Performing Arts Series wraps up with return visit by champion violinist Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica Quartet, May 2
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-World-renowned Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer returns to Middlebury College for the finale of the Performing Arts Series season at 3 p.m., Sunday, May 2, in the Concert Hall at the Center for the Arts.
In his 30-year career, Kremer has earned a worldwide reputation as one of the most original and compelling artists of his generation. Traveling with him on this tour is the Kremerata Baltica Quartet, a string quartet that is part of the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra that he founded in 1997 to cultivate young musicians from the Baltic states. Their program will feature two Shostakovich string quartets and Alfred Schnittke’s String Trio.
The appearance is a treat for classical music fans as Kremer is one of the foremost artists of our time. Showering Kremer with praise after one performance with the New York Philharmonic, The New York Times said, “[Kremer] may just be the finest and most versatile violinist of the day.”
Born in 1947 in Riga, Latvia, Kremer has been playing violin since age four. He has performed on most of the major concert stages of Europe and America, alongside celebrated orchestras and leading conductors, including Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Andre Previn, Claudio Abbado and Sir Neville Marriner.
Kremer is known for his extensive repertoire. While he embraces the standard, classical and Romantic violin works, he delights in contemporary compositions by 20th century masters, such as Henze, Berg and Stockhausen. He has a special affinity for modern Russian and Eastern European composers, however his collaborations have brought him together with a wide array of talent, including Alfred Schnittke, Luigi Nono, Aribert Reimann, Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentin Silvestrov and John Adams.
Kremer is a tireless recording artist, having made more than 100 albums, many of which have garnered some of the top honors in the industry, including the Grand Prix du Disque, the Unesco Prize, and the Triumph Prize 2000. He has recorded on several labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Teldec, Sony Classical and Nonesuch.
To cultivate a new repertoire, Kremer founded a summer music festival in the small Austrian village of Lockenhaus in 1981. Chamber musicians from all over the world come together at the intimate, informal gathering, collaborating and creating new music. Festival artists subsequently tour throughout the world.
Kremer tours frequently as artistic director and soloist with the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra. Their performances showcase Kremer’s passions for the classics and contemporary works. At a 2002 concert by Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica, where they presented works by Mozart, Schubert and three living composers from the former Soviet Union, The Washington Post praised their performance as “most imaginative.” The reviewer wrote, “The program was conceived as a sort of dialogue between old and new music.”
In 2002, Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica were awarded a Grammy for their recording “After Mozart” on Nonesuch.
The Center for the Arts is on South Main Street (Route 30). Reserved seating tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for seniors. A pre-performance brunch begins at 1:30 p.m. at Rehearsals Cafe in the Center for the Arts. Reservations are required. For tickets or brunch reservations, call the College Box Office at 802-443-6433. Online tickets and information are available at www.middlebury.edu/arts.
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