Executive & Artistic Director
THOR STEINGRABER
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Emanuel Ax, piano
Fantasies
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Generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation
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Sun Nov 3 | 7pm
RUN TIME: 1 hour and 40 minutes,
including a 20-minute intermission
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Program
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major, Op. 27, No. 1 (Quasi una Fantasia)
I. Andante
II. Allegro molto e vivace
III. Adagio con espressione
IV. Allegro vivace
SCHOENBERG: Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11
I. Mässige
II. Mässige
III. Bewegte
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Quasi una Fantasia), Moonlight Sonata
I. Adagio sostenuto
II. Allegretto
III. Presto agitato
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Intermission
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SCHOENBERG: 6 Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19
I. Leicht, zart
II. Langsam
III. Sehr langsame
IV. Rasch, aber leicht
V. Etwas rasch
VI. Sehr langsam
SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
I. Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen; Im Legendenton
II. Mäßig. Durchaus energisch
III. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten
Program Note
The Soraya has proudly hosted many of the world’s greatest pianists. In the classical realm, we’ve welcomed Yuja Wang, Hélène Grimaud, Joseph Kalichstein, Jeremy Denk, Murray Perahia, Fabio Bidini, Jeffrey Kahane, Conrad Tao, Wu Han, Olga Kern and many others, including several Van Cliburn medalists. In the jazz world, there are more, from Chucho Valdés to Jon Batiste.
Few Soraya debuts are as auspicious as Emanuel Ax’s. For the occasion, we opted for a recital format, and he chose the repertoire. We wanted our patrons to have the most complete experience as they welcome this extraordinary artist to the Valley’s Center for the Performing Arts.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director,
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
America’s leading Baroque ensemble unites with mandolin superstar Avi Avital and multi-Grammy® Award-winning soprano Estelí Gomez for a journey to Venice with the most popular pieces of Baroque music: Vivaldi’s groundbreaking violin concertos, interwoven with traditional Venetian gondolier songs from the 1740s.
EMANUEL AX, piano
Born to Polish parents in what is today Lviv, Ukraine, Emanuel Ax moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with his family when he was a young boy.
Ax made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series, and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 1975, he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize.
The 2024-25 Season begins with a continuation of the “Beethoven for Three” touring and recording project with partners Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma, which takes them to European festivals including BBC Proms, Dresden, Hamburg, Vienna, and Luxembourg. As guest soloist, he will appear during the New York Philharmonic’s opening week, which will mark his 47th annual visit to the orchestra. During the season, he will return to: the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; National, San Diego, Nashville and Pittsburgh symphonies; and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A fall recital tour from Toronto and Boston moves west to include San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles, culminating in the spring in Chicago, and his annual Carnegie Hall appearance. A special project in duo with clarinetist Anthony McGill takes them from the West Coast through the Midwest to Georgia, and Carnegie Hall, and in chamber music with Itzhak Perlman and Friends to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Barbara, California. An extensive European tour will include concerts in: Paris; Oslo, Norway; Cologne, Hamburg, and Berlin, Germany; Warsaw, Poland; and Israel.
Ax has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording artist since 1987. Following the success of the Brahms Trios with Kavakos and Ma, the trio launched an ambitious, multiyear project to record all the Beethoven Trios and Symphonies arranged for trio of which the first three discs have been released. He has received Grammy® Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas. He has also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano.
In the 2004-05 Season, Ax contributed to an International Emmy® Award-winning BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust that aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
In 2013, Ax’s recording Variations received the Echo Klassik Award for Solo Recording of the Year (19th Century Music/Piano).
Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and holds honorary doctorates of music from Skidmore College, New England Conservatory, Yale University, and Columbia University.
Conrad Tao & The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in JAZZ
Christopher Rountree, conductor, with musicians from Wild Up
“Rhapsody in Blue” is new again, 100 years later. The Soraya re-creates the rarely performed original 1924 version of the rousing and raucous classic, originally composed by Gershwin for a jazz band, not the orchestral version more commonly performed. Conductor Chris Rountree leads the swinging ensemble, with Conrad Tao at the piano. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra rounds out the evening with more charts from Gershwin and his contemporaries.
You Belong Here
This is your opportunity to belong to something special. Our 2024-25 Members enjoy exclusive experiences, such as the Member Appreciation Night for all Members, special events and artist meet-and-greets (Silver Members and above), private pre-performance artist salons (Silver Members and above), our festive holiday party, the annual Director’s Dinner in 2025 (Platinum Members), and more — as well as priority access to your preferred seats, your very own Members Only Seating Section, and exclusive savings when you select five or more performances. Most importantly, Member benefits are valid all season.
Beyond the benefits, Members drive our mission to present the highest caliber artists who captivate, inspire, and transport our audiences. Here, Members are part of a growing community of arts lovers connected by the joy of shared human experience. Here, Members belong.
About Us
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is an award-winning, 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 and was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers. In 2017, a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian dubbed the venue The Soraya (formerly the Valley Performing Arts Center). A vibrant performance program has served to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents, and further establish The Soraya as one of the top arts companies in Southern California.
The Soraya’s 2024-25 Season boldly advances the immersive sound of big orchestras; the free flow of jazz; an array of dance; and a cultural bounty drawn from the well of world traditions. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.
Located on the vibrant campus of the California State University, Northridge, The Soraya and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication share an integral link that enhances student opportunities in the arts and performing arts. This partnership fosters academic opportunity and artistic excellence, elevating the talents of CSUN’s students.
A $5 million contribution from record producer and former California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb was pivotal in ensuring The Soraya was completed and opened in 2011. For his founding support and in acknowledgment of the integral relationship between the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, Curb is recognized as one of The Soraya’s Cornerstone Benefactors. The relationship between The Soraya and the Mike Curb College continues to grow, with robust offerings for students through master classes, student tickets, concerts of student ensembles, and students appearing alongside renowned artists, such as Wynton Marsalis, Aida Cuevas, and Martha Graham Dance Company.