Sacramento Philharmonic features acclaimed violinist

SACRAMENTO — Rachel Barton Pine returns to the Sacramento Region for the third time since her debut with the Philharmonic in May 2010. At that time she played Prokofiev’s “Concerto for Violin” No. 1 in D Major.

In February 2012 she appeared at the Mondavi Center with the Chamber Soloists Orchestra of New York and proceeded to play all of Mozart’s violin concertos in one evening. Her growing fan base can gather again at the Community Center Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12, to hear her perform Sibelius’ “Violin Concerto” in D Minor.

A popular violinist who enjoyed a meteoric rise in the 1990s, Pine became the first American to capture the gold medal at the Leipzig, Germany-based J.S. Bach International Competition (1992), and followed it up with a bronze medal at the 1993 Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels.

The All Music Guide proclaimed, “Rachel Barton Pine really may be the most charismatic, the most virtuosic and the most compelling American violinist of her generation.”

 

Missionary for music

In both art and life, the young violinist has an extraordinary ability to connect with people. Pine has been lauded as a great interpreter of classical work, and is an avid performer of baroque, renaissance and medieval music.

Her ability to see and appreciate the connecting threads between classical and rock music makes her the perfect bridge between generations of music fans ranging from Van Halen to Led Zeppelin.

In 2009 she formed the six-piece doom/thrash metal band Earthen Grave, which released its debut album in April 2012.

Visitors to her Website, rachelbartonpine.com, can download samples of her playing by choosing either the classical or rock portal. 

 

Sibelius and the cadenza

In 2009, Carl Fischer published the Rachel Barton Pine Collection, a collection of original compositions, arrangements, cadenzas and editions penned or arranged by Pine, which earned her the distinction of being the only living artist and first woman to join great musicians like Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz in Carl Fischer’s Masters Collection series.

The Sibelius “Violin Concerto” in D Minor is noteworthy for, as music critic Jay Stebley describes it, “…  an astonishing cadenza that ends when the orchestra is finally allowed to erupt in full fury. This cadenza and the development that follows show Sibelius’ complete understanding of the instrument. It is never treated as a vehicle simply to display the soloist’s capabilities but to bring him or her to push beyond the zenith of their skills as a musician and to reach deep into their maturity as artists.”  Pine is more than equal to the challenge.

 

Rest of program

Adding to the evening’s musical pleasures will be Nolan Gasser’s “Sonoma Overture,” a work commissioned by Maestro Bruno Ferrandis and the Santa Rosa Symphony to commemorate the grand opening of the orchestra’s new concert home, the Green Music Center, on Sept. 30, 2012.

Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony No. 4″ in E Minor completes the evening. Premiered in 1885, it is a work of immense proportions and depth, described by many critics as the composer’s greatest work. This concert could be a perfect gift for young people — especially from parents or grandparents hoping to attract the next generation to classical music.

 

“Speaking of Music”

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12, ticket-holders are invited to a free informal talk and conversation, one hour prior to the concert. Music Director Michael Morgan will talk with guest artist Rachel Barton Pine about the driving forces and passions that define her career. 

 

Tickets

This concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan, 12, at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, 1301 L St. in Sacramento. Group rates are available by calling 916-732-9045. “Any Concert, Any Time Vouchers” can also be purchased. These vouchers are $169 for four and can be used for Philharmonic concerts on Jan. 12 or April 6 or for Sacramento Opera performances on Feb. 22 or 24. Purchasers can exchange the vouchers for best seats available at the time of exchange. 

To purchase single tickets call the Community Center Theater ticket office at 916-808-5181.

For more information visit sacphil.org.