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"Tchaikovsky meets Rachmaninov" will
begin with "For Openers" by Harold Farberman. Deal will also conduct
the symphony in performances of Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme
of Paganini, Opus 43," featuring pianist Yakov
Kasman, and Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky.
Tickets are $29, $27 and $25 in
Springfield and $29 and $27 in Bloomington-Normal. To reserve
tickets call Braden Auditorium at (309) 438-5444 and Sangamon
Auditorium at (217) 206-6160. Additional information on tickets and
seating is available at
www.ilsymphony.org.
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 These concerts are made possible in
part through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, A Supporting
Circle of Friends in Bloomington-Normal and Isringhausen Imports in
Springfield. Guest artist appearances are made possible by Mrs.
Walter F. Brissenden, the Bloomington-Normal Symphony Guild, and
Country Companies Insurance and Financial Services.
[Illinois
Symphony Orchestra news release]
Biographical information
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Mr. Kasman's debut in America in
1997 as silver medalist in the 10th Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition in Fort Worth was the culmination of several competition
triumphs and tours in Europe and the Middle East, including prizes
at the 1991 Valentino Bucchi Competition in Rome, the 1991 London
World Piano Competition, the 1992 Artur Rubinstein International
Competition in Tel Aviv and the 1995 International Prokofiev
Competition at St. Petersburg.
Since his American debut, he has
given concerts in the United States, Russia and Asia, including
recitals in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Paul, Atlanta and Birmingham.
He has appeared as soloist with more than 25 orchestras, including
the Pacific, Syracuse, Memphis, Miami, Fort Worth, Huntsville and
Alabama symphonies; Athens State Orchestra; the Orchestre de Lille
in France; the Singapore Symphony; the National Symphony Orchestra
of Taiwan; and the Moscow Philharmonia Orchestra.
Kasman has nine studio CD recordings
on the Calliope label. His two-CD set of the recordings of the
complete sonatas of Prokofiev was awarded the Grand Prix de la
Nouvelle Academie du Disque in France in 1996. Other CDs include
solo works by Haydn, Scriabin, Stravinsky and Rachmaninov. The
International Piano Quarterly magazine recommended his CD of
Moussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" as one of 14 equally
ranked best in a survey of recordings over the past 75 years. His
recording of Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 and Schnittke's Concerto
for Piano and Strings, released in 2000, received the "Choc du monde
de la musique" award in France, is rated highest for artistry and
sound quality by Classics Today.com, and is referred to as
"superlative" in the American Record Guide. He has also recorded two
CDs with Harmonia Mundi. The most recent, with the Pacific Symphony,
includes Piano Concerto No. 2 by Lukas Foss, released in 2001. Two
Calliope releases in 2002 include the Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto
with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and the Shostakovich
Quintet for Piano and Strings with the Talich String Quartet.
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Pianist Yakov Kasman performs Rachmaninov piece with Illinois
Symphony Orchestra. Born in
the city of Orel, near Moscow, Kasman began his piano studies at the
age of 5. A graduate and postgraduate of the Moscow Conservatory and
previously a professor of piano at the Music College of the
conservatory, he is now assistant professor of piano and
artist-in-residence at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. In
December 2000 he was granted permanent U.S. residency as an
extraordinary artist.
For more information, visit his
website, www.yakovkasman.com.
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