Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraClick here to go back to the home page

For immediate release:
June 29, 2023
Contact: Julie Goetz, Director of Communications 
(412) 905-9058
jgoetz@pittsburghsymphony.org

MEDIA ASSETS HERE

THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES

"ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, JOHN WILLIAMS & FRIENDS: CELEBRATING ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER AT 60!"

A SUPERSTAR ONE-NIGHT ONLY CONCERT IN PITTSBURGH DECEMBER 12, 2023

FEATURING ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, JOHN WILLIAMS, SUSANNA MÄLKKI, YEFIM BRONFMAN AND PABLO FERRÁNDEZ

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to announce that superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who is celebrating her 60th birthday today, has chosen Pittsburgh for her one-night-only concert on December 12, 2023. “Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Friends: A Celebration” will feature Anne-Sophie Mutter performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with pianist Yefim Bronfman, cellist Pablo Ferrández, and conductor Susanna Mälkki. The second half will feature Anne-Sophie Mutter together with the legendary conductor and composer John Williams for a special program featuring his compositions. Tickets are on sale now at the Heinz Hall Box Office to Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra subscribers and will be on sale to the public on September 29 at 10:00 AM.

“When the idea came to me for a special musical celebration with friends marking the close of my 60th birthday year, I immediately thought it had to be with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. My relationship with this orchestra goes back 30 years and it is the closest artistic relationship I have with an American orchestra. It’s always a joy to work with these amazing musicians and Manfred Honeck whether in Pittsburgh or on tour. It’s also deeply meaningful that André Previn—who played an important part in my life—was music director of this great orchestra and introduced me to John Williams,” said Anne-Sophie Mutter.

“Anne-Sophie Mutter is one of the most extraordinary musicians in the world with whom the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has long enjoyed fruitful collaborations—from Pittsburgh to Carnegie Hall and throughout Europe—and a deep friendship. We are delighted to wish her the happiest of birthdays and honored that she has chosen the Pittsburgh Symphony to share this gift of exceptional musicmaking,” said Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

“I am touched that Anne-Sophie has chosen to mark such a special birthday with our beloved musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony. And together with such a group of superb guest artists and friends, this will undoubtedly be a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. An artist in a class of her own, Anne-Sophie has been such a dear friend to me and the Pittsburgh Symphony for many years. I am excited that our audience will get to share and celebrate such a special occasion with her,” said Manfred Honeck, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The December 12, 2023, concert “Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Friends: Celebrating Anne-Sophie Mutter at 60!” will be performed in two parts:

TICKETS: Tickets ($40-$150) are on sale now to Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra subscribers at the Heinz Hall Box office. Subscribers should contact their Patron Service Representative (PSR) or call the Box Office at 412.392.4900 to be connected to their PSR. Tickets will go on sale to the public on September 29, 2023, at 10:00 AM.

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, JOHN WILLIAMS & FRIENDS: A CELEBRATION
Heinz Hall
December 12, 2023, at 7:30 P.M.
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Susanna Mälkki, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, piano
Yefim Bronfman, cello
John Williams, conductor

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER is a musical phenomenon. For 47 years the virtuoso has been a fixture in all the world’s major concert halls, making her mark on the classical music scene as a soloist, mentor and visionary. The four-time Grammy® Award winner is equally committed to the performance of traditional composers as to the future of music.

In the year she turns 60, Anne-Sophie Mutter’s concerts reflect the violinist’s musical versatility and her peerless rank in the world of classical music. Numerous compositions dedicated to her fill her 2023 concert calendar; in many countries, these works will be programmed for the first time. At the turn of the new year, Anne-Sophie Mutter and her “Mutter’s Virtuosi” have toured Iceland, the USA and Canada. The programmes included the Concerto in A-major Op. 5 No. 2 by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, Unsuk Chin’s Gran Cadenza (commissioned by Mutter), Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B-minor Op. 3 No. 10 and his Four Seasons.

In addition to a recently completed European tour in June 2023, Anne-Sophie Mutter and her “virtuosi” tour Europe again in August/September 2023. The repertoire includes three works by J. S. Bach: his Violin Concerto No. 1 in A-minor, the Double Concerto for Two Violins and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G-major. These are complemented by the Nonet by André Previn, a work dedicated to the violinist, as well as the Concerto for 3 Violins in F major, RV 551 by Antonio Vivaldi and the Concerto in A-major Op. 5 No. 2 by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges. Fourteen string players and Knut Johannessen at the harpsichord will perform these three tours under the leadership of Anne-Sophie Mutter. In the USA, she performs Thomas Adès’ Air – Homage to Sibelius, a work she co-commissioned and premiered at the Lucerne Festival in 2022 together with the composer. Her musical partners are the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons.

A European chamber music tour is also planned: Johannes Brahms’ Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in D-minor Op. 108, Clara Schumann’s Three Romances Op. 22 for Violin and Piano, Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ghost Trio” and Sebastian Currier’s Ghost Trio (dedicated to the violinist) will be performed by Mutter with Lambert Orkis and the cellist Maximilian Hornung. Ghost Trio will be performed in Europe for the first time on these occasions.

Another musical focus in 2023 is the oeuvre of John Williams: Mutter will perform his Violin Concerto No. 2, dedicated to her, as well as a selection of the virtuoso film music adaptations Williams created especially for her in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the USA; the American performances will be conducted by the composer himself.

Anne-Sophie Mutter concludes the year 2023 performing Krzysztof Penderecki’s Violin Concerto No. 2 “Metamorphosen” in honor of the 90th birthday of the composer, who passed away in 2020. She will play this work, which is also dedicated to her, in Poland and Israel together with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrey Boreyko.

