May 13, 2004 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Arts Centre Orchestra today announced the programming for the Great Composers Series taking place this July with all concerts featuring Music Director Pinchas Zukerman. The musical lineup consists of a Mozart Celebration on July 6, Russian Romance on July 13 and Bravo Baroque on July 15, all featuring the NAC Orchestra led by Pinchas Zukerman. The series begins on July 3 with a Chamber Music Extravaganza featuring faculty and students of the NAC Summer Music Institute.

The Great Composers series is presented by the Casino du Lac-Leamy in association with the Ottawa Citizen.

The concerts are part of Summer at the National Arts Centre, a month-long festival of classical music, pops concerts, dance, theatre and free concerts. There are also a number of events featuring participants in the NAC Summer Music Institute. Details of additional programming will be announced soon.

The Chamber Music Extravaganza on Saturday, July 3 featuring faculty and students of the NAC Young Artists Programme includes a setting for seven players of Richard Strauss’s deeply moving Metamorphosen along with Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major. There is a special bonus price for adding this concert to any of the three orchestral concerts.

The Mozart Celebration on Tuesday, July 6 opens with the fresh and delightful Marriage of Figaro Overture and closes with Mozart’s “Linz” Symphony No. 36 in C major, which the composer miraculously wrote in a matter of days on a visit to his friend Count Thun in Linz. To complete the programme, the internationally renowned pianist Joseph Kalichstein – a faculty member of the Young Artists Programme – performs the Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, often described as the “queen” of Mozart's piano concertos for its dignity, grace, lyricism and warmth.

On Tuesday, July 13, with Pinchas Zukerman again on the podium, Russian Romance opens with Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, the most captivating of the composer’s songs performed here in its orchestral arrangement with Pinchas Zukerman performing the well-known solo line on the violin. The great American pianist Garrick Ohlsson performs the gorgeous Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini where wit, charm, romance, rhythmic verve and masterly orchestration combine in one of Rachmaninov's greatest compositions. This lush and grandiose programme, featuring an expanded orchestra, closes with Tchaikovsky’s fervant Symphony No. 5 in E minor representing the triumph of hope over adversity.

And finally on July 15, Pinchas Zukerman leads Bravo Baroque opening with Vivaldi’s perennial favourite The Four Seasons. Two of the NAC Orchestra’s young star violinists, Donnie Deacon (principal second violin) and Jessica Linnebach (graduate of NAC Young Artists Programme), will share the role of soloist in these four compact concertos. Next Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 will feature Pinchas Zukerman on viola. The programme closes with the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 featuring Zukerman on violin, principal flute Joanna G’froerer and Benjamin Hochman, a young Israeli pianist making his NAC Orchestra debut.

The NAC Orchestra’s organist Thomas Annand will present Encounters with Bach prior to the three concerts featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Annand will be joined by luminaries of the local music scene for these half-hour presentations of organ music and chat. The Encounters with Bach begin at 18:30, last approximately 30 minutes, and are included in the ticket price of the orchestral concerts, which begin at 19:30. Ticket-holders have the option of arriving early for the 18:30 Encounters with Bach, or coming at 19:30 if they wish to attend only the orchestral concert.

The Great Composers series is priced affordably for summer audiences with tickets for the National Arts Centre Orchestra concerts on July 6, 13 and 15 selling for $21 with box seats at $26. All three concerts can be purchased for the discounted price of $44. The Chamber Music Extravaganza on July 3 is $12, or can be added to any of the Great Composers series for only $5.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, May 17 at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC's web-site at www.nac-cna.ca. Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Groups of 20 or more save up to 20% off of regular priced tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. For information and reservations call 613-947-7000 ext: 384 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.