One of the most celebrated figures in the music world, Midori, returns to Cornell April 30 to perform a program of Mozart, Schubert, Prokofiev and Saint-Saens.
The 25-year-old Japanese violinist, now in her second decade of an extraordinary international career, will perform with her recital partner and mentor, pianist Robert McDonald. Tickets for the 8:15 p.m. performance in Bailey Hall are available at the Lincoln Hall Ticket Office Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 255-5144.
While her talent and poise were praised following her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, they were never more in evidence than at Tanglewood in 1986, when she was forced to change violins twice during a performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade" because strings broke on both her violin and the replacement violin from the concertmaster.
Her performing schedule, balanced between recitals and appearances with the most prestigious symphonic ensembles, annually takes her to the great stages of Europe, North America and the Far East. She last played the Bailey Hall Concert Series in 1992.
In the past several years, McDonald has distinguished himself as the recipient of a number of prizes, including the Gold Medal at the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolonzo, Italy. He has participated at the Marlboro and Caramoor festivals, appeared with the San Francisco and Baltimore symphonies, and has been a frequent recital partner to Isaac Stern and Elmar Olivera.