 Dr. Gerald Gray |
Dr. Gray performs throughout the United States and Europe primarily in the music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This evening Mr. Gray continues his collaboration with David Breitman which began two years ago in a performance of Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin from an historical 1832 Diabelli edition.
This past summer Gerald debuted with the Wiener Akademie (Vienna Academy) in performances of Handel’s Acis and Galatea in Germany and Austria. Recent highlights include a concert of Bach’s Sacred Cantatas and the St. Matthew Passion with the American Bach Soloists of San Francisco and the role of “Tempo” in Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno with Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra in Los Angeles.
Past highlights include appearances with the Handel and Haydn Society in a staged production of Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers for which the Wall Street Journal hailed the "sensuousness of his vocal line". Other recent performances include one-voice-per-part performances of Bach’s sacred cantatas and a recording of Acis and Galatea with Musca Angelica.
Dr. Gray has been a fellow at the Bach Aria Festival and the Carmel Bach Festival where he returned as a soloist. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Fredonia School of Music.
David Breitman is equally at home with the fortepiano and the modern piano, and his growing discography reflects that versatility. His latest recording project was of a major new song cycle by the Cuban-American composer Jorge Martin with baritone Sanford Sylvan, following the New York premiere of the 65-minute work at Carnegie Recital Hall. This was the fourth recital record with Sylvan, following “Beloved that Pilgrimage” (three 20th century song cycles) Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin (using a replica of a Graf fortepiano), and an all-Fauré disc. “Pilgrimage” and the Fauré were nominated for Grammy awards. Another fruitful partnership has been with Jean-François Rivest. Their 4-disk Mozart violin sonata cycle is available on the Analekta label. In a collaboration of a different sort, Breitman is one of seven fortepianists who share a complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle. The team has presented the series in New York City, Florence, and Palermo and the 10-CD set on CLAVES has been extraordinarily well received.
A Montreal native, Mr. Breitman now teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he directs the Historical Performance program.
