(bright music) - [Announcer] This week on "Expressions," a classic concert featuring cellist David Heiss and pianist Warren Jones.

(dramatic chamber music) All this week on "Expressions."

Support for this program is provided in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.

- Hello and welcome to "Expressions."

I'm your host, Adara Alston.

For this episode, we present a classic performance from cellist David Heist and pianist Warren Jones.

Originally recorded in 2010, this concert was a homecoming for the (indistinct) native Heiss who at the time was performing with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

David is currently the principal cellist for the New York Pops Orchestra.

Before we hear a piece from Debussy, we talk to David about some of his earliest musical memories.

- I remember when I was in second grade, the music teacher at the time came in and asked who wanted to play violin, and my hand shot up.

I went home and announced that I was gonna play violin to my mother, and she suggested I take up the cello because it was less squeaky.

And I developed my musical career through high school, and it was clearly the right instrument for me.

The cello just spoke to me like no other instrument ever did.

(pensive pian music) (pensive chamber music) (pensive chamber music continues) (pensive chamber music continues) (pensive chamber music continues) (pensive chamber music continues) (pensive chamber music continues) (pensive chamber music continues) (audience applauds) Playing for the Metropolitan Opera is amazing, but I remember my first opera experience was right here in the Triple Cities with the Tri-Cities Opera.

When I was in high school, I was asked to come to a rehearsal of Andrea Chenier, which is not a particularly easy opera to play.

I happened to be the only cellist in the orchestra.

There was a huge snowstorm that day, and the conductor, Peyton Hibbett couldn't have been more generous with his encouragement.

And I was with Tri-Cities Opera for close to six years.

It was a tremendous opportunity for me.

(gentle chamber music) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (gentle chamber music continues) (audience applauds) - David Heiss and Warren Jones, delighting the "Expressions" studio audience with the performance of Dvorak's "Silent Woods," and we'll have a piece from Rachmaninoff coming up shortly.

David and Warren have collaborated many times and continue to perform together 15 years after this concert was recorded.

Here is Warren discussing his approach to this unique partnership.

- The thing I love about playing with David is the fact that I never quite know what he's gonna do.

David is a very emotional and very much a heart-bound musician, and things come out frequently differently than they ever came out in any rehearsal.

So I never quite know what's gonna happen, and so I have to be on my toes extremely so, because there's always the most wonderful surprises.

(gentle pensive piano music) (gentle pensive piano music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (gentle pensive chamber music continues) (audience applauds) - There's a certain feeling that performers get on stage when the audience is in sync with the performers.

It's very hard to explain.

It's something that you know when it's there.

And tonight was a perfect example of that kind of feeling.

Everybody was there for everybody else, and I just had a marvelous time.

(light chamber music) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (dramatic chamber music) (light chamber music) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (light chamber music continues) (dramatic chamber music) (dramatic chamber music continues) (light chamber music) (light chamber music continues) (audience applauds) - That was David Heiss and Warren Jones with the rendition of Charles Schumann's "Fantasy Pieces," a composition originally dedicated to the composer Franz Liszt.

If you wanna see even more of this classical performance, then please visit wskg.org/Expressions.

Until next time, this is Adara Alston.

Thanks for watching, and have a great night.

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