CT classical show in NYC with Hilary Hahn

[JeffLester]

At least I assume they'll be playing classical music.

October 10th at Used Book Cafe:
http://www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/
126 Crosby St., NYC

[Red Zep]

Sponsered by First Act [lolol]

That is truly hilarious.

[Banjo_Ken]

Originally posted by Red Zep
Sponsered by First Act [lolol]

That is truly hilarious.

I don't know what's so hilarious about it, but it is very exciting! Hilary Hahn is one of my favorite classical performers. I've seen her several times with different orchestras and she's always a joy to watch. Chris is Chris, of course. The odd thing is that this date doesn't appear on either of their websites. I assume this is a fairly small space then? Should be an amazing opportunity to see two of the world's best musicians up close!

[Snoogans74]

This is a pseudo-press release from Hilary Hahn's myspace page. I got my ticket Monday- the bookstore's really nice and the stage area is very intimate. I'm excited; I'm unfamiliar with Hilary Hahn's music, but a friend told me she played for the score of The Village , which was really beautiful. Can't wait for the 10th!

Hilary Hahn and Chris Thile

In an Exclusive Performance at the

Housing Works Bookstore to celebrate dual album releases

Proceeds to the fight against AIDS and homelessness



Housing Works is located at 126 Crosby Street. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are available on the Housing Works website for $15. http://www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/index.html



New York, NY - On Oct 10th, the worlds of classical music and bluegrass collide for one amazing night of music. Fellow musicians and friends Hilary Hahn and Chris Thile will join forces at The Housing Works Bookstore for an exclusive performance.

At the age of 26, Grammy® Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn is one of the most compelling artists on the international concert circuit and an ambassador of classical music to new audiences. Renowned for her intellectual and emotional maturity, she was named America's Best young classical musician by Time Magazine in 2001, and appears on a regular basis with the world's great orchestras in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his (or any other) generation, 25-year-old mandolin phenom Chris Thile has released three best-selling albums with Nickel Creek and four solo albums. Since winning the national mandolin championships and forming Nickel Creek before he was a teenager, he has changed the mandolin forever, elevating it from its origins as a relatively simple folk and bluegrass instrument to the sophistication and brilliance of the finest jazz improvisers and classical performers.



Both Hahn and Thile have long explored music outside of their initial realms: Hahn has played on albums by alt-rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and folk singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau, and Thile has collaborated in a wide range of styles with many musicians including bassist Edgar Meyer, fellow mandolinist Mike Marshall, and in an out-and-out rock sensibility on his last solo album Deceiver, with himself. For one night only, these two extraordinary musicians will unite to celebrate their new album releases.



Hahn's new album once again shows her brilliant talent as one of the world's most sought-after classical musicians in new recordings of Niccolo Paganini's Concerto No. 1 and Louis Spohr's Concerto No. 8 on Deutsche Grammophon on October 10th. She has the superior technique needed to tackle even the most difficult figures and to make this music shine. Her performances of the Paganini Concerto have been hailed by critics: Hilary Hahn, this queen of Apollonian clarity and compelling concentration . . . In her playing the wondrously singing lyrical passages were a response to the flawless ecstasy of supreme violinistic artistry (Süddeutsche Zeitung).



Thile's new album, How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, with a newly formed band, is a stunningly original and brilliantly executed suite that pushes the boundaries of bluegrass while remaining, at its center, firmly rooted within them. And though the instrumental abilities of the band are virtually without limit, the heart of the album is its songs. Whether written by Thile himself or drawn from such varied sources as Gillian Welch, the White Stripes, Jimmie Rodgers and the Strokes, each is at once a self-contained performance and a part of a subtle, overarching story of heartbreaking loss and the hope of renewal.



Though the musical paths of these two artists appear to be vastly different, their passion and dedication to their craft, along with their musical adventurousness, have made them similarly respected and sought-after in all corners of the musical world. By choosing a venue such as Housing Works and performing together, Hahn and Thile have the rare opportunity to play for completely new audiences. With both artists releasing albums this Fall, this concert is a unique celebration of their hard work and exceptional music-making.





About Housing Works

Housing Works Bookstore Café is an independent cultural center that offers patrons a unique opportunity to join the fight against AIDS and homelessness. Arts-based philanthropy in practice, we allow visitors to make a difference simply by buying or donating books; eating at our cafe; coming to concerts, readings, and special events; or volunteering for our staff.



We are a non-profit organization that relies entirely on donations to stock our store and volunteers to run it. All proceeds directly benefit our parent organization, Housing Works, Inc., the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS service provider. Housing Works provides housing, healthcare, job training, and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. As an activist organization, we are committed to implementing the systemic changes necessary to ensure that AIDS and public health policies are sound in concept and equitable in administration.



Housing Works is located at 126 Crosby Street. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are available on the Housing Works website for $15. http://www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/index.html

[chinmusic]

Man, what a show. I actually went because I'm a fan of Hilary Hahn, but I was just blown away by Chris Thile's set. He did a couple of songs from the new album, plus two that he said were still looking for a home, (i.e. aren't in an album yet) and for his last song he did Fiona Apple's Fast As You Can.

Had a lot of fun. I'm a new fan.

Have any of you guys heard one of his songs called If you go away ?

