This preview has been provided by the Cary Cross Currents Chamber Music and Arts Festival.
When Gavriel Lipkind came to play with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra in THE 2009 CROSS CURRENTS FESTIVAL, CVNC reviewer, Tom Moore remarked: “If there is a divide between masters who play angelically and those who play like the devil, Lipkind is definitely on the infernal side of the line…”
That he is. But, oh my, what a cellist! The first year he played with the BCO we got a call from a music lover in Richmond, Virginia.
“Gavriel Lipkind is coming to your Festival?” the woman asked.
“Yes.” I answered.
“The cellist with the black curly hair who lives in Germany?”
“Yes.”
“There must be two Gavriel Lipkinds.”
“Why would there be two cellists named Gavriel Lipkind?” I asked.
“Because when I heard him play in New York two years ago I paid $100 for my ticket. It says on your website the tickets for Gavriel’s concert are $25.”
Ah, the ticket price. Sticker shock. How is it possible that he plays in New York for $100 and for $25 for us? Maybe that’s the difference between New York prices and Raleigh and Cary. Or, maybe he just loves us…or at least loves playing with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra.
After Gavriel played with us the second time in 2010, when we were still based in Raleigh rather than Cary, he wrote a note to us:
For me, working with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra reaches far beyond a soloist’s day-in day-out collaboration with an orchestra. This special artistic acquaintance which started a few years ago and took me and the orchestra to many beautiful stages in many countries, has finally found a home in Raleigh. Being a true consortium of musical friends and creative minds, a highly professional and engaged group of musical individuals, the Brussels Chamber Orchestra sets new standards in merging an ensemble with the voice of a soloist. The possibility to work in Raleigh, in beautiful surroundings and the special atmosphere, rehearsing and performing in front of a knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience, is unparalleled. Such moments as the ones the Cross Currents Festival offers in abundance have become truly rare in the hectic hitch-hiking reality of the 21st century’s musical market.
Gavriel is coming back again this summer, and he’s bringing his recently formed Lipkind Quartet. We can’t wait. The Quartet will play two concerts on its own the evenings of August 2nd and 4th and one with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra the evening of August 8th. Gavriel will also solo on August 3rd with the BCO playing in combination with the student participants in our Chamber Orchestra Side-by-Side workshop. These four concerts ought to make quite a quartet!
For details and tickets, please see the Festival website: www.carycrosscurrentsfestival.com
