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NYO Canada’s Odyssey Tour!

Posted by shiragilbert on
 May 6, 2019
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“The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has clearly set the bar high … The string sound glistens and shimmers, while brass are rich yet mellow … NYOC were invariably confident and assured.” 

– The Scotsman (2018 International Tour)

[Français ci-dessous]

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO Canada) celebrates its 59thSeason with a 5-city Canadian tour, followed by the Orchestra’s first trip to Spain, which includes festival performances in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Alicante, and Granada. The country’s preeminent training orchestra, NYO Canada is comprised of 100 of gifted musicians between the ages of 16 and 28, who come together each summer to attend an 8-week intensive training institute followed by a national and international tour. This year’s orchestra, featuring musicians from nine provinces, is led by British conductor Michael Francis for concerts in Ottawa (July 21), Montreal (July 22 at Maison symphonique), Parry Sound (July 25), Stratford (July 27), and Toronto (July 29 at Koerner Hall), before heading to Spain.

NYO Canada received rave reviews for its most recent tour, with the Toronto Starcalling it “a remarkable orchestra,” while Le Devoirfound the ensemble “impressive” and Concertonetpraised the performance as “the musical highlight of the summer.” On tour in Europe, the orchestra performed at the Edinburgh Festival’s Year of Young People championships, where The Scotland Heraldraved, “Canada brought a huge squad to play in Scotland and fielded the most versatile and promising youngsters the event has seen yet.” This past year, an amazing nine of the orchestra’s current and recent members appeared on CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 list.

The summer tour concert programme includes Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, op. 64; suites Nos. 1 and 2 from Manuel de Falla’s The Three Cornered Hat; Mahler’s Symphony No. 5;and Sinfonia Sacra(Symphony No. 3) by Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik. The tour will also feature Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin & Cello op. 102, featuring the winners of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Michael Measures Prize as soloists (to be announced in July).

This spring saw the release of the new feature-length documentary film“That Higher Level”from the National Film Board of Canada. Director John Boltonfollowed the 100 musicians of NYO Canada over the course of two months to capture the essence of the training institute and, eventually, the journey and performances on tour across the country. The film premiered at the Victoria International Film Festivaland was screened at Montreal’s International Festival of Films on Art, as well as in Toronto, Halifax, and Winnipeg. More information on how and where to view this extraordinary film will be available soon. View the trailer here.

British conductor Michael Francisis currently Music Director of The Florida Orchestra and San Diego’s Mainly Mozart, as well as Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. This season, he debuts with the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Minnesota and Pacific Symphony orchestras, and returns to Komische Oper Berlin, the Seoul Philharmonic, and the Milwaukee and Indianapolis Symphony orchestras. Working with young musicians has always been a priority for Maestro Francis. In addition to his tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 2015, Francis has made frequent visits to Miami’s New World Symphony and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. 

https://nyoc.org

For the past 58 years, NYO Canada has enjoyed an iconic reputation as Canada’s orchestral finishing school, providing the most comprehensive and in-depth training program available to our country’s best young classical musicians. Approximately one third of Canadian professional orchestral musicians are alumni of NYO Canada. The orchestra auditions about five hundred students between the ages of 16 and 28 annually, from which 90-100 musicians are selected to participate in the summer training institute where they benefit from rigorous individual, sectional, chamber and orchestral instruction; training in health and injury prevention; and workshops ranging from audition techniques to the skills required to market one’s musical career. The institute culminates in a cross-country tour as well as a recording session, with the audio available for sale to NYO Canada fans worldwide. NYO Canada’s concert tours have included every major Canadian city as well as the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 1996, the delegates to the World Youth Orchestra Conference in Tokyo, who represented 39 countries, voted to award NYO Canada the title “Best Youth Orchestra in the World.”

L’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada (NYO Canada) célèbre sa 59esaison avec une tournée dans cinq villes canadiennes suivie d’un premier voyage de l’orchestre en Espagne où il se produira dans le cadre de festivals à San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Alicante et Grenade. L’orchestre de formation prééminent du pays, NYO Canada est composé de 100 musiciennes et musiciens doués, de 16 à 28 ans, qui se rassemblent chaque été pour participer à un institut de formation intensive de huit semaines suivi d’une tournée nationale et internationale. L’orchestre de cette année, mettant en vedette des musiciens venus de neuf provinces, est dirigé par le chef d’orchestre britannique Michael Francisdans le cadre de concerts à Ottawa(21 juillet), Montréal(22 juillet à la Maison symphonique), Parry Sound(25 juillet), Stratford (27 juillet) et Toronto (29 juillet au Koerner Hall) et ensuite en Espagne.

NYO Canada a remporté les louanges des critiques dans le cadre de sa plus récente tournée. Le Toronto Starl’a décrit comme un « orchestre remarquable », Le Devoira trouvé l’ensemble « impressionnant » alors que Concerto.neta décrit la prestation comme étant « le point saillant musical de l’été ». Pendant sa tournée européenne, l’orchestre s’est produit dans le cadre du championnat Year of Young Peoplede l’Edinburgh Festival; le The Scotland Heralds’est enthousiasmé : « Le Canada a envoyé une énorme équipe en Écosse, composée des jeunes les plus polyvalents et les plus prometteurs que l’événement ait accueillis à ce jour ». Au cours de la dernière année, neuf membres actuels ou récents de l’orchestre, un nombre inouï, a figuré dans la liste 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30de la CBC.

Le programme de la tournée estivale inclut le Roméo et Juliette, opus 64 deProkofiev, les suites nos1 et 2 du Tricorne deManuel de Falla, la Symphonie no 5de Mahler et laSinfonia Sacra(Symphonie no 3) du compositeur polonais Andrzej Panufnik. La tournée mettra également en vedette le Double concerto pour violon et violoncelle, opus 32de Brahmsoù seront présentés en solistes les gagnants du prix Michael-Measures du Conseil des arts du Canada. Le nom des gagnants sera annoncé en juillet.

Le printemps a marqué le lancement du nouveau long-métrage documentaire « Le plus haut niveau »de l’Office national du film du Canada. Son réalisateur, John Bolton, a suivi 100 musiciennes et musiciens de NYO Canada pendant deux mois pour saisir l’essence même de l’institut de formation et, finalement, du parcours et des prestations de l’orchestre en tournée dans tout le pays. Le film a été présenté en première auVictoria International Film Festivalet a été projeté dans le cadre du Festival international du film sur l’art de Montréal ainsi qu’à Toronto, Halifax et Winnipeg. Des renseignements complémentaires sur la façon de voir ce film extraordinaire seront donnés sous peu. Voyez la bande-annonce ici.

Le chef d’orchestre britannique Michael Francisest actuellement directeur musical du Florida Orchestraet de Mainly Mozartde San Diego, ainsi que premier chef d’orchestre du Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. Cette saison, il fait ses débuts auprès du Berlin Radio Symphony, des orchestres symphoniques Minnesotaet Pacific, et revient aux Komische Oper Berlin, Seoul Philharmonic et orchestres symphoniques de Milwaukeeet Indianapolis. Le maestro Francis a toujours privilégié son travail auprès des jeunes musiciens et musiciennes. En plus de sa tournée au pupitre de l’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada en 2015, monsieur Francis a aussi fréquemment dirigé le New World Symphonyde Miami et le National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. 

Depuis les 58 dernières années, NYO Canadajouit d’une réputation stellaire à titre d’école orchestrale canadienne offrant le programme de formation le plus complet et le plus approfondi aux meilleurs jeunes musiciennes et musiciens classiques du pays. Environ un tiers des musiciens d’orchestres professionnels sont des anciennes et anciens de NYO Canada. Chaque année, l’orchestre évalue les auditions d’environ 500 étudiants de 16 à 28 ans, et, à partir des celles-ci, choisit de 90 à 100 musiciens qui participeront à l’institut estival de formation où ils profiteront de formation individuelle, en sections, de chambre et orchestral rigoureuse, de formation en matière de santé et de prévention des blessures, d’ateliers portant sur divers sujets, notamment les techniques relatives aux auditions et les aptitudes requises pour commercialiser leur carrière musicale. L’institut est couronné par une tournée nationale et une séance d’enregistrement. Ce concert enregistré est ensuite mis en vente aux admirateurs de NYO Canada à l’échelle mondiale. Les tournées de NYO Canada ont englobé toutes les grandes villes canadiennes ainsi que les États-Unis, l’Europe et l’Asie. En 1996, les délégués du World Youth Orchestra Conference de Tokyo, qui représentaient 39 pays, ont voté pour décerner à NYO Canada le titre de « Meilleur orchestre de jeunes du monde ».

Orchestre classique de Montréal ~ A New Name for The McGill Chamber Orchestra!

Posted by shiragilbert on
 April 24, 2019
  · No Comments

80th Anniversary Season

[Français ci-dessous]

In anticipation of its 80th anniversary season (2019-2020), the McGill Chamber Orchestra is to be rebranded Orchestre classique de Montréal or OCM, as announced today by Artistic Director Boris Brott and Executive Director Taras Kulish. The celebratory launch event took place at the headquarters of BMO Bank of Montreal, the orchestra’s presenting sponsor, with the orchestra’s friends and subscribers in attendance.

