Artist Series Concerts Welcomes the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio with Alon Goldstein, piano, Amit Peled, cello and Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet, Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 7, 3:00 p.m., at the Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Three internationally acclaimed musicians showcase the attributes of the unusual ensemble of piano, cello and clarinet with a program of works by Beethoven, Scarlatti, Debussy, Bloch and von Zemlinsky. Also featured will be the 1733 Goffriller cello that once belonged to Pablo Casals and is now played by Peled. Tickets are $25 - $45 and are available online at www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202, Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Student tickets for the concert, priced at $10, are available with current student ID at the door.

Bound by their Israeli roots and summers shared in Vermont at the Marlboro Music Festival, pianist Alon Goldstein, cellist Amit Peled, and clarinetist Alex Fiterstein formed the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio in 2005. Today, the ensemble's performances reflect both the special gifts and originality of the three artists as soloists as well as their marvelous sense of ensemble and love of chamber music. The New York Times has praised the ensemble for displaying "the kind of spotless technique that keeps the attention focused on the score rather than the vagaries of the performance."

Pianist Alon Goldstein is admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. His artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Israel.

Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. American Record Guide described him as "having the flair of the young Rostropovich" and the Boston Musical Intelligencer recently referred to the 6'5'' Peled as a "giant of the cello," praising him for his "huge, lustrous" and "molten bronze" tones.

Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein is recognized for playing that combines flawless technique and consummate musicianship with graceful phrasing and a warm, soulful tone. A recipient of the 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant Award, Mr. Fiterstein is a first-prize winner of the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.

There's a fourth "star" in the trio too. That would be "Pablo," Pablo Casals' historic 1733 Goffriller cello, loaned to Amit Peled personally by Casals' widow, Marta. "All of the major recordings of Pablo Casals were created with this instrument, which Casals acquired in 1913. Since then so many musicians, including Amit Peled, have been inspired and shaped musically by listening to it," says Joseph Holt, artistic director of Artist Series Concerts. The story of how Peled wound up playing the instrument that once belonged to his childhood idol is fascinating as well. Peled started life as a basketball player before taking up the cello in an attempt to get close to a girl he had a crush on, and who also played cello. At age ten, Peled's parents gave him a cassette of music performed by Pablo Casals. Peled listened to it constantly, obsessed with the sounds made by Casals and this instrument. About 30 years later, Peled, now an acclaimed cellist himself, met with Marta Casals for the first time. After a series of auditions and probing interviews with Peled, Casals decided to lend the famous instrument to him. What makes Casals' Goffriller so special? "Nobody really knows," said Peled in a series of 2015 interviews. "It's a group of reasons - age of the wood, the varnish, the craftsmanship. It sounds like a human, like someone is actually talking to you, which I think is the quality Casals liked about it. I have always fantasized about simply seeing the Casals cello and here I am able to play it."

"These two concerts are a rare opportunity to see and hear three astounding musicians, performing together with the instrument that helped Pablo Casals redefine cello history," says Holt. "It's a musical occasion not to be missed."