23rd edition of the International Festival of ColmarJuly 1 – 14, 2011
Tribute to Jacques Thibaud, violinist (1880-1953)
and to Marguerite Long, pianist (1874-1966)
For the second year in a row, the Festival of Colmar is offering a “double tribute” in honor of two artists, as the names of these two amazing French musicians have been inseparably linked since 1943, the year that the Long-Thibaud International Competition was created in Paris.
This year at the Festival of Colmar, music lovers will have the opportunity to hear not only well-known pieces, but also to discover lesser known scores of this great repertory. Throughout the 25 concerts of the 2011 edition, concertgoers will be able to appreciate the “monuments” of the classical and romantic repertories presented in this rich, varied program: Mozart’s last symphonies, Dvorak’s most famous New World Symphony and Ravel’s Bolero, which also honors Marguerite Long’s friendship with the composer.
The Violin Concertos of Paganini, Brahms, Sibelius, Lalo and Prokofiev as well as the Piano Concertos of Mozart, Chopin and Saint-Saëns will provide the opportunity to hear today’s greats of the international music scene. Stars of the strings Arabella Steinbacher, Vadim Gluzman, Sergey Krylov and Akiko Suwanaï will play alongside keyboard masters Barry Douglas, Louis Lortie, Semyon Skigin, François-Frédéric Guy, Alexander Romanovsky and Cedric Tiberghien, who was the grand prize winner of the 1998 Long competition.
Two outstanding piano recitals have been programmed for the 2011 edition: the incredible occasion to hear and honor two geniuses, Grigory Sokolov and Andras Schiff within the space of a few days! Works by Mozart, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Schumann will be featured during these two exceptional evenings that promise to be memorable.
Loyal to its vocation as a “talent scout,” the Festival will be the occasion for a multitude of up-and-coming young artists to prove themselves or for some, to make their debut…... The presence of the extraordinary Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, under the expert conducting of Marek Janowski, which triumphed at the 2009 Festival, is truly a major event.
The experience of a live classical concert remains irreplaceable because our relationship to music seems to be more instinctive than cerebral. The 2011 edition will no doubt be full of emotion! One of the highlights will most certainly be a concert dedicated to Spain by one of the most famous quartets in the world, Prazak. Conducted by the charismatic American conductor John Neal Axelrod, the illustrious quartet will perform for its first time in Colmar.
A tribute to Jacques Thibaud would not be complete without an acknowledgment of his career as a chamber musician: for more than a quarter century, the violinist was part of a brilliant trio with pianist Alfred Cortot and cellist Pablo Casals. Several chamber ensembles will celebrate the trio’s favorite pieces in 2011. In all likelihood, not less than five concerts will be dedicated to the piano-violin duo, and every musical generation will be represented.
We hope that the diversity and splendor of 2011’s sumptuous program will be as great a pleasure for you to hear as it was for us to create!
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