By Signe Hammer
Pro Musica is thrilled to introduce renowned violinist David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Avery Gagliano, piano. They will play in St. Paul’s Church on Sunday, August 7 at 5pm. Born in Carbondale, Il., Kim started playing the violin at the age of three, began studying at eight with the famed teacher Dorothy DeLay, and finished Juilliard with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In addition to appearing as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he’s been concertmaster since 1999, this past season included teaching and performance residencies and master classes at Dartmouth College, Georgetown, Bob Jones University, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Prague Summer Nights Festival, as well as recitals, speaking engagements, and appearances with orchestras across the U.S.
Kim is also concertmaster of the PBS All-Star Orchestra. He appears in concert with modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty at venues including Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. A distinguished artist at Mercer University’s Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, he frequently serves as an adjudicator at international violin competitions. He plays on two eighteenth-century violins: a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, ca. 1757, on loan from The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Francesco Gofriller, ca. 1735. He also performs on Larsen Strings from Denmark.
The program opens with two sonatas: first, Handel’s last chamber music piece, the great Sonata in D major. Although the provenance of some of his sonatas has been questioned, this one’s slower movements have magnificence and breadth, and its lively movements a particularly hearty English quality that are undeniably Handel. Brahms wrote his Sonata No. 3 in D minor, with its passionate, dramatic opening, during two vacations, with a two-year hiatus in between. He dedicated it to Hans von Bulow, conductor, pianist, friend, and champion.
The second part starts with John Williams’s Theme from the movie, “Schindler’s List.” Upon reading the filmscript, the Oscar and Grammy-winning composer told director Stephen Spielberg, “You need a better composer than I am for this film.” Replied Spielberg, “I know, but they’re all dead!”
Fritz Kreisler was a celebrated violin virtuoso, and the opening of his “Recitativo; Scherzo-Caprice” for unaccompanied violin covers the instrument’s entire range. The Scherzo includes playing two notes simultaneously (double stops). Massenet’s Meditation from the opera “Thaïs,” written for solo violin and orchestra, is performed while the courtesan Thaïs considers whether to turn to God.
Finally, Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy,” based on themes from Bizet’s opera, requires a dazzling variety of techniques, including left-handed string-plucking (pizzicati), rapid double stops, gliding between pitches (glissandi), and bouncing the bow off the strings with each note (spicatti).
Tickets for the concerts at St. Paul’s are 200, 400 and 600 pesos donation, and are on sale through our website, and at the concert 45 minutes before performance time. Details of all Pro Musica’s concerts and Patron Membership are on our website, www.promusicasma.org, or contact us at promusicasma@aol.com.
Pro Musica Summer Concert Series
David Kim, Violin
Avery Gagliano, Piano
Sun., Aug. 7, 5pm
St. Paul’s Church, calle Cardo
Tickets 200, 400, 600 pesos
www.promusicasma.org
