Wigmore Hall & Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Join For Partnership

London's Wigmore Hall and New York's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) are announcing a new cultural partnership to begin in November 2011. The first CMS-Wigmore Hall residency, comprised of three evening recitals over the period of a week in London, will feature CMS Artistic Directors cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, and Artists of the Society including violinists Ani Kavafian and Arnaud Sussmann, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, and clarinetist David Shifrin.

CMS and Wigmore Hall have co-commissioned Pierre Jalbert to compose a Clarinet Trio for this residency. This was made possible through a generous grant from Linda and Stuart Nelson in honor of David Shifrin, with additional funding from André Hoffmann, president of the Fondation Hoffmann, a Swiss grant-making foundation.

About this new relationship, Wigmore Hall's Director John Gilhooly stated, "We are delighted to establish a cross-Atlantic partnership with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, one of the leading musical institutions in the United States, whose mission is so directly aligned to that of Wigmore Hall. This project will explore some wonderful thematic programs of the German, Russian and clarinet chamber repertoire, as well as the co-commissioned work. We hope in the future to be able to continue to collaborate creatively with CMS on the performance, composition and championing of chamber music at the very highest level."

Chamber Music Society Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han said: "Wigmore Hall has long been regarded as one of the world's preeminent chamber music venues, among the handful of concert halls in which every great musician dreams to perform. The opportunity for the Society to share its signature programming and unique roster of artists with the Hall's devoted listeners has been part of our vision for CMS ever since our arrival. Under the current dynamic leadership of Wigmore Hall's John Gilhooly, everything has fallen into place, and we are all - on both sides of the Atlantic - tremendously excited to see this relationship develop."

The programs are examples of the Chamber Music Society's thematically organized presentations, which have consistently drawn critical praise. The first program will present classic and modern German repertoire, with works by Beethoven, Schumann and the young composer Jörg Widmann (b. 1973), who received the CMS Stoeger Prize for excellence in the field of chamber music composition in 2008. The second presents a wide range of music by Russian-born composers, from the romantic music of Arensky and Rachmaninov to Shostakovich and a work by the young composer Lera Auerbach, written for and dedicated to David Finckel and Wu Han, who will perform her Sonata No. 1. The final program on the series has an instrumental focus, with great classic works for clarinet surrounding the world premiere of the CMS-Wigmore Hall co-commission, a trio for clarinet, violin and piano by another young composer, American Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967) who also received the Stoeger Prize in 2006.

The CMS residency at Wigmore Hall is supported by the American Friends of Wigmore Hall.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
WIGMORE HALL RESIDENCY NOVEMBER 2011
Full Programs
(All programs subject to change)

Program I
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wigmore Hall
ARNAUD SUSSMANN, Violin
PAUL NEUBAUER, Viola
David FinckEL, Cello
ANI KAVAFIAN, Violin
NICOLAS ALTSTAEDT, Cello
WU HAN, Piano
ANNE-MARIE MCDERMOTT, Piano
DAVID SHIFRIN, Clarinet

Beethoven Trio in G major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 9, No. 1 (1797-8)
Sussmann, Neubauer, Altstaedt

Widmann Jagdquartett for Strings (2003)
A. Kavafian, Sussmann, Neubauer, Altstaedt

Schumann Quintet in E-flat major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 44 (1842)
Allegro brillante
In modo d'una marcia, un poco largamente
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Allegro ma non troppo
Wu Han, A. Kavafian, Sussmann, Neubauer, Altstaedt

Program II
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Wigmore Hall
ARNAUD SUSSMANN, Violin
PAUL NEUBAUER, Viola
David FinckEL, Cello
ANI KAVAFIAN, Violin
NICOLAS ALTSTAEDT, Cello
WU HAN, Piano
ANNE-MARIE MCDERMOTT, Piano
DAVID SHIFRIN, Clarinet

Arensky Quartet No. 2 in A minor for Violin, Viola, and Two Cellos, Op. 35 (1894)
Moderato
Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky: Moderato
Andante sostenuto
Sussmann, Neubauer, Altstaedt, Finckel

Auerbach Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano (2002)
Allegro moderato
Lament (Adagio)
Allegro assai
With extreme intensity
Wu Han, Finckel

Shostakovich Concertino for Two Pianos, Op. 94 (1954)
McDermott, Wu Han

Rachmaninov Suite No. 2 in C minor for Two Pianos, Op. 17 (1900-01)
Introduction: Alla marcia
Valse: Presto
Romance: Andantino
Tarantella: Presto
Wu Han, McDermott

Program III
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Wigmore Hall
ARNAUD SUSSMANN, Violin
PAUL NEUBAUER, Viola
David FinckEL, Cello
ANI KAVAFIAN, Violin
NICOLAS ALTSTAEDT, Cello
WU HAN, Piano
ANNE-MARIE MCDERMOTT, Piano
DAVID SHIFRIN, Clarinet

Bruch Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 83 (1909)
Andante
Allegro con moto
Andante con moto
Allegro agitato
Andante
Andante con moto
Allegro vivace, ma non troppo
Moderato
Wu Han, Shifrin, Finckel

Jalbert New Work for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (2011)
A. Kavafian, Shifrin, McDermott

Brahms Quintet in B minor for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 115 (1891)
Allegro
Adagio
Andantino - Presto non assai, ma con sentimento
Con moto
Shifrin, A. Kavafian, Sussmann, Neubauer, Finckel

About Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall has been described by The Times of London as "the greatest chamber-music venue in the world." The proportions and acoustics of the 550-seat hall, situated in the heart of London's West End, make it an ideal and welcoming venue for concerts on an intimate scale.

Since it opened in 1901, the Hall has been an essential port of call for the world's most sought-after soloists and chamber musicians. It also fosters the careers of talented young artists, some of them making their first professional appearances in London. Wigmore Hall presents some 400 events a year, attracting discerning, appreciative and exceptionally loyal audiences, and selling some 150,000 tickets each year at an average price of around £16 (approximately $24USD). Concerts are taken to a national and international audience through a partnership with BBC Radio 3 and through Internet broadcasts; in 2005, the venue's own recording label, Wigmore Hall Live, was launched to great critical acclaim. A lively and wide-reaching Community and Education program involves schools, nursery schools, other education providers, families, individuals and local hospitals in creative workshops, special concerts and study days.

Since 1992, Wigmore Hall has been run by The Wigmore Hall Trust. The Trust is currently chaired by Sir John Tusa and the management team is headed by the Hall's Artistic and Executive Director, John Gilhooly. The Hall is responsible for generating 90% of its income, which it does through ticket sales, the fundraising activities of The Friends of Wigmore Hall (founded 1992) and the Hall's own fundraising work with private individuals, corporations and charitable organizations.

www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

About The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS)
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is one of twelve constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Along with other constituents such as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society has its home at Lincoln Center, in Alice Tully Hall. Through its performance, education, and recording/broadcast activities, it draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind.

CMS presents annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. Performing repertoire from over three centuries, and numerous premieres by living composers, CMS offers programs curated to provide listeners a comprehensive perspective on the art of chamber music. The performing artists of CMS, a multi-generational selection of expert chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. Its annual activities include a full season of concerts and events, national and international tours, nationally televised broadcasts on Live From Lincoln Center, a radio show broadcast nationwide, and regular appearances on National Public Radio's Performance Today.

In 2004, CMS appointed cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han artistic directors. They succeed founding director Charles Wadsworth (1969-89), Fred Sherry (1989-93), and David Shifrin (1993-2004).

www.chambermusicsociety.org