Venue: Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
Conductor and soloist: John Storgårds
Date: 14 August 2017
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Double threat John Storgårds (photo at right) has built a thriving reputation as both violinist and conductor, and, as you might expect, it’s not unusual for him to program violin concertos. He celebrates his debut at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival this summer with Weill’s Concerto on a bill with works by Poulenc and Mendelssohn. In 2016, he performed and conducted Weill’s Concerto twice, once with the BBC Philharmonic–where he serves as Chief Guest Conductor–and in his home town of Helsinki.

Every summer, a star-studded roster of musicians brings a chamber music invasion to Santa Fe. The Festival marks its 45th anniversary this year. Performances of Weill’s music have been infrequent but notable–most recently in 2007, when HK Gruber lent his gifts as chansonnier to a program of Weill songs, accompanied by Festival director Marc Neikrug at the piano. Weill’s songs were also given airings in 1990, 1993, and 2000. Weill aficionados will remember the summer of 1993 in particular, when Santa Fe Opera gave a double bill of his early one-act operas, Der Protagonist and Der Zar lässt sich photographieren. That same summer, the Chamber Music Festival gave three Weill concerts during “Kurt Weill Week,” which also featured a symposium and one of the first board meetings of the Kurt Weill Edition.

Weill’s Violin Concerto was last heard in Santa Fe in 2009, with solist Cármelo de los Santos and Santa Fe Pro Musica. If you’re anywhere near Santa Fe this month, don’t miss a chance to see and hear a group of top-flight performers offer it again.

Features

Learn more about Weill’s Violin Concerto

Learn more about Der Protagonist

Learn more about Der Zar lässt sich photographieren