Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Kayhan Kalhor, kamancheh
Program:
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Kayhan Kalhor: Venus in the Mirror (Double Concerto for Cello and Kamancheh)
Developmental support for Venus in the Mirror was provided by CNU's Ferguson Center for the Arts.
Iranian virtuoso and composer Kayhan Kalhor composed Venus in the Mirror as an ode to peace and a celebration of a 25-year friendship with Yo-Yo Ma. The double concerto for cello, kamancheh (Persian spiked fiddle), and orchestra reflects on the beauty that lies hidden in the balance of what it means to be human. In the program's first half, Music Director Eric Jacobsen and the VSO will immerse the audience in the lush sounds of Brahms’ majestic Third Symphony.
Celebrating his fifth season, Eric Jacobsen serves as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s twelfth Music Director. He is also artistic director and co-founder of The Knights, the uniquely adventurous NYC-based chamber orchestra, and the Orlando Philharmonic Music Director. In addition to conducting, Eric is a dedicated chamber musician (cello) and is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.
Yo-Yo Ma’s career is a testament to his faith in culture’s ability to generate trust and understanding, from his iconic performances and recordings to original undertakings such as the Bach Project and Our Common Nature. This cultural journey celebrates the ways nature can reunite us in pursuit of a shared future. Yo-Yo was born to Chinese parents in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at the age of four. Three years later, he moved with his family to the U.S., where he continued his cello studies before pursuing a liberal arts education.
Kayhan Kalhor is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso and the world’s leading player of the kamancheh, the Persian spike fiddle. Through his many collaborations, he has been instrumental in popularizing Persian music in the West and remains a creative force in today’s global music scene. His performances of traditional Persian music and innovative cross-cultural projects have captivated audiences worldwide.
The kamancheh, or spike fiddle, is an ancient bowed string instrument from Iran that is the ancestor of most bowed instruments throughout Asia and Europe. It has a small hollowed belly made of walnut or mulberry wood, a thin stretched skin covering, and a conical neck. The modern kamancheh has four strings, generally tuned in fourths or fifths, and is held vertically.
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