Founded in 1939 by violinist, conductor, and composer Alexander Brott and his wife Lotte Brott, the McGill Chamber Orchestra quickly became one of Canada’s most established chamber orchestras, touring to five continents, recording extensively, and appearing regularly on radio and television. Now led by Boris Brott, OC, OQ, the elder son of Alexander and one of Canada’s most internationally renowned conductors, the MCO is a vibrant, innovative, and flexible ensemble consisting of the city’s best professional musicians, which presents concerts throughout the year in the finest halls of Montreal.

“My parents founded this orchestra with the highest musical standards as well as a desire to grow and educate audiences, and to champion Canadian music and artists,” comments Brott, “Our current musicians form an outstanding ensemble, including our recently-named concertmaster Marc Djokic. It continues to be a privilege to carry on the legacy of this wonderful ensemble of musicians and we look forward to this new era as the Orchestre classique de Montréal.” Maestro Brott first joined the orchestra as Associate Conductor in 1989 and was appointed co-conductor in 2000. Upon the death of his father in 2005, he was appointed Artistic Director of the MCO. 

Executive Director Taras Kulish comments, “While the orchestra was founded by Alexander Brott and his colleagues at the McGill Conservatory, our new name better reflects our identity as a professional orchestra performing in various parts of Montreal, often in collaboration with other Montreal arts organizations. In recent seasons, we have worked to extend our reach to inspire young audiences and also to welcome new Montrealers to our events. The orchestra will mostly remain as a chamber ensemble however it will expand into a larger ensemble for various concerts and collaborations as it has in the past. Our new name will more clearly define who we are while continuing to maintain our welcoming and approachable atmosphere for both new and returning audiences.”

Since its founding, many of the world’s greatest artists have appeared as soloists with the orchestra. At the same time, the McGill Chamber Orchestra has championed many up and coming artists from closer to home – including offering Quebec star Stéphane Tétrault his orchestral debut back in 2007. The OCM has also built a strong reputation of championing and creating a new repertoire of orchestral music by Canadian and Quebec composers, predating the existence of the arts councils. These new works include such composers as Pierre Mercure, Jean Vallerand, Claude Champagne, Maxime Goulet, Nicole Lizée, François Morel and of course Alexander Brott. Artistic Director Boris Brott plans to continue to develop this tradition with the Orchestre classique de Montréal. 

“It is a joy for me to share our orchestra’s passion, tone and excellence, the hallmarks of our magnificent OCM, on our 80th anniversary” comments Boris Brott, “We mark this milestone by bringing you a remarkable season featuring superb Quebec and international soloists, and partnerships with the best of the best of Montreal arts organizations. We celebrate our new name but continue our long tradition of performances with energy, elegance and a commitment to excellence, where everyone is made to feel welcome!”

Fulfilling its mission of celebrating inclusivity and diversity, the OCM has created a new program called Culture for Everyone. This program allows us the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with new immigrant communities, women’s shelters, and other Montreal organizations in offering complimentary tickets to all our performances. We have also reduced our student ticket prices to only $10 for the majority of our concerts. The OCM wants the magic of music to be accessible to everyone. 

En prévision de la saison de son 80e anniversaire (2019-2020), l’Orchestre de chambre McGill est rebaptisé Orchestre classique de Montréal,ou OCM, tel qu’annoncé aujourd’hui par Boris Brott, directeur artistique, et Taras Kulish, directeur général.Cette nouvelle appellation a d’ailleurs été soulignée par un événement festif au siège social de la BMOBanque de Montréal, présentateur de saison, où étaient conviés amis et abonnés de l’orchestre.

Fondé en 1939 par le violoniste, chef d’orchestre et compositeur Alexander Brott et son épouse, Lotte Brott,l’Orchestre de chambre McGill est rapidement devenu l’un des orchestres de chambre les mieux établis au Canada, cumulant les tournées dans cinq continents, les enregistrements et les apparitions à la radio et à la télévision. Aujourd’hui dirigé par Boris Brott, O.C., O.Q., fils aîné d’Alexander et chef d’orchestre canadien parmi les plus connus sur la scène internationale, l’OCM est un ensemble vibrant, novateur et flexible, composé des meilleurs musiciens professionnels de la ville et habitué des plus belles salles de concert de Montréal.

« Mes parents ont fondé cet orchestre selon les critères musicaux les plus rigoureux, dans l’intention d’inspirer et d’éduquer leur public tout en faisant la promotion de la musique et des artistes du Canada, explique Boris Brott. À l’heure actuelle, nos musiciens, parmi lesquels le premier violon Marc Djokic, qui a obtenu ce poste récemment, forment un ensemble remarquable. Perpétuer la tradition de ce superbe orchestre est un privilège toujours renouvelé, et nous avons hâte d’entamer une nouvelle ère sous le nom d’Orchestre classique de Montréal. » Maestro Boris Brott fait ses débuts à l’OCM à titre de chef d’orchestre adjoint, en 1989, avant de devenir cochef d’orchestre en 2000. Après le décès de son père, en 2005, il est nommé directeur artistique de l’ensemble. 

Taras Kulish, directeur général, affirme : « Bien que l’orchestre ait été fondé par Alexander Brott et ses collègues au Conservatoire de McGill, notre nouveau nom représente mieux notre identité d’orchestre professionnel qui se produit un peu partout à Montréal, souvent en collaboration avec d’autres organismes artistiques locaux. Au cours des dernières saisons, nous avons cherché à étendre notre portée, tant pour inspirer de jeunes publics que pour inviter à nos concerts de nouveaux Montréalais. L’orchestre demeure avant tout un ensemble de chambre, mais pourra prendre de l’ampleur selon les besoins des concerts et des collaborations, comme par le passé. Grâce à ce nouveau nom, nous affichons plus clairement notre identité tout en préservant un caractère chaleureux et accueillant à l’intention de nos publics, nouveaux ou initiés. »

Depuis sa création, l’orchestre a pu partager la scène avec certains des plus grands artistes internationaux. Il a également contribué à propulser les carrières de nombreux artistes de chez nous, offrant notamment à l’étoile québécoise Stéphane Tétreault sa première prestation avec orchestre, en 2007. L’OCM est aussi reconnu pour la défense et la création de nouvelles œuvres classiques des répertoires canadien et québécois, et ce, avant même l’apparition des conseils des arts. Parmi les compositeurs soutenus par l’orchestre, citons Pierre Mercure, Jean Vallerand, Claude Champagne, Maxime Goulet, Nicole Lizée, François Morel et, bien entendu, Alexander Brott. Le directeur artistique actuel, Boris Brott, a la ferme intention de poursuivre cette tradition avec l’Orchestre classique de Montréal.

« Transmettre la passion, l’excellence et la musicalité qui ont fait la réputation de l’OCM est pour moi un véritable plaisir. Il y a 80 ans que ses fondateurs, Alexander et Lotte Brott, ont eu l’ambition de créer un important orchestre qui enrichirait le paysage culturel de Montréal » dit Boris Brott. « Cette saison, notre programme soigneusement élaboré met en vedette de merveilleux solistes du Québec et d’ailleurs, en collaboration avec certaines des organisations artistiques les plus prestigieuses de la ville. Nous célébrons le nouveau nom de l’orchestre tout en perpétuant sa tradition : des spectacles énergiques, élégants et de qualité, où chacun se sent bienvenu. »

Poursuivant sa mission de célébrer l’inclusion et la diversité, l’OCM a créé un nouveau programme : Culture pour tous. Ce dernier a pour but de collaborer avec plusieurs organisations montréalaises, telles que les communautés de nouveaux arrivants, les refuges pour les femmes et bien d’autres, et de leur procurer des billets de faveur pour chaque concert. L’OCM a aussi réduit le prix des billets étudiants à 10 $ pour la plupart de ses spectacles. L’ensemble veille ainsi à ce que la magie de la musique soit accessible à tous.

www.orchestre.ca

Festival de musique de chambre Montréal : Beethoven Chez Nous !

Posted by shiragilbert on
 April 9, 2019
  · No Comments

[Français ci-dessous]

The Montreal Chamber Music Festival Proudly Presents

BEETHOVEN CHEZ NOUS!

JUNE 7-16, 2019 | 24THANNIVERSARY SEASON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*SPECIAL OPENING NIGHT EVENT!*

THE PHENOMENAL GREGORY CHARLESPRESENTS THE MONTREAL PREMIERE OF

L’AIR DU TEMPS – FRIDAY, JUNE 7TH, 8 p.m. |  Pollack Hall

Founder and Artistic Director Denis Brott proudly unveils the Montreal Chamber Music Festival’s 24thseason. This year, 2019, is the first of a three-year project to celebrate the life of the great Ludwig van Beethoven. Denis Brott comments: “As a result of a unique alignment of musical stars in 2020 –Ludwig’s 250thbirthday and the Festival’s 25thanniversary – I have put together Beethoven Chez Nous! Spanning a period of three years, the Festival programming will be unlike any Montreal has ever heard. Each of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Festivals will feature significant cycles of complete works by Beethoven, some with a very special twist! The music of Beethoven reveals seemingly endless musical treasures. Not only is Beethoven perhaps the greatest classical composer of all time, he also wrote the most chamber music, perfected the string quartet form, and single-handedly transitioned classical music from the Classical to the Romantic era.”

