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| Pianist JOHN NOVACEK regularly tours the Americas, Europe and Asia as solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist; in the latter capacity he has presented over thirty concerti with dozens of orchestras. John Novacek’s major American performances have been heard in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, Merkin Concert Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Symphony Space, Washington’s The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center and Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Hollywood Bowl and Royce Hall, while international venues include Paris’ Theatre des Champs-Elysées, Salle Gaveau and Musée du Louvre, London’s Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre, as well as most of the major concert halls of Japan. He is also a frequent guest artist at festivals, here and abroad, including New York City’s Mostly Mozart Festival and those of Aspen, Cape Cod, Caramoor, Chautauqua, Colorado College, Ravinia, Seattle, SummerFest La Jolla, Wolf Trap, BBC Proms (England), Braunschweig (Germany), Lucerne, Menuhin and Berbier (Switzerland), Majorca (Spain), Sorrento (Italy), Stavanger (Norway), Toulouse (France) and Sapporo (Japan). Often heard on radio broadcasts worldwide, John Novacek has appeared on NPR’s Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday and, as both featured guest composer/performer, on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. He is also frequently seen and heard on television, including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Entertainment Tonight and CNN International. John Novacek is a much sought-after collaborative artist and has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Emmanuel Pahud, Truls Mork and Leila Josefowicz, as well as the Colorado, Harrington, New Hollywood and Ying string quartets. He has also given numerous world premieres and worked closely with composers John Adams, John Harbison, Jennifer Higdon, George Rochberg, John Williams and John Zorn. John Novacek took top prizes at both the Leschetizky and Joanna Hodges international piano competitions, among many others. He studied piano with Peter Serkin, Bruce Sutherland and Jakob Gimpel and chamber music with Jamie Laredo and Felix Galimir, and occasionally coached with Gary Graffman and Isaac Stern. John Novacek’s own compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Pacific Symphony, The 5 Browns, Concertante, Harrington String Quartet, Ying Quartet, Millennium, Quattro Mani and The Three Tenors. He has recorded over 30 CDs, encompassing solo and chamber music by most major composers from Bach to Bartók, as well as many contemporary and original scores. Mr. Novacek records for Philips, Nonesuch, Arabesque, Warner Classics, Sony/BMG, Koch International, Universal Classics, Ambassador, Pony Canyon, Four Winds, Arkay, Virtuoso and EMI Classics. CD titles include Road Movies (2004 GRAMMY nomination as “Best Chamber Music Performance”), Great Mozart Piano Works, Spanish Rhapsody, Novarags (original ragtime compositions), Classic Romance, Hungarian Sketches, Intersection, Romances et Meditations and, with Leila Josefowicz, Americana (GRAMOPHONE: “Editor’s Choice”), For the End of Time, Shostakovich and Recital (BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE: 5 stars/June 2005's chamber choice). www.johnnovacek.com |
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BACH, J.S. |
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"GREAT MOZART PIANO WORKS" 12 Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman, K. 265 Rondo in a, K. 511 Sonata #9 in D, K. 311 Fantasy in d, K. 397 Sonata #14 in c, K. 457 FOUR WINDS: FW 3013 |
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"SPANISH RHAPSODY" Liszt: Rhapsodie espagnole Soler: Fandango Ginastera: Danzas argentinas Granados: Quejas o la maja y el ruiseñor Ravel: Alborado del gracioso Novacek: Improvisation on Estrellita (Ponce) Albéniz: Asturias, Sevilla, Tango AMBASSADOR: ARC 1014 |
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"NOVARAGS" Rags by: John Novacek, Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, Luckey Roberts, James Scott with Steven Novacek, guitarist AMBASSADOR: ARC 1008 |
