Johnson County Community College
Press Release
College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122
10/04/05
Story by Peggy Graham
Munich Symphony Orchestra Plays Carlsen Center on First U.S. Tour
Philippe Entremont, internationally renowned French conductor and piano soloist, will lead the Munich Symphony Orchestra on its debut U.S. tour in the 2005-2006 season, including an all-Beethoven
performance at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in Yardley Hall. Artist Insights begin at 7 p.m.
The program will be Beethoven’s celebrated Prometheus Overture, Fourth Piano Concerto and Seventh Symphony.
For more than a half century, the orchestra has made cultural contributions to Munich with an extensive repertoire that includes symphonic concert pieces, performances of opera, light opera, musicals and ballets as well as oratorios and church music. The season-ticket
concerts performed by the Munich Symphony Orchestra in the Herkules Saal of the Residence and in Prinzregenten Theatre, Munich, have been an important part of the musical life of the city for more than 40 years. Also important is the orchestra’s work with young artists and
leading soloists and singers.
The Munich Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading international ensembles in the field of film music, heard in movies such as Silence of the Lambs. The German film industry, in particular, is greatly indebted to the orchestra, especially since World War II. The orchestra has provided the soundtracks for more than 500 films, thus writing an important chapter in the history of German music.
The Munich Symphony Orchestra has also made a name for itself because of its successful appearances with famous soloists such as Placido Domingo, José Carreras and Margaret Price. For this tour, the orchestra has joined forces with principal guest conductor Entremont who is known for the elegance and virtuosity of his playing, as well as his interpretive abilities on the podium.
Conductor laureate of both the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, where he began his conducting career in the 1970s, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Entremont has directed the greatest symphony orchestras of Europe, Asia and the United States, including the Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Symphony, New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra, Denver Symphony and many more.
Entremont’s record legacy – as pianist, conductor and often in both roles at the same time – is vast. In addition to the standard piano solo and piano-with-orchestra works of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Saint-Saëns and other composers, he has recorded most of the piano music of fellow Frenchmen Debussy and Ravel. He is a multiple winner of the Grand Prix du Disque.
In July 2004 Entremont conducted the first concerts of the new European orchestra Spirit of Europe, based in Austria and composed of musicians from all over Europe. In 2006, in connection with the “Mozart year,” he will be the conductor of the super World Orchestra, based in Tokyo.
Officer of the French Legion of Honor, Commander of the Order of Merit, Commander of the Order of Arts et Lettres, Entremont has also been awarded the Arts and Sciences Cross of Honor of Austria. He is president of the Bel’Arte Foundation of Brussels and is director of the famed American Conservatory of Fountainebleau, a post formerly held by the legendary Nadia Boulanger.
Tickets are $45, $35 and $25, available by calling the Carlsen Center box office, 913-469-4445, or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.