Highlights of this year’s programme are two complete surveys: the Beethoven Violin Sonatas performed over three evenings by 2019 Grammy winner James Ehnesand pianist Andrew Armstrong; and the Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1-9 as transcribed for piano by Franz Liszt, over five concerts, with six outstanding pianists from across Canada and the world. The Festival opens with a very special treat for audiences, the Montreal premiere of a new show by Gregory Charles, an exuberant survey of the past 250 years in music, across all genres. This year’s Festival also proudly showcases Joseph Kaiser, the extraordinary Metropolitan Opera tenor from Montreal, the best young talent from across the country in BMO Hottest Classical Artists Under 30!, a series of free noon-hour concerts, and a special hommageto Albert Millaire.

Opening Night! Gregory Charles presents the Montreal Premiere of L’Air du Temps

The Festival opens on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m. at Pollack Hall with the phenomenal Quebec pianist and entertainer Gregory Charles in the Montreal premiere of l’Air du Temps. The new show is a bilingual look back on the past 250 years of Western music, from Baroque to hip-hop and from the French Revolution to the digital revolution. Don’t miss this rare opportunity for a one-of-a-kind evening with the most passionate troubadour of our time!

The Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with James Ehnes & Andrew Armstrong

The Festival is thrilled to welcome back star violinist James Ehnes, who first performed at the Festival at age 17, to perform the Beethoven Violin Sonatas with his long-time musical partner, pianist Andrew Armstrong. Ehnes is the 2019 winner of a Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording. Over the course of three evenings at Salle Bourgie (June 13, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m.), the duo will perform all ten of Beethoven’s magnificent violin sonatas. Reviewing their recording of Sonatas Nos. 6 & 9 for Onyx Classics, The Guardianpraised their “light touch and searing focus … [the] generosity of this duo speaks volumes …” and Gramophone, in an Editor’s Choice review said, “Ehnes and Armstrong are stunningly responsive in the finale, with a sense of propulsion, yet without overlooking its moments of delicacy … A compelling addition to Ehnes and Armstrong’s remarkable discography.”

 

The Complete Beethoven Symphonies Transcribed for Piano by Franz Liszt

The genius of Franz Liszt, the greatest piano virtuoso of the 19thcentury, has allowed us to experience the Beethoven Symphonies in a completely new way. Liszt’s astonishing transcriptions, among the most technically demanding piano music ever written,give pianists the opportunity to reproduce the texture and grandeur of Beethoven’s unique symphonic works. In a Montreal premiere, the Festival presents the complete nine symphonies over five late-afternoon concerts at Salle Bourgie, June 11 through 15. The Festival is thrilled to present six outstanding pianists over the five concerts: Alexander Ullman, First Prize winner of the 2017 Liszt International Piano Competition; Jocelyn Lai; Carlos Avila; Richard Raymond; and David Jalbertand Wonny Song in a duo piano performance of Beethoven’s 9thsymphony. All concerts take place at 5 p.m. and include a complimentary glass of wine!

The concerts on June 14 and 15 at 5 p.m. will be recorded by ICI Musique.

Metropolitan Opera Tenor Joseph Kaiser in Two Programmes

The Festival welcomes home tenor Joseph Kaiser, internationally-acclaimed for his beauty of tone and musical intelligence, who appears in two superb evenings of chamber music at Salle Bourgie. Masters in Performance on Tuesday, June 11 at 8 p.m. featuresKaiser with Martin Beaver, former first violinist of the Tokyo Quartet; cellist Denis Brott; Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein, a returning Festival favourite; and the brilliant Danel Quartet from France, making their Festival premiere. Repertoire includesBeethoven’s Folk Songsfor tenor and piano trio, the quintet for piano by Dvořák, and the rarely-heard Weinberg String QuartetNo. 5. This evening also includes an extraordinary discovery: the Canadian premiere of a new composition revealed in 2018 among a collection of manuscripts untouched since the war found at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. University of Michigan music professor Patricia Hall unearthed the heartbreakingly titled “The Most Beautiful Time of Life”(Die Schönste Zeit des Lebens) by Franz Grothe (1908-1982). Hall believes the piece, a popular fox trot of the day, was performed circa 1942 by prisoners in front of the commandant’s villa for Sunday concerts for the Auschwitz garrison.

The Festival’s tribute to vocal art continues on Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m., with Viva Voce featuring music by Brahms, Respighi, Richard Strauss, and Chausson. Joseph Kaiser is joined by mezzo-soprano Jeanne Ireland, violinist Martin Beaver, pianist Alexander Ullman and the Danel Quartet.

Quator Danel
Photo: Marco Borggreve

Free Noon-hour Concerts: BMO Hottest Classical Artists Under 30!

In 2019 the Festival continues its tradition of featuring Canada’s best emerging talent. Entitled BMO Hottest Classical Artists Under 30!, the Festival presents a new series of five admission-free noon-hour concerts, June 11 through 15 at Salle Bourgie. The brilliant, emerging artists include pianistAlexander Ullman;cellists Cameron Crozman and Bruno Tobon; and violinists Christina Bouey, Byungchan Lee and Emmanuel Vukovich. Music includes works byHandel, Ravel, Stravinsky, Bach, Beethoven, and more. In addition, courtesy of Metro Inc., a complimentary snack will be offered!

The concert on June 15 at 12 p.m. will be recorded by ICI Musique.

 « Tchaïkovski, je vous aime » – Hommage à Albert Millaire

Quebec’s legendary actor and playwright Albert Millaire is the subject of an homage inspiring the closing concert on Sunday afternoon, June 16 at 3:30 p.m. Entitled « Tchaïkovski, je vous aime »,the concert pays tribute to the life of the late actor Albert Millaire (1935-2018) through the performance of Millaire’s unique script commissioned by the Festival in 2011. This re-enactment of Tchaikovsky’s intimate letters with his patron Nadezhda von Meck is a fantastic synthesis of words and music performed in French and English by extraordinary Quebec actors Jean Marchand, Monique Miller, Frédéric Millaire Zouvi, and Stéphanie Germain. In what has become a Festival tradition, this concert highlights the extraordinary winners of the 2018 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank Competition, this year led by the outstanding Canadian violinist Martin Beaver. Musicians will be playing on 18thand 19thcentury instruments made by the world’s greatest luthiers including Stradivarius, Guarneri, the Gagliano family and many others. The programme includes Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins, Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

Complete Festival Schedule & Information:  www.festivalmontreal.org

 

 ************

Le Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal

est fier de présenter

 BEETHOVEN CHEZ NOUS !

Du 7 au 16 JUIN 2019 | ÉDITION 24eANNNIVERSAIRE

SOIRÉE SPÉCIALE D’OUVERTURE

LE PHÉNOMÉNAL GREGORY CHARLES PRÉSENTE LA PREMIÈRE MONTRÉALAISE DE

L’AIR DU TEMPS | LE VENDREDI 7 JUIN, 20 h, SALLE POLLACK

Le fondateur et directeur artistique Denis Brott est fier de présenter la 24e édition du Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal. L’année 2019 est la première d’une programmation triennale qui célébrera la vie du grand Ludwig van Beethoven. « Unexceptionnel alignement d’astres musicaux en 2020 – le 250eanniversaire de naissance de Ludwig et les 25 ans du Festival – m’a incité à concocter ce programme Beethoven chez nous ! Répartie sur une période de trois ans, la programmation du Festivalsera différente de tout ce que Montréal a entendu jusqu’à maintenant. Chacune des éditions 2019, 2020 et 2021 comprendra de substantielles intégrales Beethoven, parfois dotées d’une touche bien spéciale. La musique de Beethoven révèle des trésors apparemment illimités. En plus d’être probablement le plus grand compositeur de tous les temps, Beethoven a aussi conçu le plus grand nombre d’œuvres de chambre, il a perfectionné la forme du quatuor à cordes et a, à lui seul, mené la musique classique du Classicisme au Romantisme », explique Denis Brott.

Les faits saillants du Festival 2019 consistent en deux véritables explorations, soit celle des sonates pour violon de Beethoven interprétées parle grand violoniste canadien et lauréat d’un Grammy 2019,James Ehnes,et celle des neuf symphonies de Beethoven telles que transcrites par le pianiste virtuoseFranz Liszt, interprétées par six exceptionnels pianistes du Canada et d’ailleurs dans le monde.Le Festival s’ouvrira dans le plaisir, avec la première montréalaise d’un nouveau spectacle de Gregory Charles. Au cours de cette édition 2019, nous aurons aussi le privilège d’accueillir l’extraordinaire ténor montréalais, Joseph Kaiser, étoile du Metropolitan Opera, dans deux programmes d’art vocal. Nous présenterons aussi une série de cinq concerts-midi gratuits, Les Meilleurs Artistes classiques BMO de moins de 30 ans !, et un hommage unique à Albert Millaire.

 

Soirée d’ouverture : Gregory Charles en première montréalaise de L’Air du Temps

Le Festival débutera le 7 juin à 20 hà la Salle Pollack de l’Université McGill en compagnie du phénoménal pianiste et animateur Gregory Charles. Amoureux d’histoire et de musique, il présente son plus ambitieux spectacle en invitant les spectateurs à revivre les 250 dernières années de musique et d’histoire occidentale.  Du baroque au hip hop, de la révolution française à la révolution numérique, Gregory prouve, avec L’Air du Temps, qu’il est, à sa manière, le troubadour le plus passionné de notre époque.

