January 11, 2010 – Series A

The English cellist Steven Isserlis was lauded by Gramophone Magazine saying, "The music world – and music itself – is infinitely richer for the presence of Steven Isserlis." He plays the famous Feuermann Stradivarius from 1730, and his rich tone and unquantifiable enthusiasm for the music is something to behold. In fact, one can witness his magic on the Berlin Philharmonic website playing the Dvořák concerto under the baton of the New York Philharmonic's Alan Gilbert.

The young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein often partners with Isserlis. Their first recital at The Proms in London is legendary. This will be their second American tour. Gerstein came to the music world's attention when he won the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv in 2001. In the 2005/2006 season, he was honored to win the Carnegie Rising Stars program. Now he is in the big time, playing with all the major orchestras around the world.

Their program will include sonatas of Britten, Schumann, and Rachmaninov.

January 20, 2010 – Series B

The Fauré Quartett formed in Germany in 1995 and quickly occupied the pantheon of German chamber-music ensembles. Described by the London Daily Telegraph as "emotionally explosive with plenty of dynamism," their prestige led to a contract with Deutsche Gramophone, for whom they have recently recorded the Mozart and Brahms piano quartets. Many composers wrote their most exquisite music for the unusual combination of piano quartet, including Mahler, Fauré, and Brahms,– all of which will be performed in this concert. While these works are often performed by ad hoc festival ensembles, the members of the Fauré Quartett have devoted their very distinguished careers to these rarely played masterpieces.

February 5, 2010 – Series A

Luckily for us, the towering Garrick Ohlsson makes his way to Napa every year. This season, he will take a break from his traversal of the Beethoven sonatas in favor of his beloved Chopin, whose 200th birthday is being celebrated. Garrick came to fame through Chopin by winning the 1970 Chopin Competition in Warsaw at age 22, edging out his friends Mitsuko Uchida and Emmanuel Ax. To this day, in Warsaw, he is something between a folk hero and a rock star, often mobbed by his enthusiastic fans. He is the only active pianist who plays absolutely all of Chopin, and his recording of the complete Chopin is the benchmark – not just because it is the only one. His program will show both the power and the poetry of Chopin, and it will include the 24 Preludes, Op 28.

February 16, 2010 – Series B

Thirty-five years ago the Takács String Quartet formed in Hungary and today it remains among the very few must-hear quartets. They have been coming to Napa for 20 years, and this season they will complete their five-concert Beethoven cycle. The Takács has mastered a broad range of composers, but they absolutely own the Beethoven. The Cleveland Plain Dealer declared, "The Takács might play this repertory better than any quartet in the past or present." They will play Op. 18, No. 4 and No. 5 and, after intermission, the famous A Minor Quartet, Op. 132. (They saved the best for last.)

March 4, 2010 – Series A

The Orion String Quartet, now in its 22nd year, is at the center of the American chamber music scene. They are the Quartet in Residence of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Mannes College of Music in New York. Known for their fresh perspectives and individuality, they often present programs that juxtapose classics with modern masterpieces. Their iconoclastic way makes them the perfect ensemble to collaborate with the passionate and individualistic American pianist Peter Serkin. Serkin's career has been utterly remarkable. At age 12, he was invited to play with the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras–under Szell and Ormandy, respectively–and he had a Grammy while still a teenager. He stopped playing altogether when he was 21 for four years, but he was coaxed back after hearing Bach on the radio while living with his young family in rural Mexico, and the rest is history. We are looking forward to his slant on the Brahms Quintet, Op. 34. In the first half, the Orion will perform Bach from "The Art of the Fugue," Kirchner's Quartet No. 4, and the Beethoven "Harp" Quartet, Op. 74.

March 17, 2010 – Series B

This exceptional young American quartet needs no introduction to those of you who heard them here in the fall of 2007 in what was the most compelling young ensemble debut here for many years. If you missed that, it is worth knowing that they studied with the Takács Quartet and the Cleveland Quartet, and won the Banff International String Quartet Competition, as well as Chamber Music America's Cleveland Quartet Award and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The Boston Globe noted that "This group can go for broke," while The New York Times praised them for "nuance with their energy." They will play Haydn Op. 76, No. 2; Janacek Quartet No. 1; the zany "Ramshackle Songs" by the 26-year-old American composer Dan Visconti; and the Dvořák "American" String Quartet.

March 22, 2010 – Series B

"Fima" Bronfman is among the most sought-after pianists in the world. Everywhere he goes, the audience is left shaking their heads, astounded equally by his oceanic power, his technical prowess, and his tenderness. Simon Rattle said of Bronfman's recent performance of the Brahms Concerto No. 2 that nothing like this had ever happened before in Berlin. Bronfman was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but he left for Israel when he was 15 and was in New York not long after that. The record companies have tried to brand him a Russian specialist, but, in fact, he plays a broad repertory, from Scarlatti to Salonen. This will be his sixth performance here since 2002. This year, we get to hear Beethoven's 32 Variations, Schumann's "Faschingsschwank aus Wien," the Prokofiev Sonata No. 2, and the rarely played Tchaikovsky Sonata in G.

April 13, 2010 – Series A

The Kuss Quartet has established itself internationally as one of the top quartets of the younger generation. The young, Berlin-based quartet is noted for its “provocative, driving, impassioned playing.” They are said to play the music of the past as the music of the present. Their astonishing first Haydn recording paved their way to Napa. These totally engaged musicians are giving the string quartet a new energy. In Berlin, you can hear them one night at a nightclub and the next evening at the Philharmonie. Their program includes Haydn, Berg, and Beethoven’s last quartet, Op. 135.