Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to perform Mozart

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will be performing alongside renowned pianist, Emanuel Ax Saturday at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in the Lyell B. Clay concert theater.

The master class event, which is free and open to the public, is a visit in cooperation with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the WVU College of Creative Arts.

This partnership brings the Orchestra to WVU's CAC three times a year. Guest violinist Chris Wu will host Saturday's event and is the second in this years series.

The event will begin with a one-hour discussion beginning at 6:30 p.m. Jim Cunningham, artistic director of WQED-Pittsburgh will do a pre-concert interview outlining the music to be performed at the night's festivities.

Cunningham, who has been hosting weekly broadcasts of the Pittsburgh Symphony's concerts since 1980, is one of the best authorities on the music that the symphony produces.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with Emanuel Ax's performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major.

Ax is one of the most highly regarded pianists of the 20th century. He has performed with the New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and London orchestras. Ax has also won multiple Grammys for his work on a group project with cellist and composer Yo-Yo Ma.

Ax has been on multiple tours including upcoming tours throughout Asia with the New York Philharmonic along with a tour throughout Europe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Violinist Nikolaj Znaider, will also be making his debut as conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Saturday performing songs from Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde."

The New York Times has described Ax as

"commanding," and the Washington Post called him, "an extremely satisfying pianist…always thoughtful, lyrical, lustrous."

The Washington Post went further to say that Ax's playing ". . . has a spring to its step. It feels solid and good-humored and assured. There's no vestige of the neurotic artist about Ax. When he performs . . . you're in good hands."

The Pittsburgh Symphony will also be holding a master class Saturday from 4-6 p.m. in Room 424A of the CAC and is free to the public.

Ticket prices for the Emanuel Ax concert range from $25 to $40 dollars a ticket.