[Banjo_Ken]

Really great show last night from Chris and Hilary Hahn. Really tiny room, which meant that while I couldn't get a seat, I was standing about 10 feet away from them the whole time. Chris played about 20-30 minutes of his usual solo set. Did several songs from the new album, a little Bach, and a few other things. Hilary Hahn came out and did a few more songs from the album with Chris. I'm used to seeing her perform with orchestras in big concert halls, so it was a real treat to see a musician of her calibre (one of the finest violinists in the world) in this kind of intimate and informal setting. I don't think she was quite comfortable with some of Chris' stuff, but she was sure having fun trying!

One of the most interesting things they did was collaborate on Bach's Partita No. 1 in B minor. The way that partita was written is that there are four main movements, but following each movement is a double , which is essentially a more active variation. These movements are supposed to be heard separately, but what Chris and Hilary did was play them together, and to great effect. This isn't the kind of thing you're likely to hear a classical performer do, but it came off really well. Chris also transcribed the keyboard part to Tartini's Devil's Trill sonata, and a bit of the orchestra part to Paganini's 1'st concerto.

Hilary also did a few solo pieces, including Ysaye Sonata No. 2, and a really interesting arrangement of Schubert's Erlkonig that I hadn't heard before.

Perhaps my favorite moment was Chris and Hilary playing Bela Fleck's Down in the Swamp . Not only did Hilary have a great feel for it, there was also a great story. Apparently, at a concert she gave in Japan, she used that tune as the third movement cadenza in the Beethoven violin concerto. The Japanese audience thought it was a folk tune of some kind and really loved it. Now, Beethoven and Bela Fleck are two of my all time favorite musicians, and I would have never in a million years thought of combining them like that. I was a big fan of Hilary before, but I'm an even bigger fan now!

All in all, this was one of the best concerts I've seen in a long time. The Used Book Cafe seems like a cool place, too. I'll have to check it out again when there's not a concert there. I really hope these two play together some more, because it was a very different but amazing experience for all involved.

[chinmusic]

We were definitely lucky to have Chris and Hilary perform for us in such an intimate setting. The platform they stood on couldn't have been more than 8 feet by 8 feet, and there was actually a row of people sitting around it. It was a thrill.

I'm not very familiar with the mandolin, so I was pleasantly surprised that Chris's accompaniment complemented Hilary's violin so well, and vice versa, especially in the Bach partita.

By the way, the bluegrass-themed cadenza Hilary improvised in her Japan concert was in the second movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. It was sort of done in response to a dare made by the conductor, Paavo Jarvi, before the concert.

[Snoogans74]

Thanks so much for remembering the names of the classical pieces they played- Hilary was really fantastic, but I wasn't as familiar with her set as I was with Chris'. For anyone interested in what he played, (in no particular order):

A fiddle tune that got cut from WSTFD
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Stay Away
J.S. Bach Dm Gigue (From Solo Violin Partita #2)
If You're Gonna Leave Me
How to Grow a Woman From The Ground*
O Santo De Polvora*
*These were the two songs he did with Hilary. She did look like she had a good time, but was definitely more comfortable with the fiddle tune than she was with the folky How to Grow a Woman.
Fast As You Can

The end of the show was really terrific: they played a classical piece together (again, the composer and title escapes me), and left the stage with nothing else planned. The audience stood and applauded for so long that the bookstore employee who was going to raffle off an acoustic guitar that the two of them had signed got off stage when Hilary and Chris returned for one more song. Chris said This is a TRUE encore, because we don't know any more songs together. Then he told Hilary he knew a Dylan song with one chord in it; the two then played Masters of War together, and it was pretty spectacular. Hilary was far more comfortable with this one, and the two even traded passages while improvising.

The two of them met with whomever wanted to stay and say hello, and also signed cds and whatnot. It was a really spectacular evening of music; every time I think Chris has put together an unbeatble show, he seems to raise the bar for the next one. He told me afterwards that he's planning an NYC evening entirely of Bach for the near future (possibly early November). I can't wait for it; is it bad that, while I'm thinking of moving to a different state for employment purposes, a part of me says, Well, I'll miss all the Chris Thile shows... ? Glad I have my priorities straight!

[chinmusic]

Snoogans, I think the piece you're referring to is Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1. They played the final minute of the third movement together.

During the show Hilary said something about how Chris has only recently started fiddling with classical stuff and plays it like he was born to do it. Thought that was dead-on. He was great yesterday.

[mychang]

i would've loved to go to this

thanks for the reports guys, that's good stuff

anyone know if this show was recorded?

it seems like a unique enough event that someone would've thought to record it...

[johnson ma120]

pictures from the show:

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/554855722Ahuoku

stunning. the show, not my pictures. what a joy it was to be there. I asked Chris if there was a Bach album in the near future. he was quickier than his mandolin skills to say no, :-( let's keep our fingers crossed for more shows w/ Hilary.

[Meghan Narser]

hehehe stripey shirt

[JeffLester]

Hilary Hahn journal mentioning the show:
http://www.hilaryhahn.com/journal/101506.shtml

[e-rock2]

Thanks for the journal entry Jeff. A possible CD together would be quite interesting although if it happens it would be a few years off.

[e-rock2]

If you go to Google video and do a search for Chris Thile, you will find 4 videos from this performance. I won't post a link as they don't look like camera phone videos. I'm glad that most of the Bach is there. I'm sure it was an amazing night.

[acopley]

I just watched those google videos earlier tonight! They are great. I enjoy the music and the banter, including the musical corndog.