Arc II Orion Weiss

• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68:
• 1 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: I. Prélude 03:09
• 2 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: II. Fugue 03:07
• 3 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: III. Forlane 07:03
• 4 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: IV. Rigaudon 03:16
• 5 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: V. Menuet 05:33
• 6 Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: VI. Toccata 04:01
• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Variations on a Theme of Schumann, Op. 9:
• 7 Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Schumann, Op. 9 18:01
• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61:
• 8 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61: I. Allegretto 07:06
• 9 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61: II. Largo 06:06
• 10 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61: III. Moderato con moto 13:05
• Johannes Brahms: 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 (Excerpts Arr. F. Busoni for Piano):
• 11 Brahms: 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 (Excerpts Arr. F. Busoni for Piano): No. 10, Herzlich tut mich verlangen 03:12
• 12 Brahms: 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 (Excerpts Arr. F. Busoni for Piano): No. 11, O Welt, ich muß dich lassen 03:10
• Total Runtime 01:16:49

Info for Arc II

This album strives to understand the varying ways composers comprehend grief, loss and death. How did they cope, their hearts broken, their peace gone? And how can we cope? In this combination of works Weiss has tried to follow the paths these great composers walked in their own grief. Their tracks lead us from death back towards life, from horror to hope.

Of his Arc album series, Orion Weiss explains: 'The arc of this recital trilogy is inverted, like a rainbow's reflection in water. Arc I's first steps here head downhill, beginning from hope and proceeding down to despair. The bottom of the journey, Arc II, is Earth's centre, grief, loss, the lowest we can reach. The return trip, Arc III, is one of excitement and renewal, filled with the joy of rebirth and the anticipation of a better future.'

Orion Weiss, piano

Orion Weiss
One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of young American musicians, the pianist Orion Weiss has performed with the major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic. His deeply felt and exceptionally crafted performances go far beyond his technical mastery and have won him worldwide acclaim. With a warmth to his playing that reflects his personality, Orion has performed with dozens of orchestras in North America and has dazzled audiences with his passionate, lush sound.

Recent seasons have seen Weiss in performances for the Lucerne Festival, the Denver Friends of Chamber Music, the University of Iowa, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center’s Fortas Series, the 92nd Street Y, and the Broad Stage, and at Aspen, Bard, and Grand Teton summer festivals. Other highlights include his third performance with the Chicago Symphony, a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the release of his recording of Christopher Rouse’s Seeing, and recordings of the complete Gershwin works for piano and orchestra with his longtime collaborators the Buffalo Philharmonic and JoAnn Falletta.

Named the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year in September 2010, in the summer of 2011 Weiss made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood as a last-minute replacement for Leon Fleisher. In recent seasons, he has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and in duo summer concerts with the New York Philharmonic at both Lincoln Center and the Bravo! Vail Valley Festival. In 2005, he toured Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Itzhak Perlman.

Also known for his affinity and enthusiasm for chamber music, Weiss performs regularly with the violinists Augustin Hadelich, William Hagen, Benjamin Beilman, James Ehnes, and Arnaud Sussman; the pianist Shai Wosner; the cellist Julie Albers; and the Ariel, Parker, and Pacifica Quartets. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Weiss has appeared across the U.S. at venues and festivals including Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival, Sheldon Concert Hall, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, Chamber Music Northwest, the Bard Music Festival, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, and Spivey Hall. He won the 2005 William Petschek Recital Award at Juilliard and made his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall that April. Also in 2005, he made his European debut in a recital at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. He was a member of the Chamber Music Society Two program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 2002-2004, which included his appearance in the opening concert of the Society’s 2002-2003 season at Alice Tully Hall performing Ravel’s La Valse with Shai Wosner.

Weiss’s impressive list of awards includes the Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gina Bachauer Scholarship at the Juilliard School, and the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. A native of Lyndhurst, OH, Weiss attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Paul Schenly, Daniel Shapiro, Sergei Babayan, Kathryn Brown, and Edith Reed. In February of 1999, Weiss made his Cleveland Orchestra debut performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. In March 1999, with less than 24 hours’ notice, Weiss stepped in to replace André Watts for a performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He was immediately invited to return to the Orchestra for a performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto in October 1999. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Emanuel Ax.

Booklet for Arc II