenc Edition in 1999, Mr. Rogé recorded both piano concerti, Aubade and the Concerto Champêtre, all under Charles Dutoit. Several years ago, Rogé began a new and ambitious recording project for Onyx called the Rogé Edition. The first CD, released in 2005, inaugurated his first complete Debussy cycle, including the complete Préludes. The second disc, pianos trios by Chausson and Ravel with violinist Mie Kobayashi and cellist Yoko Hasegawa, was released in 2006. With the Vienna Radio Symphony under Bertrand de Billy, a CD of the Ravel Concerto in G and the Gershwin Concerto in F was recently released on Oehms Classics to unanimous acclaim. In great demand as a recitalist, Rogé appears regularly in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and especially Japan. Recent British engagements include Wigmore Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, The Sage Gateshead and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, where he is a frequent guest of the International Piano Series. His numerous festival appearances include Aldeburgh, Chautauqua, City of London, Grand Teton, Newbury Spring, Saratoga, and the Sintra Festival in Portugal. Concert Conversations – Post-concert DiscussionsConcert Conversations returns for each Halekulani MasterWorks concert at a popular new time: directly after concerts. Along with its move to a later time slot, Concert Conversations has also changed its format to a more informal question and answer period with musicians, guest artists and conductors. It is free to all ticket-holders. The Halekulani MasterWorks series is made possible thanks to the generosity of our season sponsor, the Halekulani Corporation. The Honolulu Symphony also gratefully acknowledges the valued support of Honolulu Advertiser and Servco Lexus. These concerts are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaii and by the National Endowment for the Arts. # # # |
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