 

Intégrale des sonates pour violon de Beethoven avec James Ehnes et Andrew Armstrong

Le Festival est ravi d’accueillir de nouveau le grand violoniste James Ehnes qui interprétera les sonates pour violon de Beethoven avec son partenaire de longue date, le pianiste Andrew Armstrong. Rappelons que James Ehnes est le récipiendaire 2019 d’un Grammy dans la catégorie « Meilleur enregistrement classique ». Au cours de trois soirées qui seront données à la Salle Bourgie les 13, 14 et 15 juin à 20 h, le duo interprétera les dix magistrales sonates pour violon de Beethoven. Dans la foulée de son enregistrement des sonates nos  6 et 9 pour Onyx Classics, The Guardiana souligné la « touche légère et la puissante concentration de ce duo … [sa] très éloquente générosité …»  et dans une chronique du Choix du rédacteur en chef de Gramophone, on pouvait lire : « Dans le finale, Ehnes et Armstrong témoignent d’une extraordinaire sensibilité, d’un sens de l’exploit, sans pour autant atténuer les moments de délicatesse (…) Un ajout majeur à la remarquable discographie de Ehnes et Armstrong. »

 

Intégrale des symphonies de Beethoventranscrites pour piano par Franz Liszt

Le génie de Franz Liszt, le plus grand virtuose du piano du 19esiècle, nous propose une écoute très différente des symphonies de Beethoven. Les stupéfiantes transcriptions de Liszt – sur le plan de la technique, parmi les pièces pour piano les plus exigeantes jamais écrites – donnent aux pianistes la possibilité de reproduire latexture et la grandeur de ces exceptionnelles compositions symphoniques de Beethoven. En première montréalaise, le Festival en présentera l’intégrale en cinq concerts, du 11 au 15 juin à la Salle Bourgie, grâce à six merveilleux pianistes : Alexander Ullman, Premier Prix au Concours international de piano Liszt en 2017, Jocelyn Lai, Carlos Avila, Richard Raymond, ainsi que David Jalbert et Wonny Song en duo dans la 9eSymphonie. Tous les concerts auront lieu à 17 h et comprendront un verre de vin gratuit !

Les 14 et 15 juin, ICI Musique enregistrera les concerts de 17 h.

 

Le ténor Joseph Kaiser, du Metropolitan Opera, dans deux programmes

Le Festival accueillera aussi le ténor montréalais Joseph Kaiser, salué à travers le monde pour la beauté de son timbre et pour sa pensée musicale, lors de deux superbes soirées de musique de chambre, Salle Bourgie. Le mardi 11 juin à 20 h, la série Maîtres en concert fera entendre Joseph Kaiser avec Martin Beaver, autrefois premier violon du Tokyo Quartet, le violoncelliste Denis Brott, le pianiste israélienAlon Goldstein, de retour au Festival pour le plus grand plaisir du public, et le brillant Quatuor Danel,de France, pour la première fois au Festival. Au menu,les Airs folkloriquesdeBeethoven pour ténor et trio avec piano, le Quintette avec pianode Dvořáket le Quatuor à cordes no 5de Weinberg, rarement joué. Cette soirée comprendra aussi une belle découverte, soit la première canadienne d’une composition révélée en 2018 à partir d’une série de manuscrits restés intacts depuis la guerre et trouvés au Musée Auschwitz-Birkenau. Patricia Hall, professeure de musique à la University of Michigan, a mis au jour la pièce au titre déchirant Die Schönste Zeit des Lebens(La plus belleépoque de la vie) de Franz Grothe(1908-1982). Elle estime que la musique, un fox trot populaire à l’époque, était jouée par les prisonniers devant la villa du commandant lors des concerts du dimanche de la garnison d’Auschwitz, vers 1942. Les prisonniers devaient souvent arranger les mélodies en fonction des instruments et des musiciens disponibles au camp.

L’hommage du Festival à l’art vocal se poursuivra par le programme Viva Voce donné le mercredi 12 juin à 20 h, avec des œuvres deBrahms, Respighi, Richard Strauss et Chausson. Joseph Kaiser chantera alors avec la mezzo-soprano Jeanne Ireland, le violoniste Martin Beaver, le pianiste Alexander Ullmanet le Quatuor Danel.

 

Concerts-midi gratuits : Les Meilleurs Artistes classiques BMO de moins de 30 ans !

En 2019, le Festival maintient sa tradition de faire connaitre les jeunes musiciens les plus prometteurs du Canada. Sous le titre Les Meilleurs Artistes classiques BMO de moins de 30 ans !, le Festival présentera une nouvelle série de cinq concerts-midi gratuits du 11 au 15 juin, Salle Bourgie. Les brillants jeunes artistes seront notamment le pianiste Alexander Ullman, les violoncellistes Cameron Crozman et Bruno Tobon ainsi que les violonistes Christina Bouey, Byungchan Lee et Emmanuel Vukovich qui joueront Handel, Ravel, Stravinski, Bach et Beethoven. En outre, et grâce à Métro Inc., nous offrirons une collation incluse !

ICI Musique enregistrera le concert-midi du 15 juin.

« Tchaïkovski, je vous aime » – Hommage à Albert Millaire

Le légendaire comédien et metteur en scène québécois Albert Millaire (1935-2018) fera l’objet d’un hommage lors du concert de clôture donné le dimanche après-midi 16 juin, à 15 h 30. « Tchaïkovski, je vous aime » donnera l’occasion de réentendre un texte que le Festival avait commandéà Albert Millaire en 2011. Cette reconstitution d’extraits de la correspondance entre Tchaïkovski et sa mécène Nadezhda von Meck est une formidable synthèse de mots et de musique présentée en français et en anglais par de grands comédiens québécoistels que Jean Marchand, Monique Miller, Frédéric Millaire Zouvi et Stéphanie Germain. Dans ce qui est devenu une tradition duFestival, ce concert de clôture mettra en vedette les excellents jeunes lauréats du Concours 2018 de la Banque d’instruments de musique du Conseil des arts du Canada,réuniscette année sous la direction de l’illustre violoniste canadien Martin Beaver. Sur des instruments des 18e et 19e siècles fabriqués par les plus grands luthiers du monde dont Antonio Stradivarius, Guarnerius del Gesù, la famille Gagliano et plusieurs autres, ils joueront notamment le Concerto pour quatre violons de Vivaldi, la sublime Grosse Fuge de Beethoven et la mélodieuse Sérénade pour cordes de Tchaïkovski.

Violinist Roman Mints Releases a New Exploration of Hindemith’s Works for Violin & Piano

Posted by shiragilbert on
 March 29, 2019
  · No Comments

Possessing a passion for the avant-garde and an extraordinary creative energy, Roman Mints is considered one of the most original musicians of his generation. The acclaimed Russian violinist is joined by Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winner Alexander Kobrin for a new recording of Hindemith’s Complete Works for Violin and Piano, available from Quartz Music on April 5, 2019.

A longtime champion of of contemporary composers, Roman Mints’s deep appreciation for the works of Paul Hindemith began when he was a young violinist, studying in Moscow in the 1980s: “This music, written not just before I was born but closer to the time of my grandparents’ birth, felt completely contemporary, and daringly advanced in its sound … From the time I put Sonata in D on the stand, I was gripped by the first subject, constructed from seconds and sevenths, marked to be played with stony defiance. I was never the same again and Hindemith became my window into contemporary music.”

First and foremost a violinist and a violist himself, Hindemith’s four violin sonatas span the composer’s lifetime, offering an overview of his stylistic influences, from the German Late Romantics to polytonality and atonality, to his own eclectic, personal style intergrating Baroque and Classical elements. Also included in this survey are the the Kleine Sonata for viola d’amore and piano and Trauermusik, written in just one day in honor of the death of King George. Reflecting upon this new recording with Alexander Korbin, Mints said, “We had drawn the portrait of a man whose wildness hid a tender side, whose severity concealed humour, and behind whose crustiness there lay a capacity for ecstasy. I began to understand how he had resonated with me as a 13-year-old, and why he continues to hold a special place in my heart.”

Most recently for Quartz Music, Roman Mints released an album of music by the contemporary Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov, which received a 5-star review in BBC Music Magazine and Audiophile Audition called “some of the most interesting music you’ve never heard of.” Also for Quartz Music, Roman Mints released an album of works for violin and piano by Alfred Schnittke, which the San Francisco Chronicle called “a thrilling reminder of the eloquence this composer … superb performances from Mints and [Katya] Apekisheva.” The New York Times called his previous release, Dance of Shadows, an innovative program of music by Ysaÿe, Piazzolla, and Schnittke, as well as a premiere by Dobrinka Tabakova “fascinating and technically brilliant,” while Strings Magazine called the recital “a thing of haunting beauty and magic.”

