NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS ‘THE HERO’S FIRE’

YEVGENY SUDBIN PERFORMS SCRIABIN’S PROMETHEUS: THE POEM OF FIRE, ARC3DESIGN CREATES SPECIAL LIGHTING ENVIRONMENT
FIRST PROGRAM OF 2012 ‘FIRE’ WINTER FESTIVAL FEATURES STRAVINSKY’S THE FIREBIRD AND MUSIC FROM WAGNER’S DIE WALKÜRE
FRI., JAN. 6 IN NEWARK
SAT., JAN. 7 IN NEW BRUNSWICK
SUN., JAN. 8 IN NEWARK

NEWARK, NJ (DECEMBER 13, 2011)—Music Director Jacques Lacombe and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra kick off 2012 with The Hero’s Fire, the first program in the Orchestra’s 2012 Winter Festival—FIRE. Pianist Yevgeny Sudbin joins the NJSO for Scriabin’s Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (Symphony No. 5); Arc3design collaborates with the Orchestra to create a special lighting environment for these performances.

“‘Big’ is the theme of this program,” Lacombe says of the Winter Festival’s opening weekend. “The Firebird and Prometheus: The Poem of Fire are very rich in terms of their orchestrations. Both Stravinsky and Scriabin are Russian, so there is an affinity and a link between these two great composers and orchestrators. To open with this Wagner music that also has a really deep sound is exciting, and I enjoy introducing some opera into my orchestral programs.”

“The Prometheus myth is so fitting for these Winter Festival programs centered around fire,” Lacombe says of the tale that has inspired multiple composers. “Scriabin’s music is not often performed, and we have a Scriabin specialist in guest pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, so that will be a revelation for the audience.”

Performances take place on Friday, January 6, (8 p.m.) and Sunday, January 8, (3 p.m.) at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Saturday, January 7, (8 p.m.) at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. A special Winter Festival pre-concert event—“Keeping the Home Fires Burning: A Panel Discussion on Alternative Energy Sources”—begins one hour before the January 6 and January 8 performances in Newark. The two Newark performances will also feature an Information Fair & Artisan Marketplace; artisans who work with fire and environmental organizations will host displays in the Prudential Hall lobby before the concert and during intermission.

TICKETS
Tickets range in price from $20 to $85 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

THE PROGRAM

THE HERO’S FIRE
Friday, January 6 at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Saturday, January 7 at 8 pm | State Theatre in New Brunswick
Sunday, January 8 at 3 pm | NJPAC in Newark

Jacques Lacombe, conductor
Yevgeny Sudbin, piano
Arc3design, lighting
Al Crawford, designer

WAGNER “Wotan’s Farewell” and “Magic Fire Music” from Die Walküre
SCRIABIN Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (Symphony No. 5)
STRAVINSKY The Firebird (complete)

RELATED EVENTS:

Keeping the Home Fires Burning: A Panel Discussion on Alternative Energy Sources
Friday, January 6 at 7 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, January 8 at 2 pm | NJPAC in Newark

An eye-opening discussion about new developments in alternative energy both in the United States and abroad. Find out what you can do to prepare your homes and your families for possible futures beyond oil and coal.

Moderated by Christopher Daggett, President & CEO, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Tom Johnson, Co-Founder & Energy and Environment Writer, NJ Spotlight
Jeff Tittel, Chapter Director, New Jersey Sierra Club

Information Fair & Artisan Marketplace
Jan. 6 & 8 | NJPAC in Newark

Artisans who work with fire and environmental organizations will host displays in the lobby before the concert and during intermission.

THE ARTISTS
Jacques Lacombe, conductor
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jacques Lacombe is renowned as a remarkable conductor whose artistic integrity and rapport with orchestras have propelled him to international stature.

Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal from 2002 to 2006, he led the orchestra in more than 100 performances. He served for three years as Music Director of both orchestra and opera with the Philharmonie de Lorraine in France; he has been Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières since 2006.

Lacombe’s engagements for the 2011–12 season include his debut with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Malaga in Spain, return engagements with the Vancouver Opera in Roméo et Juliette and with the Deutsche Oper in Un Ballo in Maschera, as well as two rarely performed operas: Felix von Weingartner’s Die Dorfschule and Carl Orff’s Gisei – Das Opfer. Lacombe will make his Carnegie Hall debut as part of the May 2012 Spring for Music Festival with the NJSO.

In recent seasons, Lacombe made his debut with the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. He led Turandot and Les Contes d’Hoffmann for Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Der fliegende Holländer, Eugene Onegin, Zemlinsky’s Der Traumgörge and concert performances of Waltershausen’s rarely heard Oberst Chabert at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Oberst Chabert was released as a live CD by CPO in 2011. He has also led operatic productions at the Metropolitan Opera and Teatro Regio in Turin, given the world premiere of Vladimir Cosma’s Marius et Fanny at l’Opéra de Marseille and worked abroad with orchestras in Nice, Toulouse and Halle, as well as with the Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris, Slovakia Philharmonic, Budapest Symphony, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Victoria Orchestra Melbourne and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Yevgeny Sudbin, piano
Yevgeny Sudbin has been hailed by London’s Daily Telegraph as “potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century,” calling his performance at the BBC Proms “sublime.” The International Record Review writes that his Rachmaninoff recording “confirms him as one of the most important pianistic talents of our time” and comments on his sixth solo CD of works by Haydn, “one can only marvel at the flawless technique, unfailing musicianship and highly informed opinion [in] his own extensive program notes.”

Sudbin’s worldwide recitals have included appearances at Tonhalle in Zurich, Wigmore Hall Master Series, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, San Francisco Performances, Gilmore International Piano Festival, ProArte Musical in Puerto Rico and Singapore International Piano Festival, among others. He has performed with London Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in Lincoln Center, and he has performed and recorded with the North Carolina and Saõ Paulo Symphonies. Future orchestral engagements include performances with the Singapore and Vancouver Symphonies and Bergen Philharmonic.

Sudbin continues his ongoing recording project for BIS with the Minnesota Orchestra, under Osmo Vänskä, performing and recording all the Beethoven concerti; the first CD was released to rave reviews.

For high-resolution artist photos, full bios and program notes, visit www.njsymphony.org/pressroom. For Winter Festival presenter bios, visit www.njsymphony.org/fire/bios.htm.

THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is comprised of some of the country’s finest musicians. The Orchestra is proud to have Jacques Lacombe as its Music Director and Neeme Järvi as its Conductor Laureate. Artistic excellence, innovative programming and community engagement are hallmarks of its mission. To best serve the people of New Jersey, the orchestra brings its programs to seven outstanding venues throughout the state. Education and community engagement programs enrich the listening experience for children and adults alike. Select performances of the NJSO are broadcast regionally and throughout North America. United is the official airline of the NJSO.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra continues its major fundraising initiative—the NJSO Comprehensive Campaign. To date, more than $30 million towards a $32 million goal has been raised in support of the Orchestra. For information about contributing to this historic campaign, contact Thomas Daubert, Director of Development, at 973.624.3713, ext. 269.

For more information about the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visit www.njsymphony.org or e-mail information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

NJSO VENUES
For venue contact information, directions and information about public transportation, parking, dining options and more, visit www.njsymphony.org/venues.

PRESS CONTACT
National & NYC Press Representative: Brittnee Walker, Cohn Dutcher Associates | 917.339.7183 | bwalker@cohndutcher.com
Regional Press Representative: Victoria McCabe, NJSO Communications and External Affairs |
973.624.3713, ext. 234 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org