For the second consecutive week the Fresno Philharmonic will dip into its Rolodex of artist substitutions to replace an indisposed guest soloist. Late Friday afternoon word was received from New York that Lang Lang, scheduled to appear with the Philharmonic on Monday evening, February 5, in a special Philharmonic performance, had come down with the flu in Shanghai, China, which forced him to cancel the end of his China tour and his appearance in Fresno.


Having just replaced indisposed violinist Nadja Sonnenberg with James Buswell last weekend, into the next breech this Monday steps pianist Sergei Babayan, who like Buswell, is another “Fresno Favorite,” well-known here for his previous appearances with the Philharmonic and on the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts at Fresno State. Critics have raved about Babayan’s playing, calling him one of “an elite breed of new pianists” with “an extraordinary technique,” and have praised his “elegant playing that is irreproachable on every level.” Mr. Babayan’s career was launched in 1990 with a First Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and followed that with several other consecutive First Prizes at other competitions.


After receiving the late word on Friday, Music Director Theodore Kuchar and Executive Director Don Reinhold launched a series of all points’ alert phone calls seeking a replacement, an effort complicated by the fact that most east coast managers had gone home for the weekend. By 11pm Friday evening, the vacancy had been resolved, the program changed, and travel arrangements made for Mr. Babayan, who is squeezing the concert in before a scheduled recital in New Orleans on Tuesday evening.


The program for Monday will be changed to accommodate Mr. Babayan’s current repertoire. Instead of concertos by Ravel and Liszt that were originally programmed, Mr. Babayan will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271, a work which he performed recently with the Janacek Orchestra and Maestro Kuchar on a European tour. Since the special concert introduces the Philharmonic’s new Steinway concert grand, the second half of the program will begin with Mr. Babayan performing solo works by Liszt and Rachmaninoff that will showcase the new instrument’s beauty and capacity.


In addition to Mr. Babayan’s performance, Maestro Kuchar and the Philharmonic will perform Berlioz’s Rob Roy Overture and Dvorak’s Symphonic Variations, the latter a work Kuchar has recorded with his Czech Orchestra to critical acclaim.


Reacting to the news of Lang Lang’s cancellation, Executive Director Don Reinhold stated, “Cancellations are rare, but they do happen. It’s regrettable that this would happen to us twice in a row, but we ask the public to understand the circumstances beyond our control, and assure them that the ‘show will go on’. In the few instances this has happened during my career, I have never been disappointed with the substitution, and as we saw with Mr. Buswell last week, the results can be an inspiring and memorable occasion.”


Tickets are available by calling the Philharmonic’s box office at 559-261-0600. Seats range from $85 to $32. The concert will take place at the Saroyan Theatre at the corner of Inyo and M Streets and begins at 8pm, Monday, February 5.