Ingrid Jacoby is descended from musical royalty. Prince Louis Ferdinand, a Prussian nobleman to whom Beethoven dedicated his Third Piano Concerto, was her great-great-great-grandfather. Her great-great uncle, P. S. (“Benno”) Landeker, was a founder of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Growing up in Olivette, Mo., Jacoby was the youngest student ever admitted to the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Now a celebrated recitalist based in London, she is perhaps best known for recording the complete Beethoven Concerti with Sinfonia Varsovia; the Shostakovich Concerti with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Royal Philharmonic; and Mozart Concerti with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
At 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, Jacoby will return to St. Louis for a solo performance of works by Bach, Debussy and Mussorgsky. Sponsored by WashU’s Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, the concert will take place in WashU’s historic 560 Music Center — the same building that housed the conservatory during Jacoby’s student days.
‘Other Pines’
Jacoby’s performance begins a packed few weeks for St. Louis piano lovers.
The following Sunday, Oct. 20, acclaimed Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen will join Zlatomir Fung, the youngest cellist ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, and violinist Erin Schrieber, assistant concertmaster for the Saint Louis Symphony, for works by Prokofiev, Say and Debussy.
Also on the program will be “Other Pines” (2023), a 20-minute piano trio by WashU’s Christopher Stark, an associate professor of composition. Written during Stark’s recent fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, “Other Pines” is inspired by the city’s majestic conifers — and in response to Ottorino Respighi’s classic “Pini di Roma” (1924).
“My work in recent years has become hyper-focused on the observation and perception of different environments,” Stark wrote in his program notes. “My compositional process now includes weeks, even months, of isolated travel where I attempt to embed myself in locations that are unfamiliar to me.
“Through sustained attention and repeated daily visits,” Stark added, “I hope to uncover some of the nuance, serendipity and ephemera of these places.”
‘The Art of Transcription’
Finally, on Monday, Oct. 28, the music department, partnering with the World Chess Hall of Fame, will present acclaimed pianist Polina Osetinskaya.
The recitial, titled “The Art of Transcription,” will highlight solo versions of works by Bach and Tchaikovsky. These include the concert suite from Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” and the scherzo from his Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique.”
Like her frequent collaborator Maxim Vengerov, Osetinskaya, who began her career at age 6, is widely celebrated as a wunderkind in the former Soviet Union. She studied at the Moscow Conservatoire and the Leningrad Conservatoire and has appeared on many of the world’s major stages. Her autobiography “Farewell, Sadness” (2008), recounting her childhood, became a bestseller.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Osetinskay’s concerts in her homeland have been canceled by the Russian government due to her pacifist positions. Nevertheless, during the 2023-24 season, Osetinskaya made solo debuts at the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Gallery London and the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Germany, performing unaccompanied Bach.
All three performances take place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall of the 560 Music Center. Tickets for each event are $25, or $20 for WashU faculty and staff, $5 for students and youth, and free for WashU students. The 560 Music Center is located in University City, at 560 Trinity Ave., near the intersection with Delmar Blvd. For more information, visit music.wustl.edu.
