Renowned pianist Orion Weiss joins Ariel Quartet in March 25 concert
The program features works by Beethoven and Ernő Dohnányi
Event Information
Story by CCM Graduate Assistant Lucy Evans
The Ariel Quartet, UC College Conservatory of Music’s String Quartet-in-Residence, concludes its 2024-25 season with a program featuring music by Beethoven and Hungarian composer Ernő Dohnányi. Joined by pianist Orion Weiss, the concert takes place Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.
A frequent collaborator of the Ariel Quartet, Orion Weiss is one of the most sought-after soloist and chamber music pianists of his generation. Hailed as a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times) with a “head-spinning range of colors,” (Chicago Tribune), he has performed with all the major orchestras of North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. In February of 2025, Weiss released the solo album Arc III, the final installment of his recital trilogy.
The program features two piano quintets by Ernő Dohnányi. Regarded as one of the foremost Hungarian composers, Dohnányi (1877-1960) bridged the gap between 19th-century romanticism and the burgeoning modernism of the 20th-century. Influenced heavily by the music of Brahms and Franz Liszt, Dohnányi was also a virtuoso concert pianist and conductor.
His Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, his first published work, premiered in 1895. Written while Dohnányi was still a student, the work was praised publicly by his idol Brahms. The four-movement work is decidedly romantic, with rich counterpoint and lyrical melodies. His Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-flat minor, completed in 1914, is more mysterious, with a harmonic ambiguity that points towards the modernist movement of the 20th-century.
The program also features Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, the second of his “Razumovsky” cycle. The Ariel Quartet is currently in the process of recording The Cycle—their ongoing project performing all seventeen of Beethoven’s string quartets. Recorded in CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, the first half of his Op. 18 will be released on April 4.
Orion Weiss. Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco.
One of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators today, Orion Weiss is a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times) with “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post). He has dazzled audiences worldwide with his “head-spinning range of colors” (Chicago Tribune) and has performed with all of the major orchestras of North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic.
In 2024 Weiss will release Arc III, the final album in his Arc recital trilogy (First Hand Records). His live performance schedule includes engagements with violinist James Ehnes, who joins Weiss for his return to London’s Wigmore Hall as well as for performances in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Seattle, Bloomington, Indiana and Bergen, Norway. Among numerous engagements with U.S. orchestras, Weiss makes his David Geffen Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra. He is featured in recitals at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Italy’s Teatro Marrucino Biglietteria and Washington University in St. Louis, as well as on a tour with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and an appearance at LaMusica Chamber Music Festival in Sarasota, Florida. Over the last year, he made his return to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by Michael Tilson Thomas, debuted with the National Symphony; gave multiple performances in the United States, Canada and Asia with violinist Augustin Hadelich; and appeared at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall.
Known for his affinity for chamber music, Weiss performs at venues and festivals around the United States with such artists as violinists Augustin Hadelich, William Hagen and James Ehnes; pianists Michael Brown and Shai Wosner; cellist Julie Albers; and the Ariel, Parker, and Pacifica Quartets.
A native of Ohio, Weiss attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and made his Cleveland Orchestra debut performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1999. That same year, with less than 24 hours’ notice, Weiss stepped in to replace André Watts for a performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Weiss’s awards include the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year, Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and more. His teachers include Paul Schenly, Jerome Lowenthal and Sergei Babayan. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Emanuel Ax. Learn more www.orionweiss.com.
Repertoire
Ariel Quartet: Alexandra Kazovsky, violin; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; Jan Grüning, viola; Amit Even-Tov, cello
Featuring guest artist Orion Weiss, piano
- DOHNÁNYI: Piano Quintet No. 2
- BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2
- DOHNÁNYI: Piano Quintet No. 1
Performance Time
- 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25
- Estimated run time: 75 minutes
Location
University of Cincinnati
Purchasing Tickets
Tickets: $29.50 adult, $15 student, $19.75 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.
Experiencing the magic of CCM OnStage has never been easier! Purchase your tickets:
- Online at ccmonstage.universitytickets.com
- Over the phone at 513-556-4183
- In person at the CCM Box Office in the Atrium of UC's Corbett Center for the Performing Arts
CCM’s Box Office hours are Tue-Fri from 1-5 p.m. and one hour prior to curtain for ticketed performances. Hours subject to change based on the University of Cincinnati calendar. Our Box Office staff is always ready to answer your questions by phone at 513-556-4183 or email at boxoff@uc.edu.
UC student, faculty & staff ticket options
Current UC students can purchase up to two tickets for each CCM OnStage concert and show at the discounted rate of just $10 per ticket; the discounted rate for current CCM students is $5 per ticket. Learn more about student tickets.
Current UC faculty and staff can purchase up to two tickets for each CCM OnStage concert or show at discounted rates (prices vary by performance). Learn more on the Box Office website.
Directions and Parking
CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. For detailed driving directions, visit ccm.uc.edu/directions.
Parking is available in UC's CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Effective July 1, 2023, all University of Cincinnati Parking Services locations are cashless. Pay for parking securely with your credit/debit card. All major credit cards accepted.
CCM OnStage patrons can add pre-paid parking to their checkout carts when purchasing tickets. Pre-paid parking is date/performance specific. CCM Garage parking rates for a performance or special event is usually available for $10-15. Learn more about parking at UC's CCM Garage.
For additional information on parking at UC, please visit uc.edu/about/parking.
Next OnStage
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Lucy Evans
CCM Graduate Assistant, Marketing + Communications
Lucy Evans is an artist diploma student studying Opera-Vocal Performance at CCM. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, and has performed as a young artist with the Santa Fe Opera and Opera Theatre of St Louis.
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