Praised for his “silvery tone” (Washington Post), “gleeful command” (New York Times) and “insightful interpretation” (Classical Source), Gil Shaham is among today’s foremost violinists.
At 7 p.m. April 7, Shaham will join pianist Akira Eguchi, his longtime collaborator, for an evening of classical and contemporary duets as part of Washington University in St. Louis’ Great Artists Series.
The program will begin with Fritz Kreisler’s “Praeludium and Allegro (In the Style of Pugnani)” (1905) and Scott Wheeler’s “The Singing Turk: Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano” (2017). Next up will be Avner Dorman’s “Nigunim (Sonata No. 3)” (2011), followed by Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Partita No. 3 in E Major for solo violin” (c. 1720). The program will conclude with César Franck’s “Sonata in A Major” (1886).
Tickets are $40, or $32 for seniors and Washington University faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. In addition, Wheeler — himself an award-winning composer, conductor and pianist — will discuss his work in a pre-concert talk beginning at 6 p.m.
Sponsored by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, the Great Artists Series presents intimate recitals with some of the brightest stars in contemporary classical music. All performances take place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall of the 560 Music Center, located at 560 Trinity Ave. in University City. The series will continue May 5 with sibling pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Edison Theater Box Office at 314-935-6543 or edison.wustl.edu.
Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Gil Shaham, with Akira Eguchi
Celebrated for his inimitable warmth and flawless technique, Shaham regularly appears on many of the world’s great concert stages and with many of the world’s leading orchestras, include the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and San Francisco Symphony.
Shaham has released more than two-dozen concerto and solo recordings, earning multiple Grammy Awards, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’Or, and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Many of these recordings appear on Canary Classics, the label he founded in 2004. His most recent recordings are the Grammy-nominated “1930s Violin Concertos Vol. 2,” which includes Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto and Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and “Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.”
Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and in 2008, received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. In 2012, he was named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America. He plays the 1699 “Countess Polignac” Stradivarius.
Eguchi has performed at major venues around the world, from New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall to the Kennedy Center in Washington and Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. An active composer, he has been featured on 45 albums, including 11 solo recordings.
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