May 2022
Repertoire
A. VIVALDI: Four Seasons
F. SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 2, D. 125
Performers
Liza Ferschtman, violin
Franz Schubert Filharmonia
Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor
Programme notes
Alessandrini is one of the most prestigious baroque music experts in the world. His recordings of works by Vivaldi are reference works and it is a luxury for us that he is conducting The Four Seasons along with Dutch violinist Liza Ferschtman. In 1725, Vivaldi published twelve concertos under the title: “The difficult balance between harmony and invention.” They were works in which he posed the classic dilemma between respect for classical composition rules and creative freedom. The first four works of the collection had unprecedented success: four pieces in which a solo violin stands out and, at the same time, different moments of the seasons of the year are described. Not only enjoyed for the freshness and charm of its melodies and for the imitation of the wind, rain or birds, but also for the skill that the composer demonstrated combining effects of all kinds (pizzicatos, glissandos, tremolos …) that they oblige the audience to be permanently attentive.
Alessandrini proposed completing the programme with Schubert’s Second, one of the many jewels of the Viennese composer that only began to be appreciated years after his death. A work that references Beethoven and possibly the happiest of his entire catalogue.
CONCERT DATES
Vivaldi Four Seasons
Biography Liza Ferschtman
Known for her strong musical personality and the versatility of her music, in which she combines powerful dynamism and intense lyricism, Liza Ferschtman has been praised by international music press, the New York Times describes her as “simply revealing”, referring to the “intensity, purity and refined beauty of her performance”, while The Guardian has applauded her “lively musical personality” and “charming lyrical quality”.
Since winning the Dutch Music Award, the most distinguished award for Dutch musicians, in 2006, Liza has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s best orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic and the Brussels Philharmonic, collaborating with such conductors as Jaap van Zweden, Iván Fischer, Stéphane Deneve, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jun Märkl, Frans Brüggen, Neeme Järvi, Otto Tausk, Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Thomas Søndergård.
Liza Ferschtman is also passionate about chamber music and is a regular guest at festivals and concert halls around the world; since 2007 she has been the artistic director of the Delft Chamber Music Festival. Her chamber music partners include Elisabeth Leonskaja, Jonathan Biss, Alisa Weilerstein, Christian Poltéra, Julio Drake, Martin Roscoe, Nobuko Imai, Lars Anders Tomter, Marie Luise Neunecker, Sharon Kam and Amihai Grosz.
The daughter of prominent Russian-Jewish musicians, Liza grew up in a musical environment, taking her first violin lessons as a child with the legendary violinist and family friend, Philip Hirschhorn. After his death, she studied with Herman Krebbers, Ida Kavafian at the celebrated Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and David Takeno in London.