Jakov Jakoulov, Returns To Ventfort Hall
How would Bach’s music sound in the style of Prokofiev? Russian pianist and composer Jakov Jakoulov will give the answer to the question when he returns to Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum with a unique program titled “The Neglected Art: The World of Classical Improvisation.” He will revive for the museum’s “A Home for the Holidays” program a grand tradition from the great days of classical music when he performs at the piano and lectures on Sunday, December 28 at 6 pm. Following will be a wine and cheese reception with the performing artist.Throughout the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, musical improvisation was a highly valued skill. This practice bears witness to the intimate ties between composer and performer, as well as between composition and improvisation. There is an almost impossible distinction between the two. This art has been completely neglected for more than a century.
Jakoulov will introduce to the audience a brief historical survey of improvisation within classical music as well as folk and ethnic traditions. His program will include improvisations as a “restoration” of unfinished compositions of the great masters and improvisations based on their musical sketches.
He will then improvise on well-known classical tunes “transfering” them to different musical styles. He will also play his own compositions/improvisations written in the form of an “open score”, which, in a way, makes every performance a “world premiere”.
Moscow-born, Jakoulov studied at the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Musical Academy. He completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University, studying with Theodore Antonion and Lukas Foss. The composer is the author of three ballets, five concertos, five-string quartets, music for over 20 theatrical, TV and cinema productions, and numerous symphonies, chamber and choral works. These works have been recorded and presented by leading musical organizations in America, Europe and the Near East. Jakoulov is the recipient of six awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Tickets for the presentation and reception are $20 per person and may be purchased by calling Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206. The mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
An Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion, as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Elizabethan-Revival Berkshire “cottage,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-around and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of the financier, J. P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.
