Vladimir Ashkenazy leads The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts featuring his orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition at Severance Hall on March 18 and 20

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut as soloist in Prokofiev’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 1

CLEVELAND, March 5, 2010 ’Äì Vladimir Askenazy, principal conductor and artistic advisor to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and music director of the European Union Youth Orchestra, will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring his orchestration of Mussorgsky’Äôs Pictures at an Exhibition at Severance Hall on Thursday, March 18, and Saturday, March 20, at 8:00 p.m.  Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut in performances of Prokofiev’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 1.

            The program begins with a suite, compiled by Mr. Ashkenazy, from Sergei Prokofiev’Äôs ballet Romeo and Juliet, followed by Prokofiev’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Opus 10. After intermission, the program concludes with Modest Mussorgsky’Äôs Pictures at an Exhibition (transcribed for orchestra by Vladimir Ashkenazy).

            Pianist, chamber musician, and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy has been a welcome guest with The Cleveland Orchestra for more than 40 years.  Since making his Cleveland Orchestra debut as piano soloist in August 1968, he has appeared with the Orchestra in more than 150 concerts.  From 1987 to 1994, Mr. Ashkenazy served as the Orchestra’Äôs principal guest conductor, having conducted the ensemble on a regular basis since his Severance Hall podium debut in 1983.  

For more than two decades, Mr. Ashkenazy has appeared primarily as a conductor, leading orchestras across the world.  He has served as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic (1998 to 2003) and music director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo (2004 to 2007).   In January 2009, he became principal conductor and artistic advisor to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  Mr. Ashkenazy continues his longstanding relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra, of which he was appointed conductor laureate in 2000.  He is also music director of the European Union Youth Orchestra, with whom he tours each year, and conductor laureate of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

            French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet was invited by Sir George Solti to make his debut with the Orchestre de Paris in 1995 and is considered the conductor’Äôs last discovery.  The pianist has maintained a close relationship with Pierre Boulez since their first appearance together with the Orchestre de Paris in 1998.  Among his numerous recital appearances, he performed a cycle of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing during the 2008-09 season.  In 2009, Mr. Bavouzet performed all five Prokofiev concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic.  His recording of Debussy’Äôs complete works for solo piano has won multiple awards.

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            These concerts are sponsored by Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP.

            Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’Äôs appearance as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a contribution to the Orchestra’Äôs Guest Artist Fund from The Gerhard Foundation.

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            The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs 2009-10 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS.  Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients.  Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management.  In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.

UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally.  In addition to its season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra, the firm currently sponsors several other outstanding symphony orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra.  These partnerships reflect UBS’Äôs dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.

            More biographical information on Vladimir Ashkenazy and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet follows at the end of this release. 

TICKET PRICES (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $71, $47; Dress Circle: $93, $55; Balcony: $71, $55, $31.

TICKET SERVICES:

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby.  The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard.  Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.

Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours: 

M-F 9-6

Sat. 10-6

Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs website at clevelandorchestra.com.  The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS:

Concert Previews will be given prior to the March 18 and 20 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Reinberger Chamber Hall.  The Previews, titled ’ÄúOrchestrating Musical Pictures,’Äù will be given by David Rothenberg, professor of music at Case Western Reserve University.  Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert.  This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.

PARKING: 

For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall).  Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee).  The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.

            For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141.  Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs website at clevelandorchestra.com.