COURIER JOURNAL
Last night in the Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall, Pinchas Zukerman conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
But the major highlight of the evening was Zukerman playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major. While Zukerman lived up to his status as a rock star of the classical music world, there was much more to the evening. Here are my five takeaways.
In our 70th year, the RPO looks forward to numerous ‘larger than life’ concert series and performances at our three London venues, over fourteen regional residencies, and in our busy schedule overseas. We’re thrilled to begin the New Year with a 16-date tour around the USA with Pinchas Zukerman (in January), visiting cities including Chicago, Tucson, Las Vegas and San Francisco – keep an eye out on Twitter and Facebook (#RPOontour) for updates.
This New Year is especially exciting and significant as we celebrate our 70th anniversary year. As we look to the future with another fantastic year of performances, workshops, recordings and more, John Evans (former editor of Classic FM magazine) takes a look back at some of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2015 highlights.
From what The Guardian’s reviewer described as a “chillingly realised” performance of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle at the Royal Festival Hall to a recording of a new work called A Requiem for Meters, composed for Smart Energy GB’s campaign promoting smart electric and gas meters, 2015 was a typically rich and diverse year for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
There are those who like to maximise their free time. Matthew Trusler, apparently, isn’t one of them. He is a solo violinist, who has played with orchestras ranging from the Philharmonia to the Minnesota. He is the founder of the record label Orchid Classics. In between, he devises projects for the Lenny Trusler Children’s Foundation, a charity for sick newborn babies and infants, which he also founded. So, just occasionally, something has to give. ‘I think the people that I work with are mostly understanding – that if I disappear for a few days, I'm not just being lazy.’
