TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS

KRISTJAN JÄRVI’S
ABSOLUTE ENSEMBLE
PERFORMING ABSOLUTE BACH RE-INVENTED

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010, 8:00 P.M.
AT HOGG MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The New York Post on Absolute Ensemble – “part rock band, part jazz ensemble – all bristling energy.”

The New York Times on conductor Kristjan Järvi – “a kinetic force on the podium, like Leonard Bernstein reborn.”

The New Yorker on Simone Dinnerstein – “the pianists’ pianist of Generation X.”

Conductor Kristjan Järvi’s musically-omnivorous band, Absolute Ensemble, on tour with chart-topping pianist Simone Dinnerstein is making a much anticipated stop at Texas Performing Arts’ Hogg Memorial Auditorium on Friday, February 26.

Their concert, entitled Absolute Bach Re-invented, takes Bach’s music as a starting point and creates an off-beat journey from Baroque to rock to Gypsy folk and hip-hop. The program includes Innovation J.S. by Charles Coleman (based on Bach’s Inventions No. 5 in E flat major and No. 8 in F major); Reinventions by Gene Pritsker featuring Ms. Dinnerstein as soloist; Undertow by Matt Herskowitz (based on Bach’s Invention No. 9 in F minor); Raga on a Theme by Bach by Mike Block; and toopART Reinventions by Daniel Schnyder.

Dedicated to performing what founding music director Kristjan Järvi calls “music without borders,” Absolute Ensemble bridges the gaps between all genres of music, fusing its classical roots with everything from jazz and rock to world music and hip-hop. The New York Times praises the group as, “Musicians who are equally comfortable with classical music, jazz and rock and who have the techniques to address those styles on their own terms.” Members are frequently called upon to improvise as well as compose.

Mr. Järvi designed Absolute Bach Re-invented to showcase multi-talented members of the band who also write music – Charles Coleman is the ensemble’s resident composer, Gene Pritsker is a guitarist and rap artist, Matt Herskowitz is a keyboard player and pianist, Mike Block is a cellist, and Daniel Schnyder is a saxophonist. The program premiered at Musikfest Bremen, Germany in 2008, with Ms. Dinnerstein as the featured soloist. Absolute Bach-Re-invented is just one of Absolute Ensemble’s signature thematic programs – others include Absolute Zawinul (which features music by the late Austrian jazz legend Joe Zawinul, an album version will be released in the U.S. on March 15, 2010), Absolute Arabian Nights, Absolute Electronica, Absolute Zappa, Absolute Tango, and more.

The piano soloist for Absolute Bach Re-invented, Simone Dinnerstein, is known for her intelligent but emotive performances and has been called “a throwback to such high priestesses of music as Wanda Landowska and Myra Hess,” by Slate Magazine. The New York-based artist gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which she raised the funds to record. Released in 2007, it ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many “Best of 2007” lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Her follow-up album, The Berlin Concert, also gained the No. 1 spot on the Chart. The Washington Post calls her, “a phenomenon in the world of classical music.”

CALENDAR LISTING

Friday, February 26, 2010, 8:00 pm –Texas Performing Arts presents Kristjan Järvi’s Absolute Ensemble at Hogg Memorial Auditorium (2300 Whitis Ave). A map of the campus:
http://www.TexasPerformingArts.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($34 / $10 student tickets / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff, seniors and Military) are on sale now at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at www.TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew
512.471.0632 gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org

Download the Absolute Ensemble press release – PDF 119 KB