UCSB Arts & Lectures is presenting a virtual Valentine’s Day concert with Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan at 5 p.m. Friday.
Ms. Weilerstein is an American cellist, and Mr. Barnatan is an Israeli pianist. The two came together for a recital filmed at La Jolla’s Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, which will stream through Arts & Lectures on Friday.
Ms. Weilerstein is a MacArthur Foundation “genius,” as its grant program’s recipients are known. She’s widely acclaimed for the precision and passion of her playing, while Mr. Barnatan is regarded as a poet of the keyboard.
The program will feature Manuel De Falla’s “Suite Populaire Espagnole,” which is inspired by beloved Spanish folk songs.
Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata will also be a part of the program.
Ms. Weilerstein made her professional and Carnegie Hall debuts in her early teens. She has been in high demand as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist with leading orchestras worldwide. She was recognized with a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011.
Mr. Barnatan is celebrated for his poetic sensibility, musical intelligence and consummate artistry. He inaugurated his tenure as music director of California’s La Jolla Music Society Summerfest in 2019.
Mr. Barnatan is a regular soloist with many of the world’s foremost orchestras and conductors. He recently served for three seasons as the inaugural artist-in-association of the New York Philharmonic and recreated Beethoven’s legendary 1808 concert with the Cincinnati Symphony.
The recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, Mr. Barnatan is also a sought-after recitalist and chamber musician. He recently made his solo recital debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Halland, where he reunited with Ms. Weilerstein, a frequent cello partner.
Tickets cost $10 for the general public, but are free for UCSB students. To obtain tickets, visit www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu or call 805-893-3535.
— Gerry Fall
