Leonidas Kavakos starts as Artistic Director of the Camerata Salzburg
With the beginning of the 2007/8 season, Leonidas Kavakos will start in his new position as Artistic Director of the Camerata Salzburg. His official inaugural concert will take place on October 5 at Mozarteum Salzburg.
Having held the position of Principal Guest Artist of the orchestra for six years, Kavakos was appointed in August 2006 to succeed Sir Roger Norrington as Artistic Director of the Camerata Salzburg. His contract will run for a period of five years. Kavakos first appeared as soloist with the Camerata, an orchestra that can look back at 50 years of rich tradition, in 1996 under the baton of Sándor Végh.
On his artistic directorship, Leonidas Kavakos notes: "Ever since my first concerts with the Camerata Salzburg conducted by their great founder, Sándor Végh, I have always loved the flexibility of this ensemble as well as the virtuosity of the players and their willingness to take musical risks. It is a combination of qualities which creates unlimited possibilities of interpretation; a fantastic challenge. It fills me with great pride to be following such distinguished musicians as Sándor Végh and Sir Roger Norrington as Artistic Director of the Camerata Salzburg and I look forward to many years of inspired music-making."
Dr. Anne-Marie Sigmund, President of the Camerata Salzburg commented: "For me, Leonidas Kavakos is an exceptional musician. And I see the Camerata Salzburg as a jewel in the world of orchestral music. I expect the collaboration between this superb orchestra and this unique musician will only intensify when Kavakos becomes Artistic Director and will prove to be deeply fulfilling and enduring."
In addition to Kavakos' two abonnement concerts in Salzburg and the Camerata's appearance at the Salzburg Mozartwoche in the forthcoming season, Leonidas Kavakos will take the orchestra on tour to Italy and will also perform with them in Vienna, Maribor and Athens. The Camerata Salzburg's own festival, "Begegnungen", which can be loosely translated as "encounters", will take place once again in May 2008. This will be the first festival under Leonidas Kavakos' direction and the festival programme will focus on the topic "nature". The orchestra and Kavakos have so far toured Austria, Germany and Spain as well as performed at the Salzburg Festival and the BBC Proms in London to great critical acclaim. In June 2006, Sony Classical released a recording in which Kavakos played and conducted the complete Mozart violin concerti and Mozart's Symphony No.39. Click on the links below to hear extracts from the disc:
Symphony No.39 in E flat, first movement
Violin Concerto No.5 in A major, third movement
Leonidas Kavakos and Camerata Salzburg - Tour dates:
2007
4 September, Spiekeroog, Musikfest Bremen
Mozart: Symphony A major KV 201
Mozart: Violin concerto G major KV 216
Mozart: Symphony C major "Linzer" KV 425
4 October, Maribor, Narodni Dom
Bach: Violin concerto E major BWV 1052
Janácek: Suite for string orchestra
Schubert/Mahler: Der Tod und das Mädchen
5/7 October, Salzburg, Mozarteum
Janácek: Suite for string orchestra
Schumann: Cello concerto a minor op. 129 (Jian Wang, cello)
Schubert: Symphony No. 2 B flat major D 125
11 October, Milan, Conservatorio
Bach: Violin concerto E major BWV 1052
Janácek: Suite for string orchestra
Schubert/Mahler: Der Tod und das Mädchen
12 October, Genoa, Teatro Carlo Felice
see 11 October
13 October, Modena, Teatro comunale
see 11 October
14 October, Turin, Conservatorio G. Verdi
see 11 October
3/4 December, Vienna, Konzerthaus
Mozart: Symphony C major KV 338
Mozart: Piano concerto G major KV 453 (Oleg Maisenberg, piano)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 B flat major op. 60
2008
26 January, Salzburg, Mozarteum, Mozartwoche
Mozart: Violin concerto No. 1 in B Flat major KV 207
Bartók: From Two Portraits , Op. 5 (no. 1)
Lutoslawski: Musique Funèbre
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Symphony D major op. 107 "Reformation"
20/21 February, Thessaloniki/Athens, OMMA