ROMAN MINTS was born in Moscow and began playing the violin at the age of five. In 1994, Mints won a Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London and also studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, winning prizes at each, alongside contemporaries Dobrinka Tabakova, Elena Langer, Maxim Rysanov, and Kristina Blaumane. Along with championing the work of Leonid Desyatnikov, Mints has given the Russian premieres of works by Golijov, Tavener, MacMillan, Mozetich and world premieres of over fifty works including compositions from Tabakova, Bennett, Langer, Finnissy, Irvine and others. He has worked alongside conductors Andrew Davis, Saulius Sondeckis, Vladimir Ziva, Vladimir Ponkin, and Philipp Chizhevsky, amongst others. Mints has performed with such prominent groups as London Mozart Players, London Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva Orchestra, Russian Philharmonia, Kremerata Baltica, Prague Soloists and Prague Sinfonia. In 1998, alongside oboist Dmitry Bulgakov, he founded the Homecoming Chamber Music Festival which takes place annually in Moscow. Mints’s previous recordings also include the Grammy-nominated String Paths for ECM, and releases for the Black Box and Harmonia Mundi labels.  Roman Mints plays a Francesco Ruggieri violin, circa 1685.

Pianist ALEXANDER KOBRIN’s prize-winning performances have been praised for their brilliant technique, musicality and emotional engagement with the audience. In 2005, Alexander Kobrin was awarded the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal at the Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. His numerous successes in competitions also include top prizes at the Busoni, Hamamatsu, and Scottish International Piano Competitions. Kobrin has performed with many of the world’s great orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, among many others, with conductors including Mikhail Pletnev, Mikhail Jurovsky, James Conlon, Vassiliy Petrenko and Yuri Bashmet. His piano recitals have been heard in major halls worldwide, including Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Kennedy Centre in Washington, the Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Louvre Auditorium, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, Sala Verdi in Milan, and annual concert tours in Japan, China and Taiwan. His recordings can be heard on the Harmonia Mundi, Quartz, and Centaur labels.

ROMANMINTS.COM                    QUARTZMUSIC.COM

 

 

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra Announces Maestro Steven Mercurio as Music Director

Posted by shiragilbert on
 March 19, 2019
  · No Comments

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) announced today that Steven Mercurio will become its new Music Director as of the upcoming 2019/20 season. Maestro Mercurio, an American conductor and composer known for his exceptional versatility and dynamism, has fostered a vibrant, ten-year affiliation with the orchestra, with extensive collaborations taking place across multiple musical genres and in every capacity: symphonically, operatically, and through extensive recording projects. Maestro Mercurio is currently in Prague, conducting the orchestra in music by Martinu and Shostakovich.

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra is self-governed and Maestro Mercurio’s appointment is at the behest of the musicians themselves. Jan Hasenöhrl, the orchestra’s artistic director said: “After many years of wonderful collaborations, we are very much looking forward to having Maestro Mercurio with us as our Music Director. His musicianship, energy, and versatility make him the ideal conductor for the future of the CNSO.” Mercurio succeeds Maestro Libor Pešek, who had held the position since 2007.

Maestro Steven Mercurio, who conducted the orchestra on a US tour last month, comments: “It is a great honor to be chosen by these wonderful musicians. They are open, flexible, curious and always interested in creating a magnificent musical product. I’m looking forward to an exciting future together.”

In addition to the concert season at the celebrated and historic Smetana Hall, which includes a seasonal Proms concert, the orchestra frequently tours and records. For his inaugural season as Music Director, Maestro Mercurio will conduct concerts in Prague in September, January and March, with repertoire including Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 “The Titan”, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” He will also lead the orchestra on a tour of the United Kingdom in October.

Maestro Mercurio’s recordings with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra include Strauss’ Metamorphosen and Tod und Verklärung for Vanguard Classics; New Jewish Music for Analekta; and his own A Grateful Tail, a symphony inspired by dogs and the role they play in humans’ lives, which was premiered by the CNSO with the participation of Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham. Coming soon on the CNSO’s own label is an all-strings recording featuring Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, Vaughan-Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, and Mercurio’s Eulogy.

Conductor and composer Steven Mercurio is renowned for his musical versatility, which encompasses the symphonic and operatic worlds and beyond. After receiving his Master’s degree from the Juilliard School, he became Music Director of the Spoleto Festival for five years, then Principal Conductor of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He has since conducted more than forty-five operas in seven different languages, with engagements including the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, the English National Opera, and many others, including numerous American opera companies. He has led symphony orchestras around the globe, from the London Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Audiences for Maestro Mercurio’s opera and symphonic telecasts have numbered in the millions, including the “Christmas in Vienna” series, recorded for Sony Classical, highlighted by the 1999 “The Three Tenors” concert. He conducted the now-classic PBS special “American Dream–Andrea Bocelli’s Statue of Liberty concert” with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Mercurio also led the worldwide tour of Sting’s “Symphonicities” with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, culminating in the Deutsche Grammophon DVD “Live in Berlin.”

Additional recordings by Maestro Mercurio include “Il Trovatore,” “Pagliacci,” and “Cavalleria Rusticana” for Decca; “Verdi Arias” with soprano Daniela Dessi; three albums with tenor Marcello Giordani; and a recording of his own songs, “Many Voices,” with the Prague Philharmonia for Sony Classics,  in addition to collaborations with such artists as Wynton Marsalis, Mark O’Connor, and Chick Corea. A versatile composer, Mercurio’s major works include “For Lost Loved Ones,” premiered by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic;  and his “Mercurial Overture,” premiered by the Oslo Philharmonic in a concert telecast honoring the Nobel Peace Prize laureates, with Mercurio conducting. Maestro Mercurio is also a sought-after collaborator for many award winning recordings, arrangements and film projects.

In addition to his collaborations with the CNSO, Maestro Mercurio’s upcoming performances include the Israeli premiere of  Mieczysław Weinberg’s 1968 opera The Passenger for The Israel Opera, and several major concerts with Andrea Bocelli.

www.cnso.cz         www.stevenmercurio.com

 

 

Ensemble Made in Canada’s MOSAÏQUE PROJECT On Tour!

Posted by shiragilbert on
 January 21, 2019
  · No Comments

Winter tour of “unique and ambitious” (The WholeNote) project includes concerts in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Alberta & the Yukon

 NEW WORKS BY 14 COMPOSERS CELEBRATE CANADA’S DIVERSITY

[Français ci-dessous]

Ensemble Made in Canada (EMIC), fast becoming Canada’s premiere piano quartet, continues to crisscross the country this winter with their Mosaïque Project, featuring 14 new works by 14 Canadian composers, inspired by regions across Canada. Commissioned by the Ensemble, esteemed composers from a wide variety of musical genres – classical, jazz, singer-songwriter, electronic, and First Nations traditions – have created a unique musical quilt, representing the many layers of Canada’s multi-faceted society and artistic culture, with the aim ofcelebratingthe diversity and richness of Canadathrough the eyes and ears of its people.First heard in select cities in Ontario, Canada’s east coast, and in Iqaluit this past fall, the Mosaïque Project will be performed in concert this January through March in cities including Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Snow Lake, Montreal, Quebec City, Whitehorse, Calgary, and several more, reaching all 10 Canadian provinces and three territories before January 2020. (See complete tour information below.) Recently featured on CBC’s The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright, Ensemble Made In Canadais violinist Elissa Lee, violist Sharon Wei, cellist Rachel Mercer, and pianist Angela Park – all of whom are also forging outstanding individual music careers. Ludwig van Toronto called Ensemble Made in Canada’s debut recording “favourite chamber music delivered on a beautifully polished silver platter” with the works by Mozart and Brahms “revealing new layers of beauty with each listen.”

MOSAÏQUE MAKER

Involving and engaging audiences along every stop of the Mosaïque Project tour across the country, Ensemble Made in Canada is creating a uniquely interactivevisual mosaïque with its Mosaïque Maker.  At each concert, audiences are invited to create their own visual representation inspired by their individual musical experience. Drawing tools and a small card on which they can doodle, draw and colour are provided at each Mosaïque performance. Cards are then scanned, tagged, and uploaded to the Ensemble’s website. As the tour progresses, the visual mosaïque grows in complexity, diversity, and beauty. It acts as a dynamic visual representation of the tour, and of the country, connecting music, art, and communities across Canada. Online, anyone can generate a new random selection of images or curate a new Mosaïque by applying filters by region, year, colour and other filters, or moving around tiles to create a new combination, which can then be posted to Instagram.

* Access the Mosaïque Maker here*

#mosaiqueproject

 

COMPOSERS & TERRITORIES

The Mosaïque Project was created by 14 exceptional, award-winning Canadian composers, each of whom has written a new work for piano quartet inspired by a particular province, territory or region. Each work is approximately 4-minutes in length to create a 60-minute musical suite. For select interviews with the composers and musical excerpts, please see the Ensemble’s YouTube channel.

