This week of performances at Ravinia opened with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, an acappella chorus from South Africa, who gained worldwide prominence after being featured on Paul Simon's 1986 album, Graceland. The audience was charmed by the traditional Zulu musical styles presented by the charismatic ensemble, and their encore presentation featured a joint performance with the opening act, Sweet Honey in the Rock.Taiwanese-born violinist Cho-Liang ("Jimmy") Lin performed a diverse program of music for violin and piano on Tuesday evening with the French pianist Andre-Michel Schub. The music of Mozart and William Walton was featured, as well as the Chicago premiere of Bright Sheng's Three Fantasies. Sheng's composition was inspired by Tibetan and Kazakhstani folk songs and music that he heard in a dream.
The Israeli duo of conductor Yoel Levi and violinist Itzhak Perlman took the pavilion stage on Wednesday evening to perform for a sold out Ravinia audience. Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto was passionate and full of energy, there wasn't an inch of free space surrounding the pavilion; hundreds left their picnics on the lawn to catch a glimpse of the classical music star. Mr. Perlman returns to Ravinia this evening to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program featuring the Polish-born pianist Emanuel Ax.
-Justin Brown, Communications Associate
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