Gramophone has proclaimed, “There are few figures in today’s classical music who so perfectly embody the role of ambassador for music as Daniel Hope.” With the release of his newest album America, the acclaimed violinist—a familiar face at the most prestigious international venues and festivals, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw to London’s BBC Proms—performs with the acclaimed Zurich Chamber Orchestra at the Center for the Arts on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m., demonstrating the distinctive beauty of American music.
Through a blend of classical and jazz, with arrangements by the masterful Paul Bateman, Music Director Hope leads the acclaimed ensemble from his violin in this program, America, featuring some of the 20th century’s most recognizable pieces, including Copland’s iconic “Hoe-down” from Rodeo and “At the River” from Old American Songs; Gershwin’s Song Suite featuring “I Got Rhythm” and “Summertime”; Barber’s Adagio for Strings; music by Duke Ellington and Florence Price; highlights from Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera; and Echorus by Philip Glass. The New York Times has said, Hope’s “thriving solo career” is “built on inventive programming and a probing interpretive style.”
The last of Yehudi Menuhin’s protégés and the first instrumentalist to be named Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Hope first drew attention as the youngest member of the Beaux Arts Trio, giving more than 400 performances with the esteemed ensemble during its final six seasons. As the stages of the world were left empty during the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel Hope took to the radio to bring music to those stuck at home, and went even further with his livestreamed TV series Hope@Home, creating the show for the German/French ARTE network. Starting out in his living room in Berlin, Hope would put on live concerts of famous classical repertoire to keep the music going during the extended quarantines of the pandemic, occasionally welcoming guests such as conductor Sir Simon Rattle, pianist-arranger Christoph Israel, vocalist Max Raabe, trumpeter Till Brönner, and many more. Hailed as “a hugely successful show,” The Guardian noted that Hope@Home “resurrected the art of the house concert.”
Now finally returning to the stage live with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Hope told La Vanguardia, “Hearing the applause of the audience again is like waking up from a coma.” Join Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra as they breathe new life into American classics, melding together jazz classics and classical masterpieces in a tribute that resonates perfectly within the Center for the Arts Concert Hall.
Sneak a peek of Daniel Hope & the Zurich Chamber Orchestra performing an American classic, Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” (for Violin & String Orchestra), filmed during his Hope on Tour concert series for Arte.