The composers and their corresponding works and regions are:

David Braid – “Great Bear River Blues” (Northwest Territories)

Julie Doiron –“Blessed” (New Brunswick)

Vivian Fung–“Shifting Landscapes” (Alberta)

Kevin Lau– “Race to the Midnight Sun” (Yukon Territory)

Richard Mascall– “Petroglyphs” (Ontario)

William Rowson– “Short Variations on Waves” (Nova Scotia)

Sarah Slean– “Johnny Pippy of Pouch Cove, on a Bicycle at Dawn” (Newfoundland)

Barbara Croall – “Nbiidaasamishkaamin/We Come Paddling Here”

(Gichigami-ziibi miinawaa Nayanno-nibiimaang Gichigamiin / St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes))

Andrew Downing– “Red River Fantasy” (Manitoba)

Nicolas Gilbert – “Ilôts” (Quebec)

Nicole Lizée – “Bessborough Hotel” (Saskatchewan)

Samy Moussa – “Orpheus in Nunavut” (Nunavut)

Darren Sigesmund– “Kensington Ceilidh” (Prince Edward Island)

Ana Sokolović – “Splendor Sine Occasu” (British Columbia)

 

MOSAÏQUE PROJECT WINTER TOUR

Sunday, Jan 27              3pm                 Regina Musical Club                  Regina, SK

Tuesday, Jan 29            7:30 pm            Brandon University                   Brandon, MB

Thursday, Jan 31           7:30 pm            Gustin House                            Saskatoon, SK

Saturday, Feb 2            7:30 pm            Virtuosi Concerts                      Winnipeg, MB

Monday, Feb 4              7:30 pm            Ravna House Concerts               Snow Lake, MB

Wednesday, Feb 6         6:30 pm          Norway House Concerts            Norway House, MB

Saturday, Feb 23           1pm                 5 at the First                             Hamilton, ON

Sunday, Feb 24             3pm                 Les Amis Concerts                     Cobourg, ON

Monday, Feb 25            9 30 pm            MNM Festival                           Montreal, QC

Tuesday, Feb 26            8:00 pm            Concerts de Westminster          Quebec City, QC

Saturday, Mar 2            8:00 pm            Whitehorse Concerts                Whitehorse, YT

Tuesday, Mar 5             12:15 pm          University of Lethbridge            Lethbridge, AB

Thursday, Mar 7            7:30 pm            New Works Calgary                   Calgary, AB

Sunday, Mar 10             4:00 pm            Burman University                    Lacombe, AB

Saturday, Mar 16          7:30 pm            Almonte in Concert                   Almonte, ON

 

ABOUT ENSEMBLE MADE IN CANADA

Awarded the CBC Galaxie Stars Award from the Banff Centre for the Arts and featured in Chatelaine Magazine’s 80th anniversary issue as “Women to Watch,” Ensemble Made in Canada is leading the next generation of classical musicians. The members of the group, all of whom were born in and trained in Canada, have been forging outstanding individual careers and bring together a wealth of musical experience. Violinist Elissa Lee, cellist Rachel Mercer, pianist Angela Park, and violist Sharon Wei have appeared at such prestigious festivals as Marlboro, Ravinia, Orford, Verbier, Prussia Cove, Pablo Casals, and Evian. EMIC has performed for Music Toronto, Winnipeg Virtuosi, Montreal Pro Musica, SUNY New Paltz, Stratford Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, among many others. The ensemble’s recordings to date include works by Mozart and Brahms, and Chamber Music by John Burge for the Centrediscs label. Ensemble-in-Residence at Western University in London since 2014, EMIC has given master classes, coachings, and lectures at universities across Canada and in the United States. Ensemble Made in Canada is grateful for support from FACTOR, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

ensemblemadeincanada.com

____________________________________________________

 

LE PROJET MOSAÏQU DE L’ENSEMBLE MADE IN CANADA EN TOURNÉE !

La tournée hivernale de ce projet « unique et ambitieux » (The WholeNote)

comprend des concerts au Manitoba, en Ontario, en Saskatchewan, au Québec,

en Alberta & au Yukon 

DE NOUVELLES ŒUVRES DE 14 COMPOSITEURS POUR CÉLÉBRER

LA DIVERSITÉ CANADIENNE

Le Fabriquant interactif de mosaïque de Ensemble Made in Canada est maintenant en ligne

Le Quatuor pour piano Ensemble Made in Canada (EMIC) s’impose rapidement parmi les ensembles canadiens de renom, et continue de parcourir le pays cet hiver avec son Projet Mosaïque, mettant en vedette 14 nouvelles œuvres de 14 compositeurs canadiens, inspirées des diverses régions du pays. À la demande de l’Ensemble, des compositeurs réputés et experts dans une variété de genres musicaux — classique, jazz, auteur-compositeur-interprète, électronique et traditions des Premières Nations — ont créé une courtepointe musicale unique, représentant les nombreuses couches de la société et de la culture artistique du Canada, dans le but de célébrer la diversité et la richesse du Pays, et ce, à travers les yeux et les oreilles ses gens. D’abord entendu dans certaines villes de l’Ontario, sur la côte est du Canada, et à Iqaluit l’automne dernier, le projet Mosaïque sera présenté en concert de janvier à mars à Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Snow Lake, Montréal, Québec, Whitehorse, Calgary, entre autres, touchant ainsi aux dix provinces canadiennes et aux trois territoires d’ici janvier 2020. Récemment présenté à l’émission The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright de la CBC,Ensemble Made in Canada est formé de la violoniste Elissa Lee, de l’altiste Sharon Wei, de la violoncelliste Rachel Mercer et de la pianiste Angela Park, musiciennes qui, par ailleurs, mènent toutes des carrières de soliste exceptionnelles. Ludwig van Toronto a comparé le premier album d’Ensemble Made in Canada à un « plateau d’argent, tout poli, sur lequel on nous présente les œuvres favorites du répertoire de musique de chambre » et, avec Mozart et Brahms, l’Ensemble « révèle de nouvelles couches de beauté à chaque écoute ».

LE FABRIQUANT DE MOSAÏQUE

Avec une approche inclusive et engageante à chaque présentation du Projet Mosaïque à travers le pays, Ensemble Made in Canada a conçu une mosaïque interactive unique en son genre avec son Fabriquant de Mosaïque. À chaque concert, les membres du public sont invités à créer leur propre représentation visuelle de l’événement, inspirée par leur expérience musicale individuelle. Des outils de dessin et une petite fiche sur laquelle ils peuvent crayonner, dessiner et colorier sont fournis à chaque performance de Mosaïque. Les fiches sont ensuite recueillies, numérisées, étiquetées, et téléversées sur le site webd’Ensemble. À mesure que la tournée avance, la mosaïque visuelle croit en complexité, en diversité et en beauté. Elle agit comme une représentation dynamique de la tournée — et du pays — en entremêlant la musique, l’art et les communautés à travers le Canada. En ligne, tous peuvent générer une nouvelle sélection aléatoire d’images : en appliquant certains filtres par région, année, couleur, ou encore en bougeant les mosaïques pour créer de nouvelles combinaisons, on devient soudainement conservateur et conservatrice d’une nouvelle Mosaïque, qui peut ensuite être publiée sur Instagram.

* Accédez au Farbiquant de Mosaïque ici*

#mosaiqueproject

 

COMPOSITEURS & TERRITOIRES

Le Projet Mosaïque fut créé par 14 compositeurs canadiens de renom. Chacun d’entre eux a écrit une nouvelle œuvre pour quatuor pour piano inspirée par une province, un territoire ou une région en particulier. Chaque pièce — d’une durée d’environ 4 minutes — fait partie d’une suite musicale d’une heure. Pour une sélection d’extraits musicaux et d’entrevues avec les compositeurs, rendez-vous sur la chaîne YouTube de l’Ensemble.

Les compositeurs et leur œuvre et région correspondantes sont :

David Braid – “Great Bear River Blues” (Territoires du Nord-Ouest)

Julie Doiron –“Blessed” (Nouveau-Brunswick)

Vivian Fung–“Shifting Landscapes” (Alberta)

Kevin Lau– “Race to the Midnight Sun” (Territoire du Yukon)

Richard Mascall– “Petroglyphs” (Ontario)

William Rowson– “Short Variations on Waves” (Nouvelle-Écosse)

Sarah Slean– “Johnny Pippy of Pouch Cove, on a Bicycle at Dawn” (Terre-Neuve)

Barbara Croall – “Nbiidaasamishkaamin/We Come Paddling Here”

(Gichigami-ziibi miinawaa Nayanno-nibiimaang Gichigamiin/Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent et des Grands Lacs)

Andrew Downing– “Red River Fantasy” (Manitoba)

Nicolas Gilbert – “Ilôts” (Québec)

Nicole Lizée – “Bessborough Hotel” (Saskatchewan)

Samy Moussa – “Orpheus in Nunavut” (Nunavut)

Darren Sigesmund– “Kensington Ceilidh” (Île-du-Prince-Édouard)

Ana Sokolović – “Splendor Sine Occasu” (Colombie-Britannique)

 

TOURNÉE HIVERNALE DU PROJET MOSAÏQUE

Dimanche 27 janvier     15h                  Regina Musical Club                  Regina, SK

Mardi 29 janvier           19h30               Brandon University                   Brandon, MB

Jeudi 31 janvier             19h30               Gustin House                            Saskatoon, SK

Samedi 2 février            19h30               Virtuosi Concerts                      Winnipeg, MB

Lundi 4 février              19h30               Ravna House Concerts             Snow Lake, MB

Mercredi 6 février         18h30              Norway House Concerts           Norway House, MB

Samedi 23 février          13h                  5 at the First                                Hamilton, ON

Dimanche 24 février      15h                  Les Amis Concerts                     Cobourg, ON

Lundi 25 février             21h30               Festival MNM                           Montréal, QC

Mardi 26 février            20h                  Concerts de Westminster         Ville de Québec, QC

