By Signe Hammer
Pro Musica is thrilled to welcome back two great favorites, cellist Zuill Bailey, accompanied by pianist Will Ransom, playing on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, at 5pm in St. Paul’s Church. With his rare combination of superb artistry, technical wizardry, and engaging personality, Bailey is one of the world’s best and most sought-after cellists, performing with orchestras in Los Angeles and Chicago, and at top venues and festivals like Carnegie Hall and Ravinia. In Israel, he broadcast and recorded live with Itzhak Perlman conducting the Israel Philharmonic; in Mexico City with the National Symphony Orchestra. His recording of Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemingway” played here last time and won a Grammy for best solo performance.
Bailey grew up in a family of musicians in Northern Virginia and has degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School. He has appeared widely on TV and radio, including a recurring role on the HBO series “Oz.” His cello was made in 1693 by the great Venetian craftsman, Matteo Gofriller.
The Friday, March 17, program starts with the Preludes to Bach’s six Cello Suites. Technically demanding, these suites for solo cello, now considered among Bach’s finest achievements, were little known until Pablo Casals recorded them in the 1930s. Bailey’s recording of the Cello Suites hit number one on the Classical Billboard Charts.
Next up is Mendelssohn’s “Variations Concertantes,” written when the composer was 20 and dedicated to his brother Paul, a cello-playing banker. Chopin’s “Polonaise Brillante” follows, an early work written, he said, as a practice piece for Princess Wanda during a visit to the estate of her father, musician Prince Antoni Radziwiłł. Finally, Elgar wrote down the melody of his “Cello Concerto” upon coming out of sedation after surgery. His last important work, it became a best-seller when Jacqueline du Pré recorded it in 1965, at age 20.
Saturday, March 18, features Grieg’s “Sonata in A Minor.” Dedicated to his brother John and his only cello-piano sonata, it borrows themes from some of his other works and was performed by Piatti and Casals, among others. Boccherini, a virtuoso cellist and composer, wrote his “Sonata in C Major” while working remotely from Spain for King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm ll. He was a skilled cellist and patron who wrote, «Nothing could give me more pleasure … than to receive … your compositions from your own hands.” Next is “Variations in B Minor” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a popular British composer of Sierra Leonian heritage. Sir William Gilbert, of Gilbert and Sullivan, wrote, “Much impressed by the lad’s genius. He is a composer, not a music-maker.” Finally, “Suite” by Gaspar Cassadó, a superb concert cellist and teacher, was made popular by cellist János Starker.
Tickets for the concerts at St. Paul’s are 200, 400, and 600 pesos donation each. They 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 Concert Series
Zuill Bailey, Cello, Will Ransom, Piano
Fri., Mar. 17 & Sat., Mar. 18, 5pm
St. Paul’s Church, calle Cardo
Tickets 200, 400, 600 pesos
www.promusicasma.org
