From the sublime artistry of 20-year-old violinist Hilary Hahn to the visceral power of Japanese percussion ensemble Kodo to the imaginative melding of new music with a 1928 silent film about Joan of Arc, the 97th season of the Cornell Concert Series brings a world of musical excitement to Ithaca.
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| The Cornell Concert Series brings Japanese percussion ensemble Kodo to Bailey Hall March 13. Ryuichi Okano |
The primary goal of the CCS is to bring to campus world-class musicians who push the envelope in terms of virtuosity, expressivity, new repertoire and new artistic combinations. The second appearance by the women's vocal quartet Anonymous 4 is an example. The sensuous purity of the women's singing of medieval music inspired composer Richard Einhorn to create his oratorio "Voices of Light" with their voices in mind. In this beautiful new oratorio, which will be performed simultaneously with a screening of the 1928 silent film "The Passion of Joan of Arc," Anonymous 4 sing, together, the voice of Joan. Described as "lush," "brilliantly effective" and "moving" by The New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Sun-Times, the oratorio also calls for a large chorus (the Cornell Glee Club and Chorus) and orchestra (the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra). Scott Tucker, director of choral activities at Cornell, will conduct the Feb. 4 performance.
New repertoire and artistic combinations also will be heard from the legendary Moscow Chamber Orchestra. In addition to its signature Russian repertoire, the orchestra's Feb. 24 concert features Italian classical saxophonist Federico Mondelci.
Over the past several years, the CCS also has sought to respond to a segment of its audience that does not draw firm distinctions between classical and other forms of musical artistry. This is evident in the season's first concert, which features the blues of the late Charles Mingus, as played by the politically charged Mingus Big Band, Sept. 16, and in the March 13 performance of Japanese Taiko drummers Kodo.
Even among what were once thought of as traditional Western classical music ensembles, innovation and surprises abound. The St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble will play Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with just 21 players; the Jacques Thibaud String Trio will play Beethoven, Schoenberg and Dohnanyi from memory; and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will showcase its extraordinary new music director, Yuri Temirkanov, with the talents of 17-year-old pianist Lang Lang.
The complete concert schedule follows:
There are eight different subscriptions offered for the 2000-01 season, ranging from all nine concerts to as few as two. Prices range from $24-$192 for adults to $14-$115 for students. The CCS office in 101-D Lincoln Hall is open for subscription sales Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 255-5144. VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.
Tickets to individual concerts are on sale at the ticket center in Clinton House (116 N. Cayuga St.; Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed 2-3 p.m. Saturday; 273-4497 or 1-800-284-8422) and at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; 255-3430). There is no ticket office in Lincoln Hall.
Tickets also can be ordered via the CCS web site at www.arts.cornell.edu/ccs.
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