Samedi 2 mars              20h                  Whitehorse Concerts                Whitehorse, YT

Mardi 5 mars                12h15               University of Lethbridge            Lethbridge, AB

Jeudi 7 mars                 19h30               New Works Calgary                   Calgary, AB

Dimanche 10 mars        16h                  Burman University                    Lacombe, AB

Samedi 16 mars            19h30               Almonte in Concert                   Almonte, ON

 

À PROPOS D’ENSEMBLE MADE IN CANADA

Gagnantes du prix CBC Galaxie Stars Award du Centre des arts de Banff, et mises de l’avant par la revue Châtelaine pour leur publication spécial-80eanniversaire comme étant « des femmes à surveiller », Ensemble Made in Canada donne le ton à la prochaine génération de musiciens classiques. Les membres du groupe, toutes nées et éduquées au Canada, mènent également de formidables carrières solos, et réunissent la richesse de leur expérience musicale. La violoniste Elissa Lee, la violoncelliste Rachel Mercer, la pianiste Angela Park, et l’altiste Sharon Wei ont joué lors de prestigieux festivals tels Marlboro, Ravinia, Orford, Verbier, Prussia Cove, Pablo Casals et Evian. Ensemble Made in Canada a joué pour Music Toronto, Winnipeg Virtuosi, Pro Musica de Montréal, SUNY New Paltz, Stratford Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, et Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, entre autres. Les enregistrements de l’Ensemble comportent des œuvres de Mozart et Brahms, ainsi que du répertoire de musique de chambre de John Burge pour l’étiquette Centrediscs. Ensemble en résidence à la Western University à London depuis 2014, EMIC a donné des cours de maître, des coachings et des présentations pour des universités à travers le Canada et les États-Unis. Ensemble Made in Canada est reconnaissant envers FACTOR, le Conseil des Arts du Canada et le Conseil des Arts de l’Ontario pour leur soutien.

ensemblemadeincanada.com

 

Enter a Haunting World of Dreams & Lullabies with Angel Heart: A Musical Storybook

Posted by shiragilbert on
 November 19, 2018
  · No Comments

“Angel Heart is a story designed to slip straight into the imagination of a young mind … it has both the simplicity and the dark undertow of a fairy tale.” – The New York Times

Haunting, gentle spirits from far-flung worlds meet in the pulsing sphere of dreams and lullabies that is Angel Heart, a music storybook. With an original tale by best-selling children’s fantasy writer Cornelia Funke, Angel Heart weaves an evocative original score by Luna Pearl Woolf with beloved songs by Irving Berlin, Lennon-McCartney, Jake Heggie, Engelbert Humperdinck, Gordon Getty, and others. An affecting narration by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons layers upon intoxicating performances by singers Frederica von Stade, Daniel Taylor, Lisa Delan, and Zheng Cao – all above a rich bed of cellos, Matt Haimovitz and his Grammy-nominated ensemble Uccello.

Exquisite images by the award-winning creative studio Mirada unfold the tale, and the deluxe boxed cd-and-story package includes a coloring poster, stickers and cards for sharing the magic. Originally released in 2013, and accompanied by premiere performances in Los Angeles and at Carnegie Hall in New York, this is the first international release of Angel Heart, from the PENTATONE Oxingale series, available for digital and CD release on December 7.

The whimsical tale – narrated by Jeremy Irons above the music by Luna Pearl Woolf as performed by Matt Haimovitz and his cello ensemble – paints a colourful nighttime journey of magic and healing. Rahmiel, the angel of love and compassion, discovers Luna, a young girl with hair as dark as the night, crying by a pond. The angel fills the night with laughter and song and rainbows made from starlight, but Luna’s heart is still in a thousand pieces. Rahmiel knows someone: he takes her to the witch that can heal broken hearts who calls on a man made of raven feathers for help. She tells Luna, “we know best who we are when we are very young.” Together Rahmiel and a newly child-like Luna visit the Spirits of the East, North, West, and South, whose lullabies wash away and heal her pain, mend her heart and make it strong again. Luna smiles in her sleep as she turns back into the beautiful girl that Rahmiel first saw. The Angel’s work is done.

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Interspersed along the tale are songs and lullabies from disparate corners of the world, including the Welsh folksong “All Through the Night”; “Ho Ho Watanay,” an Iroquois lullaby; the German “14 Angels”; Unter Beymer (Beneath the Trees), sung in Yiddish; the traditional “Sleep Baby Sleep,” and others.

Performances of Angel Heart will take place in late 2018 in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, where cellist Matt Haimovitz brings together his cello students from The New School’s Mannes School of music and McGill University’s Schulich School of Music to perform. In addition, a forthcoming German version of the album will feature narration by the author, with performances in Europe planned for early 2019.

The music of composer Luna Pearl Woolf has been praised for its “psychological nuances and emotional depth,” by The New York Times. Her works in opera, dramatic chamber music, silent film and music-storytelling have been commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Washington National Opera, Minnesota Sinfonia, San Francisco’s Bard Music West, Montreal’s Salle Bourgie and ECM+, Tapestry Opera in Toronto (upcoming), as well as numerous individual artists and festivals. She co-founded Oxingale Productions with her husband, cellist Matt Haimovitz.

Cornelia Funke is one of world’s most successful children’s and young adult authors. Her books have been translated into 37 languages, published in 43 countries, and have worldwide sales of more than 20 million copies. Her most popular works include Dragon Rider, The Thief Lord, the Inkheart trilogy and MirrorWorld, a fantasy series for all ages. The German author writes her stories longhand in her writing house in California.

American soprano and Angel Heart co-creator Lisa Delan is recognized for her versatility and vast repertoire. Opera online praised her voice for its “luminescence … with a creamy, soothing tone that can be spellbinding.” Sequenza 21 wrote that “as a song interpreter, she may well be unequaled.”

Matt Haimovitz is praised by The New York Times as a “ferociously talented cellist who brings his megawatt sound and uncommon expressive gifts to a vast variety of styles.” Along with performances around the world, he currently holds positions at the Schulich School of Music in Montreal and as the first John Cage fellow at The New School’s Mannes School of Music in New York City; three cellists from each studio now comprise UCCELLO. Haimovitz’s recent recordings for the PENTATONE Oxingale Series include ISANG YUN: Sunrise Falling, a centennial commemoration of the Korean composer’s life and music.

pentatonemusic.com

collectif9: No Time for Chamber Music

Posted by shiragilbert on
 October 30, 2018
  · No Comments

Montreal’s dazzling classical string band launches a new album of music by & inspired by Gustav Mahler

[français ci-dessous]

Montreal’s trailblazing 9-piece classical string band, collectif9, returns to Toronto on Monday, November 12 to launch its sophomore album featuring music by and inspired by Gustav Mahler. Satirical and serious, frivolous and intense, No Time for Chamber Music delves into rich and complex musical textures with original and intimate arrangements. A contemporary classical ensemble that embraces a pop music attitude, collectif9 is known for its energized, innovative arrangements of classical repertoire, along with lighting and staging more commonly seen from rock bands. Since its 2011 debut, collectif9 has introduced a new age in genre-bending classical performance to more than 100 venues across North America, Europe, and Asia. “The talented group of friends doesn’t spare any effort to achieve their ultimate goal,” says ICI Musique, “to allow everyone to participate in the utter joy of classical music, initiated or not.”

“No time for chamber music … you are nothing but an academic exercise” is a quote from the 3rd movement of Berio’s Sinfonia, which is built on the scherzo from Mahler’s 2nd symphony. These few words encompass the many contradictions in Mahler’s music – referencing irony, perception, and musical tradition. The works on the new recording, all of which were arranged by collectif9 leader and bass player Thibault Bertin-Maghit, also use quotations from other works by Mahler, creating layered meanings and textures, transporting the listener into a world of fantasy and imagery. While it may seem that Gustav Mahler himself, with his vast symphonies, had no time for chamber music, this was not at all the case. Reflecting daily life, interactions, and intimacies, chamber music is human communication itself. The new album includes reframed excerpts of Mahler’s first, second, and fifth symphonies as well as his lieder – by way of an Austrian folk dance and a funeral march or two – before a final L’adieu. In addition, composer Philippe Hersant offers an homage to Mahler à la manière de Callot, drawing on multiple works to create a unique whole.

Following collectif9’s Montreal launch for No Time for Chamber Music on November 9 at NOMAD and the Toronto launch at Lula Lounge on November 12, the ensemble heads directly to Mexico for concerts at the Festival de Música de Morelia from Nov 15-17, along with collaborators Gabriel Prokofiev, Edgardo Espinosa, and DJ Mr Switch.

No Time for Chamber Music is the follow up to collectif9’s “dazzling” (The WholeNote) debut release, Volksmobiles, featuring folk-inspired music by Brahms, Bartók, Schnittke, André Gagnon, and a world premiere by Geof Holbrook, which toured extensively across North America and in China. Most recently, collectif9 presented the concert programme My Backyard Somewhere, a multi-disciplinary collaboration with Architek Percussion. A poetic migration through words and places featuring original music commissioned from composers Derek Charke, Nicole Lizée, Eliot Britton, Luna Pearl Woolf, and Bret Higgins, and words by Kaie Kellough, My Backyard Somewheretoured to Canada’s east coast in October and will hit Winnipeg as well as Sherbrooke, QC early in 2019. Not resting for long, March and April 2019 will see collectif9 on an extensive US tour with dates in California, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming.

collectif9 is: Thibault Bertin-Maghit, leader and bass; John Corban, Yubin Kim, Robert Margaryan, and Liz Skinner, violins; Scott Chancey and Xavier Lepage-Brault, violas; Andrea Stewart and Jérémie Cloutier, cellos.

