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The legendary Niccolo Paganini was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of the late 18th and early 19th century and his Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major is the ultimate tour de force for a soloist. World-class Hungarian violinist Tamas Kocsis will perform Paganini’s work with the Beaufort Symphony Orchestra in concert on Feb. 25 and 28.
Paganini’s technical proficiency and dramatic flair provoked admiration from the most famous musicians of his day and he wrote his Concerto No. 1 to display these talents to the hilt. In taking on this work Tomas Kocsis will reveal his command of the form, intonation and musical insight required of a violinist to do justice to Paganini’s awe-inspiring composition. Concertgoers can expect to be wowed by his truly extraordinary talent.
Kocsis (pronounced couch-ish) began studying at Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy of Music when he was 10 years old. At age 11 he debuted on Hungarian Radio and made over a dozen solo and chamber music recordings for them in the following years. In 1989 he received a full scholarship to Indiana University to work with Josef Gingold. He later studied with Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School. In 1995 he won the New York Artists International Competition and received an award from the European Council. Kocsis was knighted in Budapest in 2006 in recognition of his achievements in and for Hungarian musical life. He has held concertmaster positions with the orchestras of Fort Worth, Orlando and Savannah, and in 2010 he moved to the UK to become concertmaster for the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Ireland. Following intermission Maestro Frederick Devyatkin and the orchestra takes center stage to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s much beloved masterwork, Symphony No. 3 “Scottish.”
This concert is the third of a five-concert season celebrating the orchestra’s 30th Anniversary. “Romantic Virtuosi” will be performed on Thursday evening, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28 at 4:00 p.m. The Spring Concert on May 12 and 15 will host the Savannah quintet Velvet Caravan in a salute to Django Reinhardt, “Slavic Swing.” A special fifth concert will showcase the Beaufort Symphony Youth Orchestra alongside the adult orchestra in a “Side by Side Gala” on April 10 at Beaufort High School Performing Arts Center. To hear more about these outstanding concerts watch a video of music director Frederick Devyatkin on the orchestra’s website at www.beaufortorchesra.org.
All concerts with the exception of the “Side by Side Gala” will be held at the Sea Island Presbyterian Church on Lady’s Island in Beaufort. Go to the orchestra website for a map with directions and to purchase tickets. Or go to www.TIX.com or call 1-8005954849. Adult tickets are $40 and Student tickets are $15 and are available at the door.
Concerts are funded in part by the SC Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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