Classical musicians David Finckel and Wu Han present an evening of Russian music
Two leaders in classical music, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, will present the compelling story of 20th-century Russian music during their performance of “Russian Reflections” Sunday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. The performance is presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
The duo will perform on the stage of the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
In this recital, Finckel and Han perform a program of music that is alternately grand, nostalgic, mystical, and earthy. Culminating in Sergey Rachmaninov’s ultra-romantic “Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor,” Op. 19, the program showcases the styles of four of Russia’s most beloved composers: Sergei Prokofiev’s stately and lyrical “Sonata in C Major,” Op. 119; the ground-breaking “Sonata in D Minor,” Op. 40 by Dmitri Shostakovich; and Alexander Scriabin’s sublime “Five Preludes for Solo Piano,” Op. 16.
As concert performers, recording artists, educators, and artistic administrators, Finckel and Han have appeared at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the U.S. and around the world. The duo’s wide-ranging musical innovations include the launch of ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company. They are the founding artistic directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley, and have served as artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2004.
In 2011, the pair was named artistic directors of Chamber Music Today, an annual festival held in Korea, and Finckel serves as artistic director and honoree of the Mendelssohn Fellowship, which supports young Korean musicians and promotes chamber music in Korea.
Related engagement events
As part of the Center for the Arts’ outreach and engagement activities, Finckel and Han each will present concurrent master classes Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. for students in Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts. Finckel will work with string students in Squires Recital Salon, while Han will lead a class for piano students in the Moss Arts Center’s Fife Theatre. Both master classes are free and open to the public.
Tickets
Tickets for the concert on Nov. 17 are $20-$30 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts’ box office, noon to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Event parking for visitors is $5. Event passes may be purchased in advance through the Center for the Arts box office or when entering the garage on event evenings. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
