Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHO: Janina Fialkowska with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: February 3 & 4, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bass Concert Hall
TICKETS: $19-$42
CONTACT: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

AUSTIN SYMPHONY THROWS 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Season Sponsor: JPMorganChase
Concert Sponsor: Bank of America
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and KVET 98.1 FM

"Fialkowska performs with a clarity that sets her apart from the ordinary superstars." - The Toronto Star

Austin audiences will continue to "Experience the Excellence" of the Austin Symphony's 95th concert season on February 3 & 4 with a 250th Birthday Celebration in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Maestro Peter Bay joins the ASO in welcoming superstar pianist Janina Fialkowska to Bass Concert Hall for the fifth concert of the season. Bank of America proudly sponsors this concert.

PROGRAM
Mozart - Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio, K. 384
Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11
Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 "Jupiter"

Maestro Bay begins the evening’s birthday celebration for Mozart with the overture to Wolfgang’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio before welcoming pianist Janina Fialkowska to center stage. The exceptional artistry and brilliant virtuosity of Fialkowska have won her enthusiastic accolades from audiences and critics worldwide. Celebrated for her interpretations of the classical and romantic repertoire, she is particularly distinguished as one of the great interpreters of the piano works of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. Ms. Fialkowska will perform the First Piano Concerto of Chopin with the ASO. The Founding Director of the hugely successful “Piano Six” project, Fialkowska’s career came to an abrupt and dramatic halt by the discovery of a cancerous tumor in her left arm. The artist spent the next two years performing the Ravel and Prokofiev concertos for the left hand, which she transcribed for her right hand. In January 2004, after a successful and rare muscle-transfer procedure, Ms. Fialkowska resumed her two-handed career with a tremendously successful and highly emotional recital in Germany.

The second half of the concert continues the birthday celebration with a performance of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony No. 41 in C Major. The largest and most complex of Mozart’s symphonies, the Jupiter Symphony is a long step beyond the angelic grace usually associated with Mozart's name. Here, he calls upon a more robust spirit, hinting at the grand Romantic symphonies that would come with Beethoven. The symphony is Jupiter-like, for it is frequently jovial, as if the Greek god himself were laughing heartily in the celebratory key of C major. Mozart's 41st Symphony proved inspirational to many composers, especially Haydn, who modeled his 95th and 98th symphonies on the Jupiter.

Concert goers can enjoy "Concert Conversations" with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 pm in the hall. These discussions provide an in-depth look at the composers and works being performed, including commentary on the social climate in which they were composed. The Sinfonietta Orchestra of the Austin Youth Orchestras will also perform Music on the Mezzanine prior to the evening's concert.

Performances for Janina Fialkowska with the Austin Symphony are February 3 & 4, 8:00 p.m. at Bass Concert Hall. Tickets range from $19 to $42. Student rush tickets are also available 20 minutes prior to performance for $5 cash and current student ID. Charge tickets online at www.austinsymphony.org where you will find interactive seating maps, price options and a wealth of concert information. Tickets are also available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 11th & Red River or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).