Babette Hierholzer & Jurgen Appell,
Two Pianos
Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 2:30pm
Programme
- Mozart - Fantasia in f minor KV 608
- Schubert - Fantasia in f minor op. 103
- Schumann - Pictures from the East op. 66
- Gottschalk
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- Souvenir de Porto Rico op. 31
- Manchega - op. 38 (Etude de concert)
- Rakhmaninov - Vocalise op. 34, 14 (Arranged for two pianos by A. Ovsyannikov)
- Shostakovich - Concertino in a minor op. 94 for two pianos
Bios
Babette Hierholzer
Pianist Babette Hierholzer's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1978 was followed by numerous performances with this famed orchestra, led by renowned conductors Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Colin Davis, Leopold Hager, and Semyon Bychkov. Ms. Hierholzer has performed extensively in recital and chamber music, and as soloist with orchestras in most of the countries of Europe, the United States, South America, and Africa. In 1986, she gave her American debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony playing the Liszt Concerto No. l. Other engagements have included the Philharmonic Orchestra Kiel, Philharmonic Orchestra Ulm, Hamburg Symphonic Orchestra, touring with the Nordwest‑deutschen Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfonica Bilbao, Festival International de Bordeaux, and the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. In May 1993, she performed the Liszt Concerto No. 1 with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile; in June 1993, she performed the same work with the Staatskapelle in Berlin, Paavo Berglund conducting. In 1994, she performed the Clara Schumann Piano Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony during its Summerfest, and made her Canadian debut with the Saskatoon Symphony. In 1996 she again performed the Clara Schumann concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony and the Berlin Symphony. In January 1997, she performed the Robert Schumann Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Merida.
Ms. Hierholzer has made a number of recordings with MARUS/EMI Electrola playing works by Schumann (including the recently discovered Exercises, variations on a theme by Beethoven), Couperin, Debussy, Mozart, and Scarlatti: Sonatas Vols. 1, 2 and 3. Her most recent releases were a CD of posthumous works of Franz Schubert, and "Music for Children", Kinderszenen. She performed the sound track and the double/stand‑in role for Clara Wieck (Nastassia Kinski) in Peter Schamoni's movie Spring Symphony, about the life of Robert Schumann.
Babette Hierholzer has won numerous first prizes in international competitions, including the Steinway Piano Competition, in Berlin, seven times; the All German National Piano Competition, twice; first prize in the "G.B. Viotti" Concorso Internazionale di Musica in Vercelli, Italy; the Medaille d'Argent of the Festival International des Jeunes Solistes in Bordeaux, France; first prize in the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition plus the prestigious Andy Petlansky Memorial Award in Palm Springs. In February 1992 she played her New York debut recital as winner of the East & West Artists Prize for New York Debut.
Born in Freiburg, Germany, Ms. Hierholzer had her first piano lessons at the age of five with Elisabeth Dounias‑Sindermann and Wolfgang Saschowa in Berlin, making her first public appearance at the age of eleven in the Philharmonic Hall in Berlin, playing Mozart's Concerto K. 488. She then studied with Herbert Stessin at The Juilliard School, Precollege Division, in New York, with Paul Badura‑Skoda at the Folkwang‑Hochschule, Essen and in Vienna, with Maria Tipo in Florence, and with Bruno Leonardo Gelber in Buenos Aires. She was awarded scholarships by the Study Grant of the German People and Oskar and Vera Ritter‑Stiftung.
Recent performances include appearances with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the DeKalb Symphony in Atlanta and Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo in Mexico City. Previously, she stepped in for Horatio Gutierrez in a recital in Berlin's Philharmonic Hall.
Ms. Hierholzer played the opening concert of the season with the South Carolina Philharmonic, playing Liszt No. 1, conducted by Nicholas Smith. On 11 November 2001, she played a recital at the Frick Collection in New York City on very short notice and this season she returned to perform at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, with a recital of music by Clara and Robert Schumann. Babette Hierholzer is the Artistic Adviser to the GERMAN FORUM.
www.babettehierholzer.com
Jurgen Appell
While still a student with luminary pianists Elizabeth Dounias- Sindemann and Ingeborg Peukert. Jurgen Appell won the prestigious Steinway Piano Competition in Berlin three times. Following this early success he formed a piano duo with pianist Florentine Schubert and toured extensively throughout Europe recording much of the piano duet programs and repertoire for two pianos for German radio and television. In the late 1980s Jurgen Appell joined cellist Johannes Nauber, former member of the celebrated “12 cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic”, for another extensive European tour.
In 2003 returning to the four hand and two piano repertoire Jurgen began another successful collaboration this time with renowned pianist Babette Hierholzer. After performing Mozart’s concerto in F major for 3 pianos and orchestra with the “Orquesta Normalista de Puebla”, Mexico the piano duo embarked on international tour including Germany, Venezuela, Russia, and the United States. In 2006 Jurgen together with cellist Johannes Nauber and English violinist David Johnson created a piano trio ensemble. The trio performs regularly in Berlin and in 2006, joined by Irish singer Helen Kearns, was invited to perform at the Philharmonie in Cologne. When he is not touring Jurgen Appell divides his time between Berlin and Rome. www.jurgenappell.eu