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"RELAXATION" Saint-Saëns/Siloti: The Swan Mascagni/Novacek: Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana Mozart/Novacek: Eine kleine Nachtmusik (mvt. II) Barber/Novacek: Adagio for Strings Verdi/Novacek: Va! Pensiero from Nabucco Puccini/Novacek: E lucevan le stelle from Tosca Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves Brahms/Singer: Symphony #3 (mvt. III) J.S. Bach/Hess: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring Pachelbel/Schultz/Iacovone: Canon Novacek: Melancholy Drag PONY CANYON: PCCL-00528 |
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"CLASSIC ROMANCE II" Debussy: Clair de lune Granados: Spanish Dance #2 Chopin: Waltz in c-sharp, Op. 64, #2 Beethoven: Für Elise Mendelssohn: Song Without Words, Op. 62, #1 Chopin: Nocturne in f-sharp, Op. 48, #2 Schubert: Impromptu in G-flat Ravel: Jeux d’eau Rameau: Gavotte and Six Doubles Schubert/Liszt: Serenade Verdi/Liszt: Rigoletto Paraphrase Scriabin: Prelude for the Left Hand Alone, Op. 9, #1 Chopin: Ballade #1 in g, Op. 23 FOUR WINDS: FW 30006 |
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"LAST KISS" Liszt: Liebestraum #3 Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G, Op. 32, #5 Debussy: Prelude from Suite bergamasque Beethoven: Adagio cantabile from Pathetique Sonata Fauré: Barcarolle in a, Op. 26 Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66 Grieg: Arietta, Op. 12, #1 Debussy: Snow is Dancing J.S. Bach: Sarabande and Double from English Suite #6 in d Mendelssohn: Etude in b-flat, Op. 104, #1 Grieg: Melody, Op. 47, #3 Satie: Gymnopedie #1 Chopin: Etude in c, Op. 10, #12 Brahms: Intermezzo in E-flat, Op. 117, #1 Chopin: Waltz in a, Op. 34, #2 FOUR WINDS: FW 3016 |
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JENNIFER HIGDON: Summer Shimmers with Susan Glaser, flutist Todd Palmer, clarinetist The Lark Quartet KOCH: KIC-CD-7738 |
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JOHN ADAMS: Road Movies Leila Josefowicz, violinist John Novacek, pianist NONESUCH: 79699-2 |
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PATRICK ZIMMERLI: Pianos Trios Scott Yoo, violinist Michael Mermagen, cellist John Novacek, pianist ARABESQUE RECORDINGS: Z6785 |
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"FOR THE END OF TIME" Falla: Suite populaire espagnole Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps Grieg: Sonata #3 in c, Op. 45 Bartók: Sonata #1 Leila Josefowicz, violinist John Novacek, pianist PHILIPS: 289 456 571-2 |
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"AMERICANA" Novacek: 4 Rags Chaplin/Ogermann: Smile Vieuxtemps: Souvenier d’Amérique, on Yankee Doodle Joplin/Perlman: The Ragtime Dance Ponce/Heifetz: Estrellita Gershwin/Dushkin: Short Story Gershwin/Heifetz: 3 Preludes Joplin/Perlman: The Easy Winners arr. Heifetz: Deep River Foster/Heifetz: Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair Foster/Heifetz: Old Folks at Home Gershwin/Heifetz: Porgy and Bess Suite Leila Josefowicz, violinist John Novacek, pianist PHILIPS: 289 462 948-2 |
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Messiaen: Theme and Variations Ravel: Sonata in G Grey: San Andreas Suite (for solo violin) Salonen: Lachen Verlernt (for solo violin) Beethoven: Sonata #10 in G, Op. 96 Brahms: Scherzo in c Leila Josefowicz, violinist John Novacek, pianist WARNER CLASSICS: 2564 61948-2 |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto #1 in a, Op. 99 Leila Josefowicz, violinist Sakari Oramo/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Violin Sonata, Op. 134 Leila Josefowicz, violinist John Novacek, pianist WARNER CLASSICS: 2564 62997-2 |
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BROWNS IN BLUE includes: Novacek: Reflections on Shenandoah The 5 Browns RCA RED SEAL: 88697-11322-2 |
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NO BOUNDARIES includes: Novacek: Full Stride Ahead (Rag) The 5 Browns RCA RED SEAL: 82876-78719-2 |
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"John Novacek juxtaposes some very serious Mozart with his lighter side. He approaches all of this music with consummate control and grace and a tonal luminosity that serves the composer well. A fine recital, enhanced by excellent sonics." |
| 8/6/2008 (7:30pm) LA JOLLA SUMMERFEST Sherwood Auditorium, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Stravinsky: Duo Concertante Shostakovich: Violin Sonata Shostakovich: 5 Pieces for 2 Violins & Piano with Leila Josefowicz, violinist Steven Copes, violinist 8/8/2008 (7:30pm) LA JOLLA SUMMERFEST Birch North Park Theatre (San Diego) Saariaho: Je sens un deuxième coeur with Hsin-Yun Huang, violist Eric Kim, cellist 8/21/2008 (7pm) MARINA DEL REY SUMMER SYMPHONY 2/28/2009 (8pm) ALMONTE IN CONCERT |
