The manuscript to Vivaldi’s “Winter” concerto. The composer also penned brief sonnets before each movement, which are read in this performance by MBU president Pamela Fox.
Welcome to Winter! At exactly 5:02 AM Eastern time, the Winter Solstice – representing the shortest day and longest night of the year – arrived in the Northern Hemisphere.
And we’re going to mark the occasion with Heifetz alum Rachell Ellen Wong, who around the time of the Spring solstice in March was named the first Baroque Violinist ever to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. This performance features Rachell fresh off her first summer at Heifetz, appearing as soloist at a “Heifetz Holiday Homecoming” concert with fellow alums Chloé Kiffer and Nikita Borisevich, violins; Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Coleman Itzkoff and Nicholas Mariscal, cellos. Stefan Petrov is the harpsichordist, and the introductory poem is read by Mary Baldwin University president Pamela Fox.
PS – We’ve got more memorable holiday performances from this group and many more, coming up on our “Notes from Christmas Past“ program coming up on our Virtual Concert Hall. Click here to view!
More from Rachell:
Vivaldi with verve & Bach from the Blackfriars
In the fall of 2020, Rachell made her major-orchestra debut, performing with her hometown Seattle Symphony Orchestra a riveting performance of all four of the concertos that make up Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” Check out this excerpt below!
Rachell also took time out from her increasingly in-demand schedule to join us for what would turn out to be our only Heifetz recording made here in our home base of Staunton, VA in all of 2020: A spellbinding performance of Bach’s totemic Chaconne in D minor.