Close Encounters With Music Presents “Rite of Spring”—Rachmaninoff/Stravinsky on Sunday, March 23, 4pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
ALSO MASTERPIECES OF CHAMBER MUSIC AND VOCAL FOLKLORE FROM TCHAIKOVSKY AND MOUSSORGSKY
Two monumental works, two Russian ex-pats of the same aristocratic background—and two divergent extremes. One, a master of nostalgia and a formidable pianist, follows in the footsteps of Chopin. The other, a trailblazer, scandalizer and collaborator of Picasso delights in breaking old molds—though harking back to traditional Russian folk material—and ushers in a new age in music, conceptually aligned with Cubism. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring shocked tout-Paris and sparked riots (scenes from the film Coco Chanel will be shown). Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano was written after a course of hypnotherapy for “composer’s block,” out of which emerged a work of virtuosity and grandeur, with his characteristic flourishes and a Russian Belle Époque sensibility. “Terrifyingly difficult” for the piano, it is a virtual piano concerto—not to downplay the soulful melodic role of the cello! Baritone Enes Pektas joins with Russian folk songs and favorites by Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.
Pianist Michael Chertock comes to the Mahaiwe and Rite of Spring directly from Carnegie Hall, where he joins the Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Franz Welser-Möst on March 19in a Russian symphonic masterpiece by Stravinsky—Pétrouchka, a work he previously recorded with the Cincinnati Symphony. Baritone Enes Pektas brings vocal folklore to the program with Moussorgsky’s political parody in the story of a flea that becomes a government minister as well as the ever popular “Ochi Tchernye” and Tchaikovsky’s “None but the Lonely Heart.” “It’s a program of unceasing dramatic and emotional eloquence,” says artistic director Yehuda Hanani.
Michael Chertock, piano; Yehuda Hanani, cello; Enes Pektas, baritone
Meet the Artists
Michael Chertock made his orchestral debut at the age of 17, performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Andrew Litton conducting and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, performing Duke Ellington’s New World A’Comin’. He has recorded John Alden Carpenter’s Concertino for Piano and Orchestra with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Abbey Road Studio; the Roger Davis Piano Concerto in F, with the Sofia Philharmonic; and the Rhapsodies of Piano and Orchestra of William Perry with the RTE Orchestra of Dublin, Ireland. He has toured Asia with the Boston Pops and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Chertok’s 2003 performance on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Petrouchka with Paavo Järvi turned in rave reviews in Gramophone and American Record Guide. In 2005, he performed Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major with Keith Lockhart and the National Youth Orchestra of London. Later that year, he performed the world premiere of “Jeux Deux” for hyper-piano and orchestra by Todd Machover, commissioned by the Boston Pops expressly for Mr. Chertock and later repeated at MIT and in Portugal. Other conductors he has worked with include James Conlon, Jaime Laredo and Erich Kunzel with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and the Dayton Philharmonic. Festival appearances have been at Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival and Grand Tetons. Additional recordings are Cinematic Piano, Chamber Music of Frank Proto, Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies, Love at the Movies and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Festival Prelude for Organ and Orchestra, on which he was the organ soloist. In 1991, Mr. Chertok was awarded the silver medal at the World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association. He received bachelor and master of music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he is currently chair of the piano department.
Named “one of the most polished performers of the post-Starker generation and a consistently expressive artist” by The New York Times, CEWM artistic director Yehuda Hanani’s charismatic playing and profound interpretations bring him acclaim and reengagements across the globe. He has won wide international recognition as soloist, chamber musician and inspiring pedagogue. His concerto appearances have been with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, San Antonio, New Orleans, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, BBC Welsh Symphony, Irish National Symphony, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Taipei and Seoul symphonies among many other orchestras, and he has toured with I Solisti de Zagreb, conducting from the cello. A frequent guest at Aspen, Bowdoin, Chautauqua, Yale at Norfolk, Great Lakes, Casals Prades, Finland Festival, Ottawa, Oslo, Round Top Institute, Manchester, and the Australia Chamber Music festivals, he has collaborated in performances with preeminent fellow musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Aaron Copland, Christoph Eschenbach, David Robertson, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Repin, Julian Rachlin, Dawn Upshaw, Yefim Bronfman, Eliot Fisk, the Tokyo, Vermeer, Muir, Escher, Ariel, Colorado, and Manhattan quartets. In New York City, he has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Alice Tully, and the Metropolitan Museum. A three-time recipient of the Martha Baird Rockefeller grant, he has inspired scores of cellists as Professor of Cello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and previously served on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. In recognition of his distinguished teaching, he was given the title of honorary professor of the Tianjin Conservatory, China. He now is a member of the faculty of the Mannes College of Music in New York City.
Baritone Enes Pektas is recognized for his rich voice and captivating stage presence. Currently pursuing his graduate studies at the prestigious Mannes School of Music, he also serves as a Resident Artist with Classic Lyric Arts, honing his craft under the guidance of leading vocal and dramatic coaches. A native of Turkey, he completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the Istanbul University State Conservatory, where he laid the foundation for his career in opera and classical music. Since then, he has quickly established himself as a promising talent on the international stage, making his Carnegie Hall debut in 2022. His recent performance credits include Leonidas in Lysistrata, Le Fauteuil in L’enfant et les sortilèges, and a cover of the titular role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Each performance has been met with critical acclaim, showcasing his versatility across a diverse operatic repertoire. In addition to his stage work, he has earned recognition in prestigious vocal competitions: three awards in Turkey and, most recently, the Encouragement Award at the MetropolitanOperaLaffont Competition (New York District), further solidifying his reputation as a rising star.
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TICKET INFORMATION
Single Tickets, $55 (Orchestra and Mezzanine), $30 (Balcony) and $15 for students, are available through the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center or by calling 413-528-0100.
“CEWM patrons have learned that sooner or later they’ll be blindsided by a performance so sublime it will defy explanation.”
— The Berkshire Edge
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Close Encounters With Music
Post Office Box 34
Great Barrington, MA 01230
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NEXT UP
Dalí String Quartet
April 27 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Alongside Beethoven’s Quartet No. 1 Op. 18 and Mendelssohn’s Op. 80 Quartet, this program is infused with striking Latin repertoire: Sonia Morales-Matos’ Divertimento Caribeño No. 3 (dance suites of Caribbean merengue sandwiched around a Cuban bolero) and Astor Pizzolla’s Tango Ballet, a work that paints pictures through rhythms and melodies. The Dalí Quartet is Chamber Music of America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year and the 2019 recipient of the Atlanta Symphony’s esteemed Aspire Award for accomplished African American and Latino Musicians, among other awards. Beethoven’s first of his 16 string quartets contains thematic scaffolding and inspirations from Mozart and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mendelssohn’s Quartet No. 6 in F minor was written in homage to his sister Fanny, shortly after her death and just before his.
“… beautifully prepared program…the Latin American program alternately glimmered and blazed.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Dalí String Quartet: Ari Isaacman-Beck, violin; Carlos Rubio, violin; Adriana Linares, viola; Jesus Morales, cello
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