ne of the most exciting
and creative duos performing
classical music today will perform at Libby Gardner
Hall as a part of its recital series this year. On
Friday, Jan. 23, the Virtuoso Series welcomes the
collaborative efforts of piano-cello duo Christopher
O’Riley and Carter Brey—two musicians
rich in talent and the source of much audience expectation.
Cellist Brey made his entrance onto the classical
music scene in 1982. But it was his stellar performance
in 1981 where he took a prize at the Rostropovich
International Cello Competition that caught the world’s
attention, including that of Rostropovich himself.
Since his Kennedy Center debut in 1982, Brey has
garnered several prizes including the Gregor Piatigorsky
Memorial Prize, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the
Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists and the Performing
Arts Prize of the Arts Council of America. He has
performed with top national symphony orchestras including
the Baltimore and Atlanta symphonies. In addition
to collaborating with O’Riley in the studio
and in the recital hall, he recently finished a recording
of the complete cello-piano works of Chopin with
Garrick Ohlssen at the piano. His ability to play
as a soloist and a recitalist haven’t prevented
him from fitting into the larger symphony orchestra.
Since 1996, Brey has been the principal cellist of
the New York Philharmonic where, in recent seasons,
he has played Strauss’s Don Quixote, Tchaikovsky’s
Rococo Variations and Elgar’s hauntingly beautiful
Cello Concerto.
Those who listen to Public Radio International on
a Sunday afternoon may have heard the name Christopher
O’Riley pop up here and there. O’Riley
is the host for the acclaimed Boston-based radio
program “From the Top.” This show features
performances by the country’s best young artists.
Outside his hosting of the popular radio show, O’Riley
has the stacked résumé as one of the
top pianists of his generation in the world. His
repertoire ranges from Renaissance to Modern, the
latter of which includes new works of today as well
as his own transcriptions and arrangements. In the
midst of so much diverse performance and studio experience,
O’Riley has achieved top prizes at some of
the world’s leading piano competitions including
the Van Cliburn, Busoni, Leeds and Montreal competitions.
He has performed with the country’s leading
orchestras including those in Boston, New York, San
Francisco and Pittsburgh, to name a few.
O’Riley’s unique and vibrant interpretation
of the classical standards has made him one of the
most in-demand pianists performing today. He remains
a strong advocate of new music, hence it is no surprise
that he has premiered the works of Michael Torke,
Michael Daugherty and Richard Danielpour. His advocacy
of new music doesn’t stop with classical art
music. 2002’s True Love Waits contains his
transcriptions of songs written by Radiohead. The
translation of rock music into the beautiful and
romantic sound of O’Riley’s playing adds
another dimension to this already multi-dimensional
musician.
The collaboration of these two vibrant and diverse
musicians should provide the audience with a fresh
look at classical music. Their backgrounds and experience
bring to the stage a vital necessity in the musty
recital halls—energy and excitement for the
art of playing classical music. While there won’t
be any Radiohead or grandiose concertos, there will
still be the exciting works of Shostakovich, Stravinsky
and Rachmaninoff. Although these composers are all
Russian, their musical language is completely different,
providing a dichotomy that can only be reconciled
through the creative energies of Brey and O’Riley.
Get your tickets at any ARTTIX location. Virtuoso
Series tickets go fast. Be sure to ask about the
student discount. Call 355-ARTS for more information.
christian@red-mag.com
