The Nordwest German Staatskapelle (Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie)

Overview

Eugene Tzigane was appointed Principal Conductor of the Nordwest when he was only 29 years old in 2010, one of the youngest chief conductors in Germany, winning critical acclaim. The orchestra has been performing for over 60 years and has toured the world, appreciated by famous conductors and high-calibre guest artists.

Israeli cellist Amit Peled is a musician of profound artistry and with a charismatic stage presence.

Related Sites

• Promotional Video - Music Worcester
• Nordwest orchestra web site in German
• Cellist Amit Peled web site
• Conductor Eugene Tzigane web site

Program

Grieg:                   Peer Gynt Suite No.1

Victor Herbert:    Cello Concerto No.2 in E-minor, Op.30

Brahms:               Symphony No.1 in C-minor, Op.68

About the Artists

The Nordwest German Staatskapelle (Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie) has over the course of the last sixty years fulfilled an active role within the concert life of northwestern Germany as important cultural ambassadors for the region, throughout Europe and internationally.

The past three years under Music Director Andris Nelsons, marked a rich artistic period in the history and musical development of the orchestra, which has gained its national and international reputation from notable concerts in Germany and abroad. Beginning with the 2010/11 season, the young American talent Eugene Tzigane has held the position of Principal Conductor.

Successful concert tours regularly take the Nordwest German Staatskapelle (Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie) into neighbouring European and overseas countries. Tours in 1999 included concerts in Denmark, Austria, Holland, and Japan. Since then, the orchestra has played to packed houses in Italy, France, Switzerland, and Spain; and in 2005, it made a highly successful tour of the United States. The years 2006 - 2009 included extensive return tours to Spain and Japan, as well as guest performances in Milan (Sala Verdi), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Switzerland (KKL Luzern, Tonhalle Zürich), and Austria (Salzburg, Großes Festspielhaus).

The consummate technical skill, highly motivated professionalism and captivating enthusiasm of the Nordwest German Staatskapelle (Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie) are as much appreciated by famous conductors as they are by high-calibre soloists. Stars of opera including Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, and Elena Garanca have regularly been accompanied by the 80 musicians from Herford on their tours of Germany, including concert halls in Berlin (Philharmonie, Konzerthaus), Cologne (Philharmonie), Munich (Philharmonie am Gasteig), Leipzig (Gewandhaus), Frankfurt (Alte Oper), and Dortmund (Konzerthaus). The orchestra’s broad series of outreach concerts and activities in schools, and its regular educational programs, ensure a continually renewing enthusiasm of audiences young and old.

The brilliant playing of the orchestra is well documented on over 100 recordings and countless radio productions, mostly for the “Westdeutscher Rundfunk” (WDR) in Cologne.

Chief Conductor: Eugene Tzigane

Eugene Tzigane, in his second season as Principal Conductor, was born 29 years ago to American and Japanese parents. Eugene Tzigane won Second Prize at the 2008 Solti Competition (Frankfurt), First Prize at the 2007 Fitelberg Competition (Katowice), and Second Prize at the 2007 Matacic Competition (Zagreb). He studied conducting at the Julliard School with James DePriest where he was awarded the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship and completed his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under the guidance of renowned pedagogue Jorma Panula where he was awarded the Franz Berwald Memorial Scholarship. Additionally he has attended masterclasses with Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

Following the Solti Competition, Eugene Tzigane was invited to conduct the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestras. After the Fitelberg Competition, he conducted extensively in Poland including concerts with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Kraków Philharmonic, and Choir at the Polish Music Festival, and was subsequently appointed Principal Guest of the Pomeranian Philharmonic.

He made his opera debut at the Bavarian State Opera in 2009 conducting a new production of Cosi fan tutte and assisted Sebastian Weigle with a new production of Die Fledermaus for Frankfurt Opera. He returns to Frankfurt Opera this spring to conduct the first revival of Fledermaus.