Mozart: Symphony C major KV 425 "Linzer"
Haydn: Symphony D major Hob. I:104
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Symphony G minor op. 56 "Scottish"
22 February, Landau, Jugendstil-Festhalle
see 20 February
25/27 April, Salzburg, Mozarteum
Haydn: Symphony D major Hob. I: 104
Mozart: Symphony E flat major KV 543
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Symphony G minor op. 56 "Scottish"
Festival Begegnung, Salzburg, Mozarteum
16 May
Camerata Salzburg
Leonidas Kavakos conductor
Dénes Várjon piano
Honegger: Pastoral d´été pour petit orchestre
Beethoven: Sonate for Piano No. 17 d minor op. 31/2 "The Tempest"
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, F major op. 68 "Pastorale"
17 May
Camerata Salzburg
Benjamin Schmid, violin
Respighi: Gli uccelli ("The Birds")
Respighi: Poema autunnale
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons op. 8
18 May
Camerata Salzburg
James Gaffigan, conductor
Hiro Kurosaki, violin
Florian Birsak, harpsichord
Telemann: Ouverture C major (Water Music )
Biber: Sonata Violino Solo Representativa
Schumann: Symphony No. 1 B major op. 38 "Spring"
Press Quotes
Sony Recording / Mozart Violin Concertos Nos 1-5, Symphony in E flat, K543
"Kavakos presides over the performances as conductor and soloist. He sets the tone for his interpretations in a buoyant but graceful account of the concerto No.1. The violinist refines his tone to a slender thread of beautifully focused tone. His playing is as refined as the sound of his violin. Kavakos has a phenomenal control of his instrument; every rapid figuration is articulated with remarkable clarity."
Courier-Post, April 2007
"Kavakos has just been appointed Artistic Director of the Camerata Salzburg, and this set of the violin concertos, recorded live, seals the relationship in style. Kavakos may be a virtuoso, but his musical treatment of the two masterpieces, Nos 4 and 5, is masterly, his "singing" legato a consistent pleasure. There is great variety in his dynamics and his direction of the band strikes an excellent balance with the exquisite wind solos. A grand account of the great E flat major symphony suggests he will be as formidable a director of this superb chamber orchestra as he is a soloist."
The Sunday Times, September 2006
Concertgebouw Amsterdam / Mahler & Schubert
"Kavakos obviously enjoys a good relationship with the members of the Camerata Salzburg. Together they gave an object lesson in relaxed music making. The sound spectrum in Mozart's Fourth Violin Concerto with Kavakos both playing and conducting, took on a whole range of subtle undertones. And in Gustav Mahler's orchestral version of Schubert's Death and the Maiden, he whipped his elite band up to diabolical fireworks. As a conductor as well, Kavakos is a remarkable musician."
Volkskrant, October 2006
BBC Proms 2006 / Mozart & Haydn
"…I was utterly enchanted by Camerata Salzburg's elegant performance of Mozart and Haydn under Leonidas Kavakos. Unlike many violinist-directors, Kavakos has an ear for the bass-line, and a real understanding of the inner harmonies that support and shape the progress of a melody. Mozart's earliest symphony, with its blushing dissonances for the oboes and gentle cello figures, had a delectable plumpness around its middle, while the G Major Concerto, with its ravishing aria and witty rondo, was indefatigably stylish. This is a very happy marriage of ensemble and director, and their performance of Haydn's Symphony No 82 would make any bear dance."
The Independent, September 2006
Mozartwoche with Sabine Meyer / Mozart & Haydn
"The shapes, warmth and array of colours that conductor Kavakos brought to Mozart's Clarinet Concerto KV.622 made this wonderful performance into perfection itself. The Camerata share their spirit and their joy with Kavakos: under his baton, the musicians give their all, and have achieved much already. "
Kronen Zeitung Salzburg, February 2006
Leonidas Kavakos is represented by Jessica Ford at Intermusica:
T: +44 20 7239 0166 E: jford@intermusica.co.uk