SUSANNA MÄLKKI is sought-after at the highest level with symphony orchestras and in opera houses worldwide. She appears regularly with top orchestras throughout Europe and North America; Helsinki Philharmonic, where she is Chief Conductor Emeritus and was Chief Conductor from 2016 until 2023, Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she was Principal Guest Conductor from 2017 until 2022, Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, the Münchner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Berliner Philharmoniker. By invitation of Pierre Boulez, Mälkki was also the Music Director of the Ensemble intercontemporain from 2006-2013.

Equally in demand with major opera houses, past notable appearances include at the Opéra national de Paris, Teatro alla Scala Milan, the Wiener Staatsoper, The Metropolitan Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu and The Royal Opera House, London, where she conducted Saariaho’s Innocence, which Mälkki premiered in 2021 at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Upcoming operatic titles show Mälkki’s versatility in the artform; Janáček’s The Makropulos Case at the Opéra national de Paris, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Faure’s Penelope and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

Recognised for her significant contribution to the art form, Mälkki was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland – one of Finland’s highest honours – in 2011. She has been awarded as Officier (2014) and Commandeur (2022) de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France and in January 2016 was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in France. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a member of the Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien in Stockholm. In October 2016 she was named Musical America’s 2017 Conductor of the Year, and in November 2017 she was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize.

YEFIM BRONFMAN is internationally recognized as one of today's most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. His commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike.

Following summer festival appearances in Verbier and Salzburg and on tour with mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena, the 2022/2023 season begins with the opening week of the Chicago Symphony followed by return visits to New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh, Houston, Philadelphia, New World, Pacific, Madison, New Jersey, Toronto and Montreal symphonies. In Europe he will tour with Rotterdam Philharmonic and can also be heard with Berlin Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk (Munich), Bamberg, Dresden Staatskapelle, Maggio Fiorentino and Zurich Opera orchestras.

Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists, in 2010 he was further honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University and in 2015 with an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.

PABLO FERRANDEZ is prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and SONY Classical exclusive artist, Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro). A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El Pais). He has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation.

His debut album under SONY Classical, “Reflections,” released in 2021, was highly acclaimed by the critics and praised with the Opus Klassik Award. In Fall 2022 Pablo Ferrández released his second album, which comprised the Brahms Double Concerto, performed with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the Czech Philharmonic under Manfred Honeck, as well as Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, performed with Ms. Mutter and Lambert Orkis, also receiving rave reviews.

Recent highlights included appearances with LA Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl, Czech Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Oslo Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Bayersichen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Konzerthaus Orchester, Tonkuenslter Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Israel Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic. Ferrández toured last season with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the London Philharmonic under Ed Gardner, with Munich Philharmonic under Myung-whun Chung, and with the Antwerp Symphony under Elim Chan. He is also frequently invited to international renown festivals such as Verbier, Salzburg, Dresden, Sion, Dvorak Prague Festival, Grant Park and Jerusalem, among others.

The 2023/2024 season brings the debut at the new David Geffen Hall in New York with the Orquesta del Teatro Real, and also with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege, Stavanger Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur, the returns to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dusseldorf Symphony, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra National de France, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, and the tours with the Spanish National Orchestra, as well as with the Czech Philharmonic under S. Bychkov in Japan and Europe, performing Dvorak Cello Concerto.

Born in Madrid in 1991, in a family of musicians, Pablo Ferrández joined the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía when he was 13 to study with Natalia Shakhovskaya. After that he completed his studies at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and became scholar of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. Mr. Ferrández plays the Stradivarius “Archinto” 1689, on a generous life-long loan from a member of the Stretton Society.

JOHN WILLIAMS has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage in a career that has spanned five decades. He has served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country’s treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Williams has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, a KBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal, the Olympic Order, five Academy Awards, 53 Oscar nominations, and numerous Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

John Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films. His 50-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, five Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, Munich, Hook, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Empire of the Sun, The Adventures of TinTin, The BFG and War Horse. Their latest collaboration, The Fabelmans, was released in 2022. Mr. Williams has composed the scores for all nine Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman: The Movie, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone, Nixon, The Patriot, Angela’s Ashes, Seven Years in Tibet, The Witches of Eastwick, Rosewood, Sleepers, Sabrina, Presumed Innocent, The Cowboys and The Reivers, among many others.

In addition to his activity in film and television, Mr. Williams has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies, and concertos for flute, violin, clarinet, viola, oboe and tuba. His cello concerto was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood in 1994. Mr. Williams also has filled commissions by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic entitled The Five Sacred Trees, a trumpet concerto for the Cleveland Orchestra, and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Seven for Luck, a seven-piece song cycle for soprano and orchestra based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, was premiered by the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood in 1998. Williams composed his second violin concerto especially for Anne-Sophie Mutter, which they premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 2021.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, now in its 127th season, is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Known for its artistic excellence for more than a century, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been led by its worldwide acclaimed Music Director Manfred Honeck since 2008; past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1997-2004). The Pittsburgh Symphony is continually at the forefront of championing new American works. The Orchestra premiered Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944, John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” in 1986, and Mason Bates’ “Resurrexit” in 2018 to celebrate Manfred Honeck’s 60th birthday. The two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and live radio broadcasts. Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have received multiple GRAMMY® nominations for Best Orchestral Performance, taking home the award in 2018 for their recording of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been broadcast on the radio. The orchestra has received increased attention since 1982 through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Lauded as the Pittsburgh region’s international cultural ambassador, the orchestra began regular touring in 1896 and has embarked on scores of domestic and international tours. In the summer of 2022, Music Director Manfred Honeck led the orchestra on an extensive and highly acclaimed tour of Europe, celebrating 75 years of international touring for the Orchestra.