Beethoven's Fifth
On February 17th, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) is joined by the Artist-In-Residence of the New York Classical Players 2018–2021 and Sejong Arts Center in Seoul for its 40th anniversary season, featured artist during the 2018 Winter Olympics celebrations ( PyeongChang, Korea), Cultural Ambassador for Daejeon, Korea, Sony Classical published recording artist, former Principal Flute of the Vienna Symphony under Fabio Luisi and Associate Principal of the Cincinnati Symphony under Paavo Jarvi, renowned Korean flautist Jasmine Choi. Directed by their Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan, the MPO will begin with a performance of Maltese composer Kristian Schembri's Cataclysmus , before welcoming Ms Choi to the stage to present a performance of Vivaldi's popular Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 10, no. 3 “Il Gardellino” (RV 428). Following this, Ms Choi and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Alexey Shor's delicately vivacious Flute Concerto in Bb. After a short intermission, the MPO returns for a rousing performance of Beethoven's phenomenally well-known and iconic Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op.67, a piece that is now considered to be a defining work of Western Classical music. This concert is presented by CMDI Group and SAMIT Event Group, with the support of the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC).
Programme:
K. Schembri
Cataclysmus
A. Vivaldi
Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 10, no. 3 “Il Gardellino” (RV 428)
A. Shor
Flute Concerto in Bb
--Intermission--
L. Beethoven
Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op.67
Sergey Smbatyan
Acclaimed as a cultural leader in his native Armenia and increasingly in demand on the international stage, Sergey Smbatyan is founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. In September 2019 he became Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra following highly successful tours of Germany, Austria and the United States, including performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna’s Musikverein and Carnegie Hall.
Music’s power to unite, heal and inspire has driven and sustained Smbatyan since childhood. His mature artistic vision combines lessons learned from the best traditions of Russian music-making and a profound personal commitment to transforming lives through the shared experience of performing and listening. The charismatic conductor’s reputation with fellow musicians and critics alike flows from his technical command, the intensity with which he shapes and communicates musical ideas, the intelligence of his programming, and the spiritual richness and depth of his interpretations.
Sergey Smbatyan was eighteen when he founded the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in 2006. He has overseen its transformation since from youth ensemble into one of Armenia’s finest professional orchestras. They began 2020 with a landmark European tour, complete with debut appearances at Vienna’s Musikverein, the Berlin Philharmonie, Salzburg’s Großes Festspielhaus, the Barbican Hall in London, Moscow’s Zaryadye Concert Hall, the Gasteig Munich, Stuttgart’s Beethoven Hall and Prague’s Rudolfinum.
Smbatyan’s guest conducting career has flourished in recent seasons, leading to concerts with Sinfonia Varsovia, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and, among others, the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. He returns to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2020-21 season for a European tour comprising concerts at Wiesbaden’s Kurhaus and the Vienna Musikverein. His schedule also includes dates with the Malta Philharmonic, Russian National, Jerusalem Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras as part of the 2021 Malta International Music Festival. Smbatyan will conduct the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra on its first UK tour in September 2021, presenting ten concerts at leading venues in company with Maxim Vengerov as soloist
Known for his imaginative programming, Smbatyan is a determined champion of new music and supporter of emerging talent. He is founder and artistic director of four music festivals in Armenia, Artistic Director of the Aram Khachaturian International Competition and, in October 2019, conducted the WTIC World Orchestra in the first ever concert of music composed by artificial intelligence (AI). His repertoire embraces everything from masterworks of the western symphonic literature to compelling scores by Armenian and other Eastern European composers, many of them commissioned by or specially written for him.
Born in Yerevan in 1987, Sergey Smbatyan showed exceptional musical promise as a child. He received his first violin lessons from his grandmother, Tatiana Hayrapetyan, and continued his training at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and with Zakhar Bron. He refined his conducting skills while studying for a PhD in fine arts at the Institute of Arts of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences and as a postgraduate student at London’s Royal Academy of Music, where he gained invaluable insights into the conductor’s art from Sir Colin Davis.
Sergey Smbatyan’s list of awards and prizes includes the title of Honoured Artist of the Republic of Armenia, presented by the President of the Republic of Armenia in recognition for his promotion of Armenian music and culture. In 2014 he became the youngest ever worker in the field of the arts and the first Armenian to be appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.
Jasmine Choi
Flute
Flutist Jasmine Choi is one of the most celebrated flutists of our time, known for her virtuosity and refined musicianship, as well as her adventurous projects. She has performed across the globe in a variety of genres from classical solo, chamber, and orchestral to experimental, jazz, and pop.
A former principal flute of the Vienna Symphony under Fabio Luisi and associate principal of the Cincinnati Symphony under Paavo Jarvi, Ms. Choi has performed as a soloist with the Vienna Symphony, Salzburg Mozarteum, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, St.Petersburg Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Salzburg Mozart Players, Berlin Symphony, New York Classical Players, Seoul Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, as well as at recitals in Paris, Vienna, London, Munich, Geneve, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong.