Last season’s highlights included his US debut with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, performances with the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and tours to Italy, Spain, and Zurich with his own Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie.  Forthcoming engagements include his Japanese debut with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, a US tour with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie and performances with the Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, Bruckner Orchester Linz, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony, and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestras.

For further information please also visit: www.eugenetzigane.com

Amit Peled, Cellist

From the United States to Europe to the Middle East and Asia , Israeli cellist Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting instrumentalists on the concert stage today.

Mr. Peled who was recently described by the American Record Guide as “Having the flair of the young Rostropovich,” has performed as a soloist with many orchestras and in the world’s major concert halls, such as: Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York; Salle Gaveau, Paris; Wigmore Hall, London; Konzerthaus, Berlin; and Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium.

Following enthusiastically received debuts with the Columbus Symphony ("Peled is nothing short of a superb player,” The Columbus Dispatch) and the Baltimore Symphony (“I was struck by the richness of Peled’s tone and the intensely poetic nature of his phrasing; this was very classy cello playing...." The Baltimore Sun), Mr. Peled’s 2010/11 season will include recital debuts at the Kennedy Center and NYC's Symphony Space, and an Alice Tully Hall Concerto debut with the Riverside Symphony playing the Hindemith Cello Concerto.

As a recording artist, Mr. Peled has just released two critically acclaimed CDs: “The Jewish Soul” and “Cellobration” under the Centaur Records Label. Fanfare Magazine stated: “By all evidence, Amit Peled is a superb cellist. His technical prowess in the Davidoff and Ligeti vouchsafe that; and his tone, of pellucid purity, gleams with a glint of gold in the slow, lyrical numbers.”

Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Gotland Festival in Sweden, Prussia Cove Festival in England, The Violoncello Forum in Spain, and the Mizra International Academy and Festival in Israel.

Amit Peled has been featured on television and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today”, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Deutschland Radio Berlin, Radio France, Swedish National Radio & TV, and Israeli National Radio & TV.

From Amit Peled's web site: "There is quite a fateful story behind how I acquired this magnificent instrument. At the age of 22, I decided to fulfill a long dream studying with Bernard Greenhouse, a founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio and himself a student of the great Pablo Casals. As Greenhouse lived on Cape Cod, this meant living for a year in a community about as far removed in scenery and climate from the kibbutz in Israel where I grew up as one could imagine.

I was looking for a place to stay in Wellfleet, a little fishing town, on Cape Cod, and put an ad in the local library that a young cellist was looking for accommodation in return for doing some house work like cleaning, working in the garden, shoveling snow, etc. A lady named Judith Davidson, an amateur violist and a music lover who simply wanted to get to know the famed cellist Bernard Greenhouse, replied to the ad and I ended up living in her house. I shoveled snow few times, but was lucky enough to be away for concerts whenever a big storm arrived in town. Also I worked with her husband, Arthur, in the garden. Soon enough we all understood that I'm not much of a housekeeper and I began giving Judy cello lessons, and helped with the cooking, mainly the famous Davidson's apple pie. I now think of both Judy and Arthur as my American parents.

Judith Davidson wanted to buy a great instrument to help my career. She had bought the Guarneri from Eileen Lawrence, a professional cellist in England, who had owned it since 1944 and was delighted to hand it over to one of Greenhouse's former students.

William E. Hill and Sons provided a letter of certification. An unspoken part of the selling deal was that the 91-year-old lady in London insisted that the cello should be used on stage by one of Greenhouse's former students. While on a concert tour in Europe in December of 2003, I stopped by in London to collect the cello and tried it for the first time at the Wigmore Hall. It was love at first sight. Two days later I was already playing it as a soloist with an orchestra in Sweden! Judy's only condition was that she must hear the cello at least once a year in concert."

In their book, The Violin Makers of the Guarneri Family, William E. Hill and Sons reported that they knew of only fourteen Violoncellos from the hand of Andreas Guarneri!!!