ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Celebrated violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn performs with the legendary 1720 “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius, the Christie’s auction of which in 1990 is said to have inspired the 1999 Academy Award–winning film The Red Violin. Pianist Cynthia Elise Tobey will accompany Pitcairn. The program includes a world premiere performance of composer Sara Carina Graef’s new work, Blue Vishuddha (2014), as well Franz Schubert’s Rondo for violin and piano (“Rondeau Brillant”); Gabriel Fauré’s Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano; Franz Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 9 for violin and piano. The recital will take place in the acoustically superb Sosnoff Theater on Saturday, November 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25–40 can be ordered online at fishercenter.bard.edu or by calling the box office at 845-758-7900.
Blue Vishuddha was commissioned by Pitcairn in the summer of 2014. “Vishuddha is the Sanskrit name for the fifth chakra,” says Graef, “also known as the ‘throat chakra.’ Vishuddha controls the principle of sound and the sense of hearing. It is thought to govern our speech and our creative expression, and its balance defines our honesty and how well we express ourselves.” The piece is dedicated to Pitcairn and to Vishuddha.
For more information on the program or the artist, read to original release here.
