their driveways. Even the Tube
was completely shut down.
We still went through with the
concert to a half-full audience,
and I was surprised there was
any audience at all.
“That was a bonding expe-
rience for the quartet and me
to play together and then go
through an extraordinary jour-
ney home. We always remem-
ber that.”
As Barnatan travels to con-
cert halls around the world, he
enjoys the chance to be part
of new cultures. He said he
likes being in different places
and enjoying different cities.
Experiencing the food and the
atmosphere are some of his
favorite pastimes.
As Barnatan entertains
in Ann Arbor, he will have
some early-release samples
of an album set to come
out in November. It is titled
Rachmaninoff Reflections.
“Some of it I’ve arranged
myself for solo piano,” he said.
“It’s a world premiere recording
of the composer’s last orches-
tral works. Rachmaninoff is
one of the great, great romantic
composers, and his music is
some of the most emotionally
powerful and poignant that
you can find.
“Most people are famil-
iar with his music and his
piano concertos because they
appeared in so many movies
and soundtracks. They are
some of the most beloved
music in the world.”
Barnatan, who practices
every day, credits teachers for
the enjoyment he derives from
that. The teachers, he said,
were not strict about practic-
ing.
“I’m always excited with the
opportunity to show different
sides of what I do,” the pianist
said. “Something I believe
in quite strongly is that all
of these things feed into one
another. It’s hard to play a
good recital without having the
experience, the knowledge and
the appreciation of what it’s like
to play with other instruments,
singers and orchestras.
“
All of these things are part
of things I love doing. It’s a tes-
tament to the breadth of what
the University Musical Society
in Ann Arbor does. It’s one of
those places where I can do all
those things in a week or so,
and that’s exciting to me.”
Details
Inon Barnatan will perform with Renée Fleming at 730
p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in Hill Auditorium, 825 N.
University, Ann Arbor. Barnatan will perform with the
Jerusalem Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in
Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington, Ann Arbor.
Student tickets start at $12. For information on tickets
and other events, go to (734) 764-2538 and ums.org.
Renée Fleming and
Inon Barnatan
the ambassador from the
United States.”
Dworkin, 53, the adopted
son of a Jewish couple,
identifies as Jewish and
includes his family in that
designation. They celebrate
Jewish holidays, and his
two sons, now 24 and 16,
attended programming
at the Jewish Community
Center in Ann Arbor.
His wife, Afa, a violinist,
is president and artistic
director of the Sphinx
Organization.
“One of the partnerships
of the Sphinx Organization,
which I founded over
25 years ago, has been
with the Ann Arbor
Symphony,” Dworkin said.
“The inaugural Sphinx
Competition was with the
Ann Arbor Symphony.
“To this day, they still
feature winners of the
Sphinx Competition so the
symphony is very close and
personal. My wife played
as an undergraduate at
the university and was a
full-time member. At the
inaugural Sphinx, she was
in the orchestra, and that
led to her engagement with
Sphinx.”
Dworkin, who has been
on TV’s Today and news
programs, was named by
Newsweek as one of “15
People Who Make America
Great.” He made an Emmy
Award-winning film,
An American Prophecy.
A member of many arts
organizations, he has
raised $50 million for
philanthropic causes.
“All the things I do I love
and really don’t view as
work,” he said “Very often,
weekends are viewed as
weekdays. I’m absolutely
a film fanatic. I watch
approximately 150 movies
a year. I’m also an amateur
poker player in that I play
charity games in Michigan.”
Dworkin expressed his
outlook in being part of the
opening of the 95th season
of the symphony.
“I’m deeply honored and
excited to be able to play
this role in the kickoff for
the symphony season,”
Dworkin said.
“Because of the pro-
fessional and personal role
that the symphony has
played in my life, it’s an
honor for me to be a part of
the launch and celebration
of this year.”
PHOTOS BY SHAWN LEE
Details
The Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra will perform
its opening concert at 8
p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23,
at Hill Auditorium, 825
N. University, Ann Arbor.
Pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
$15-$90. (734) 994-4801.
SEPTEMBER 21 • 2023 | 57
ISRAELI PIANIST COMES TO
ANN ARBOR from page 56
A POETJOURNALIST from page 55