Her infinite curiosity has also led her to make her own arrangements of major works, including the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky violin concertos, as well as performing new works by living composers. She has published numerous arrangements of hers through Theodore Presser Company, and has premiered more than 10 flute concertos written for her.
Ms. Choi has been the Artist-In-Residence of the New York Classical Players for three consecutive seasons(2018-2021), and served as the Artist-In-Residence at Sejong Arts Center in Seoul for its 40th anniversary season.
She has recorded several solo CDs under the Sony Classical label, including Mozart Flute Concertos, Fantasy (Virtuoso Flute Works), Claude Bolling Jazz Suite, Mozart Flute Quartets, Works of Brahms, Schumann, Reinecke. Other recordings include Telemann Fantasies, Love in Paris (from a live recital), Trio Joy (free improvisation), and three single albums including her arrangement of Paganini's Caprice No.24, Clarke's Great Train Race and Reichert's Encore Solo.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Choi has started sharing educational videos on YouTube for the advanced flutists, as well as collaborating with young pianists and introducing them in order to kickstart their careers, and interviewing leading classical musicians via live streamings and recorded videos.
In May 2021, Ms. Choi has launched the SmartCase, an innovative flute case that is light, durable, secure and fits to normal bags, making every flutist's wish come true. In August 2021, she has published the flute method books for beginners (Seoul Music Publishing) which made it to the bestseller chart in no time. She also writes articles for Flute Talk Magazine in the US and the Auditorium Magazine in Korea.
Between concerts, Ms. Choi enjoys teaching and guiding young students in master classes. She has previously taught master classes at Juilliard, the Curtis Institute of Music, Indiana University, Colburn School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Florida University, Harvard University, Universität für Musik in Vienna, among others.
Growing up as a third generation of a classical music family in Korea, she started learning piano and violin from the very early age. A year after picking up the flute as a nine-year-old, she performed the Haydn Concerto in D Major with a local orchestra. She became the last pupil of the legendary Julius Baker when she was accepted at Curtis Institute of Music at sixteen years old. Ms. Choi continued her studies at Juilliard School with Jeffrey Khaner, and later had private studies with Thomas Robertello and Robert Stallman.
Ms. Choi’s performance was featured during the 2018 Winter Olympics’ celebrations in PyeongChang, Korea, and she is the official Cultural Ambassador of her hometown Daejeon, Korea.
Ms. Choi speaks English, German and Korean, and resides in Austria between concert tours. She has a strong presence on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and enjoys communicating regularly with her fans.
“The goddess of flute” - Korea Times
“Jasmine Choi is a revisionist” - Philadelphia Inquirer
“Anyone who hears Jasmine Choi's performance will encounter a totally new level of flute playing” - Nikkei Daily Newspaper, Japan
“One of best flutists in the history of music” - Sinfini Magazine, UK
Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
For half a century, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has been Malta’s leading musical ensemble.
The orchestra was founded in April 1968, when musicians from the defunct “C-in-C” orchestra of the Malta-based British Mediterranean Fleet regrouped as the Manoel Theatre Orchestra. It continued to serve as the theatre’s resident orchestra until September 1997, when it became an independent orchestra, taking up the name National Orchestra of Malta. The orchestra became the MPO in 2008 when it expanded into a full-size symphony orchestra, bringing together the best of Maltese talent and musicians from Europe and beyond.
Joseph Sammut, the C-in-C’s last conductor, was the orchestra’s first conductor, remaining at the helm until 1992. Since then, the orchestra has also been under the direction of Joseph Vella, John Galea, Michael Laus and Brian Schembri.
This season, the MPO has appointed Raoul Lay as its Artistic Director, together with Sergey Smbatyan as Principal Conductor and Michael Laus as Resident Conductor. The MPO also works with local and international guest conductors and soloists including Lawrence Renes, Michalis Economou, Guy Braunstein and Enrico Dindo.
As Malta’s only professional orchestra, the MPO averages more than one performance a week including symphonic concerts, opera productions in Malta and Gozo, community outreach and educational initiatives, as well as various concerts of a lighter nature.
The orchestra has performed in leading venues across the globe, including in the USA, Russia, Germany, Austria, China, Italy, and Belgium, and presently embarks on at least one international tour each concert season.
The MPO is a keen exponent of Maltese composers, regularly performing their works in Malta and overseas, as well as frequently premiering, and commissioning new compositions.
Through the MPO Academy and the Malta Youth Orchestra – which itself regularly gives concerts across Malta, the MPO is also responsible for the training and professional development of the next generation of Maltese musicians.
← 16 February "Mikhail Pletnev — The Piano Legend" | 18 February "Violin Concerto Gala" →