The 2023 Cherry Orchard Festival, running from June – July 2023 across the nation, presents Polina Osetinskaya at 92NY on June 10, 2023 at 8pm at 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128. As part of her North American tour, Osetinskaya will perform some of the most enduring musical masterpieces in history featured in some of the world’s greatest films. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.92ny.org/event/polina-osetinskaya-piano.
Polina Osetinskaya makes a triumphant solo return to the United States, after a critically acclaimed appearance at Carnegie Hall with Maxim Vengerov in October 2022. With her signature virtuosity, Osetinskaya brings to life seminal works by Bach, Handel and Rameau, from epic films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” and others. The dramatic qualities of the music, which had once enhanced the pivotal moments in these great films, are now distilled by Osetinskaya into a thoughtful and engaging live program.
As a firebrand activist, Osetinskaya’s outspoken opposition of Putin’s regime manifests both on and off the recital stage. Just last month, her Shostakovich recital was raided twice by Moscow police, but Osetinskaya and her fellow musicians and audience members persisted to see the program through. Elsewhere, she has been vocal about her anti-war stance while remaining in Moscow, and has faced cancellation of her concerts in all state and government concert halls.
POLINA OSETINSKAYA’S NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Saturday, June 03, 2023 | 8:00 PM – TORONTO, ON
Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music | 273 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6
co-production with Show One Productions
Sunday, June 04, 2023 | 8:00 PM – BOSTON, MA
Berklee Performance Center | 136 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Tuesday, June 06, 2023 | 8:00 PM – SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Herbst Theater | 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
Saturday, June 10, 2023 | 8:00 PM – NEW YORK, NY
Kaufman Concert Hall at the 92Y | 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
PROGRAM
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685 -1750)
“The Talented Mr. Ripley”, 1999; dir. Anthony Minghella
Italian Concerto in F Major
Allegro
Andante
Presto
“Solaris”, 1972; dir. Andrey Tarkovsky
Chorale prelude BWV 639 “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ” (“I cry to you, Lord Jesus Christ”)
“Fingers”, 1978; dir. James Toback
Toccata in E minor
Toccata
Adagio
Fuga
“Breaking the Waves”, 1996; dir. Lars von Trier
Sonata No. 2 in E-flat minor for flute and harpsichord, BWV 1031
II: Siciliano
“The Godfather”, 1972; dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor BWV 582
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685 -1759)
“Barry Lyndon”, 1975; dir. Stanley Kubrick
Suite No. 4 in D minor
III: Sarabande
“Autumn Sonata”, 1978; dir. Ingmar Bergman
Chaconne with variations in G Major
HENRY PURCELL (1659 -1695)
“The Draftsman’s Contract”, 1982; dir. Peter Greenaway
Ground in C minor
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU (1683 -1764)
“4 days in France”, 2016; dir. Jerome Raybaud
From “Pièces de Clavecin” in E minor
Le rappel des oiseaux (The calling of birds)
Tambourin (Tambourine)
“The Maid”, 2016; dir. Pan Chang Uk
From “Pièces de Clavecin” in E minor
La Villageoise (The Villager)
“Casanova”, 2015; dir. Jean-Pierrel Jeneut
From “Pièces de Clavecin” in D Major
Les tendres plaintes (Tender complaints)
Les Niais de Sologne (The Fools of Solon)
Les Soupirs (Sighs)
La Joyeuse (The Joyful)
L’entretien des Muses (Conversation of the Muses)
Les Cyclopes (Cyclops)
About Polina Osetinskaya
Internationally renowned pianist Polina Osetinskaya began playing piano at age five and was soon designated a wunderkind in the former Soviet Union, giving her first concert at the age of six. She entered the Central School of Music of the Moscow Conservatory at seven, continued her studies at the Leningrad Conservatory with Marina Wolf, and later attended the Moscow Conservatory training with the legendary Vera Gornostaeva.
Osetinskaya appears on the most prestigious world stages including Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall; Barbican Hall, the Musikverein Vienna, as well as in her alma mater, the Moscow Conservatory; she performs in Rome, Tokyo, Milan, Brussels, and across the US; and at festivals throughout Europe, the US, Russia, and Mexico. She has appeared with the MusicAeterna, Mariinsky Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic, collaborating with chamber partners including Maxim Vengerov and Julian Milkis, and working with conductors including Teodor Currentzis, Tugan Sokhiev, Laurent Petitgirard and Alexander Sladkovsky, among others.
In recital, Osetinskaya is known for her experimental programs, juxtaposing works by contemporary composers with traditional classical repertoire. She is also very much at home with post–avant-garde composers such as Valentin Silvestrov, Leonid Desyatnikov, and Arvo Pärt, presenting her project An Unknown Friend at Carnegie Hall with Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport. She has recorded on the Quartz, Naxos, Sony Music, Bel Air, and Melodiya labels.
Osetinskaya has been awarded the Maly Triumph prize, and has authored the bestseller Farewell, Sadness — an autobiographical account of her wunderkind years. In 2022, Osetinskaya spoke out against Russia’s war in Ukraine and ceased all activity in Russia.
Since its founding, The Cherry Orchard Festival has presented renowned international works of performing and visual arts to US audiences. The Festival’s goal is to increase access to the arts; as such, it is committed to offering flexible ticket prices, and planning at least one event every season that’s free of charge. We are constantly searching for the newest, most daring projects, acclaimed in the international arts arena, to introduce to our audiences in New York and in major cities across North America.
“The Festival is incredibly excited to announce its upcoming season as a lot has changed since the last festival in 2020. The pandemic, the rapidly changing landscape of performing arts, and the ongoing war in Ukraine have emboldened The Festival to discover new ways to engage while remaining faithful to its original mission to present acclaimed international performers to US audiences. The 2023 season will feature three different perspectives from Russian-speaking performers who are openly speaking out against the war in Ukraine through their respective genres: film, theater, and music,” said Maria Shclover, Producer, Cherry Orchard Festival.
“As always, the Festival aims to maximize connection through intimate Q&A conversations with artists, bringing audiences closer to the creative process and facilitating conversations. We will continue to offer discounts for groups and for students, enabling access for more arts lovers than ever before,” said Irina Shabshis, Artistic Director, Cherry Orchard Festival.