Jung-Ho Pak, Conductor Wendy Warner, Cello

Franz Joseph Haydn - Johannes Brahms - The recognized center of classical music performance, multi-ethnic Vienna connected and cultivated the creativity of world-renowned composers from Austria and from afar for centuries. In his Cello Concerto, Austrian-born Haydn demonstrates a heightened sensitivity and imagination and his remarkable ability to create stunning musical works and showcase soloists at the same time. Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, Wendy Warner, comes center stage to perform this relaxed and lyrical piece, which is perfectly suited to her flawless technique and natural expression. Creating something entirely new nearly a century later, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn is a masterful piece that weaves back and forth between sections of the orchestra and individual instruments. One of his brightest and most accessible symphonic works, Symphony No. 2 is the composer’s emotional connection to the beauty of the countryside surrounding his lakeside summer retreat in Portschach, Austria.

Wendy Warner, Cello - Wendy Warner has become one of the leading cellists in the world, garnering international attention by winning first prize at the 1990 International Rostropovich Competition in Paris, and going on to perform at many of the world's distinguished concert halls, including Carnegie (NY) and Walt Disney Hall (LA), Paris' Salle Pleyel and Berlin's Philharmonie. In 2009, Warner will release two recordings for the Cedille label. Past recordings include Warner's debut recording “Paul Hindemith: Music for Cello and Piano” (Bridge Records), and a second disc featuring duos for cello and violin on Cedille Records. Most recently released is a Naxos recording of the Barber Concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Marin Alsop, conductor. www.wendywarnercello.com