With part of his BBT award American pianist Jonathan Biss has commissioned a new work from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan. The new piece will be premiered by Biss in February 2006 in Portland, Maine and tour throughout the US as well as Italy, Germany, Brussels and France.
English soprano Emma Bell chose to use her BBT award to establish a recording profile with a pair of CDs on Linn Records. The second CD, Handel Operatic Arias, is already attracting excellent reviews and is on sale this month to coincide with her Covent Garden debut in the Royal Opera’s production of Nielsen’s Maskarade. The CD is recorded with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra directed by Richard Eggar and includes arias from Rodelinda, Giulio Cesare and Ariodante amongst others. The first CD, released in 2004, features songs of Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter and Joseph Marx.
To hear excerpts from the two discs please click on our BBT Artists Live website
BBT fellowship monies support Kwartesencja, the Quartet’s own chamber music festival in Warsaw which they founded in 2004. They have just announced the date for the third festival – 8 to 12 November 2006 – which is fast becoming a much anticipated annual event on the Polish musical calendar. Confirmed guests for 2006 are clarinettist Martin Fröst and pianist Angela Hewitt.
www.royalstringquartet.pl
www.kwartesencja.pl
Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat, who is passionate about contemporary music and who takes an academic as well as performing interest in this subject, has just finished recording the complete piano works of John Adams for release on the Naxos label in Autumn 2006.
www.ralphvanraat.com
Korean-American violinist Soovin Kim sets the seal on his association with Paganini by using his BBT award to support a recording of the 24 Paganini Caprices for Azica Records in America, released in February 2006. Kim was just twenty years old when he captured the spectacular first prize at the Niccoló Paganini International Violin Competition in 1996 and was given the honour of performing on “Il Cannone”, Paganini’s rarely played violin.
Dutch soprano Christianne Stotijn’s first CD of a two-CD BBT-supported recording project for Onyx Classics is released 27 February 2006: the songs of Schubert, Berg and Wolf (Fantasies and Dream- figures) with pianist Joseph Breinl. The second CD of Mahler songs will be recorded in April 2006 with pianist Julius Drake, for release in September 2006 to coincide with a major UK performance debut.
www.christiannestotijn.com
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra has confirmed it will co-commission (with the Borletti-Buitoni Trust) a Two Piano Concerto from German composer Detlev Glanert, whose arresting Theatrum Bestiarum won critical acclaim at the 2005 Proms. The world première of the Two Piano Concerto is scheduled for the 2007/8 season.
www.pianoduet.com
The highly acclaimed Leopold String Trio has utilised its Award monies to realise a long held ambition to programme and promote its own concert series. Following the success of Series 1 & 2 in November 2005, the trio embarks on Series 3 & 4 in February 2006 with an intense Russian theme, including the Arensky Cello Quartet with guest artist Natalie Clein. The concerts take place at the Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton (26/28 February) and London’s Wigmore Hall (10 & 11 March).
www.leopoldstringtrio.com
Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra’s BBT Award monies are supporting an ambitious 4-CD recording project with BIS Records featuring rarely performed chamber and concerto music for the cello by Swiss composers Frank Martin, Arthur Honegger and Othmar Schoeck. Recording partners are pianists Kathryn Stott and Julius Drake, and violinist Christian Tetzlaff for the chamber works. The Malmö Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tuomas Ollila will be recording the orchestral repertoire. Recording began in January 2006 and the first CD of Schoeck will be released in Spring 2007.
www.christianpoltera.com
This Korean-born American soprano has made great strides in her international career since her recognition by the BB Trust which has assisted with expenses (travel, photography etc) and introductions for auditions in Europe and the US. For 2006 she will be participating in two new productions premiering in Vienna: as well as a role in Peter Sellars’ new production of Zaide (Vienna, Holland and Mostly Mozart in London and New York).
Martin Fröst commissioned a new clarinet concerto from Finnish composer Kalevi Aho and will perform the world première at the Barbican on 22 April 2006 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by another distinguished Finn, Osmo Vänskä. Shortly following the première he will record the work for BIS with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Vänskä for release in February 2007.
See the Fröst/Aho Commission article for more information »
www.martinfrost.se
BB Trust Project Portfolio And Developments
February 2006
Since its foundation in 2002 the Borletti-Buitoni Trust has made awards and fellowships to 34 young musicians and ensembles, from 18 countries, supporting a growing portfolio of enterprising projects. As well as providing funding for the career-enhancing projects chosen by the the musicians, the BB Trust also provides administrative support, guidance and PR to see the project through to completion.