Collectif9 en concert : : images par Danylo Bobyk Photography : : www.danylophoto.com

 

 * * * * * * * * 

L’éblouissant ensemble à cordes montréalais lance un nouvel album de musique de, et inspirée de, Gustav Mahler

collectif9, l’inventif ensemble à cordes montréalais, remonte sur scène à Montréal le vendredi 9 novembre pour le lancement d’un deuxième album regroupant des œuvres de Gustav Mahler, ainsi qu’une pièce inspirée du compositeur. À la fois satirique et sérieux, frivole et intense, No Time for Chamber Music offre des arrangements originaux et intimes qui explorent la richesse et la complexité des textures musicales. Un ensemble classique contemporain qui adopte une attitude pop, collectif9 est connu pour ses arrangements énergiques et innovateurs du répertoire de musique classique, et pour son utilisation de la mise en scène, de l’éclairage et de l’amplification, tel qu’on le voit plus souvent à des concerts rock. Depuis ses débuts en 2011, collectif9 insuffle un nouvel élan de performance de la musique classique, et a présenté plus de 100 concerts à travers l’Amérique du Nord, l’Europe et l’Asie. « La talentueuse petite bande d’amis ne ménage en effet aucun effort pour parvenir à son but ultime; faire apprécier la musique classique à tous, initiés ou non, dans la joie la plus totale ». (ICI Musique)

“No time for chamber music … you are nothing but an academic exercise” sont deux lignes tirées du 3e mouvement de Sinfonia de Luciano Berio, lui-même construit sur le scherzo de la 2e symphonie de Gustav Mahler. Ces douze mots illustrent bien les nombreuses contradictions présentes dans l’œuvre de Mahler – mêlant ironie, perception et traditions musicales. Les œuvres de cet album, toutes arrangées par le leader et contrebassiste Thibault Bertin-Maghit, usent de citations provenant d’autres pièces de Mahler, créant ainsi des couches et des couches de détails qui révèlent une signification plus profonde, et qui transportent l’auditeur dans un monde imagé de fantaisies. On pourrait avoir l’impression que Gustav Mahler, avec ses symphonies vastes, n’avait pas le temps de se consacrer à la musique de chambre, mais ce n’est pas du tout le cas. Reflet de notre vie quotidienne, de nos interactions et de nos relations intimes, la musique de chambre est la communication humaine elle-même.

Le nouvel album inclut des extraits de la première, deuxième et cinquième symphonie de Mahler, ainsi que de ses lieder – revisitant ainsi une danse folklorique autrichienne et une Marche funèbre ou deux, avant de clore sur L’adieu final. De plus, le compositeur Philippe Hersant nous offre un hommage à Mahler à la manière de Callot, en prenant des fragments de différentes œuvres pour créer un tout unique en son genre.

Le lancement montréalais de No Time for Chamber Music le 9 novembre est suivi d’une performance au Lula Lounge à Toronto le 12 novembre. Ensuite, l’ensemble partira directement au Mexique pour des concerts au Festival de Música de Morelia du 15 au 17 novembre en collaboration avec Gabriel Prokofiev, Edgardo Espinosa et DJ Mr Switch.

No Time for Chamber Music est précédé de l’« éblouissant » (The WholeNote) Volksmobiles, 1er album de collectif9 mettant en vedette des pièces d’inspiration folklorique de Brahms, Bartók, Schnittke, et André Gagnon, ainsi que le premier enregistrement de la pièce Volksmobiles, écrite pour l’ensemble par le compositeur canadien Geof Holbrook et jouée en tournée à travers l’Amérique du Nord et la Chine.

Plus récemment, collectif9 a présenté le spectacel Quelque part, mon jardin, un projet multidisciplinaire en collaboration avec Architek Percussion. Une migration poétique à travers les mots et l’espace sur des textes de Kaie Kellough, ce spectacle présente des oeuvres originales de Derek Charke, Nicole Lizée, Eliot Britton, Luna Pearl Woolf, et Bret Higgins. Le concert fut présenté en tournée sur la côte est canadienne au mois d’octobre, et sera joué à Winnipeg ainsi qu’à Sherbrooke au début de 2019. Ne s’arrêtant pas un instant, en mars et avril 2019, collectif9 s’embarque dans une tournée d’envergure aux États-Unis, avec des concerts en Californie, à Washington, au Colorado, en Idaho, et au Wyoming.

collectif9, c’est : Thibault Bertin-Maghit, leader et contrebasse ; John Corban, Yubin Kim, Robert Margaryan et Liz Skinner, violons ; Scott Chancey et Xavier Lepage-Brault, altos ; Andrea Stewart et Jérémie Cloutier, violoncelles.

www.collectif9.ca

 

Sondra Radvanovsky Toronto Recital Program Announced

Posted by shiragilbert on
 October 22, 2018
  · No Comments

RADVANOVSKY RETURNS TO TORONTO FOLLOWING HER ASTOUNDING PORTRAYAL OF ANNA BOLENA AT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY AND NEW TRIUMPHS IN PARIS AND SAN FRANCISCO

Fresh from new operatic triumphs in Paris and San Francisco, where she once again astounded audiences with her magnificent portrayals of opera’s great dramatic heroines, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky returns to her hometown of Toronto for a rare and intimate recital with her long time pianist Anthony Manoli on Saturday, November 24 at 8pm at Koerner Hall, presented by ShowOne Productions.

Radvanovsky and Manoli’s new all-Italian recital program, From Bel Canto to Verismo, ranges from beloved early Italian songs through to scenes from her history-making roles. Following favourites like Caccini’s “Amarilli, mia bella” and “O Del Mio Dolce Ardor” by Gluck, the Toronto audience will hear two Verdi selections: the “Romanza” from the rarely-heard Il Corsaro and the dramatic sleepwalking scene from Macbeth. Other delights include Rossini’s charming trio of songs, La Regata Veneziana, and Puccini’s “Sole e amore” and “E L’uccellino.” And, the program would not be complete without excerpts from her most famous roles: “L’amor suo mi fe beata” from Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux and the devastating “Sola Perduta Abbandonata” from Manon Lescaut.

Since her spring performances at the Canadian Opera Company as Anna Bolena, when critics declared her “astonishing” (The Globe and Mail) and “extraordinary to behold” (The Toronto Star), Radvanovsky’s star has risen even higher. At the San Francisco Opera, she reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Devereux – one of the “three queens” she performed in a single season, to great acclaim, at the Metropolitan Opera. Reviewing her “blazing performance,” the San Francisco Chronicle declared, “Once you’ve experienced the kind of extravagant vocal majesty and theatrical intelligence that Saturday’s audience did, there’s just no going back.” And at the Opéra Bastille, in a history-making event, Paris audiences demanded a bis or encore of Leonora’s powerful 4th act aria in Il Trovatore. “Sondra Radvanovsky sang Leonora with great intelligence, beauty and unremitting power,” said Operawire, “The audience didn’t stop applauding …”

Also of note this fall, Erato will release on DVD the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Norma, which opened the 2017-18 season starring Radvanovsky in the title role, with Joyce DiDonato and Joseph Calleja. “[Radvanovsky,] with her bright, powerful voice and dramatic fervor, excelled in Norma’s moments of torment and fury,” said The New York Times, “Her sound … is the essence of raw, true emotion …”

ShowOne Productions first presented Sondra Radvanovsky in concert with the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky in 2010, giving many Canadians the opportunity to discover her for the first time, as well as in her most recent Toronto recital appearance, in 2015. Following the evening at Koerner Hall, The Globe and Mail said: “Radvanovsky had us at our ease before she sang a note, and then proceeded to deliver a stunning, stupendous program that reminded us why she is a once-in-a-generation vocal supernova.”

Formed in 2004 by Svetlana Dvoretsky, ShowOne Productions is a full scope production company that presents concerts with high-profile classical musicians, opera stars, and orchestras, as well as great dance and theatre companies. For over a decade, Show One Has presented thousands of performances on Canada’s best stages and concert halls and has made many Canadian debuts possible including last season’s historic Trio Magnifico: The Ultimate Opera Gala with Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eyazov, and the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Other Show One Productions’ presentations to date include: BRODSKY/BARYSHNIKOV, a one-man theatrical performance performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov; Valery Gergiev and Mariinsky Orchestra; Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic; Vladimir Spivakov and National Philharmonic of Russia and Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra; Orchestre National de France; soloists Denis Matsuev, Mischa Maisky, Ann-Sophie Mutter, and Mutter Virtuosi, amongst many others.

SHOW ONE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

Sondra Radvanovsky in Recital with pianist Anthony Maloni

From Bel Canto to Verismo

Saturday, November 24th at 8:00 pm

Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Limited Tickets Still Available at www.rcmusic.com or by calling (416) 408-0208.

www.ShowOneProductions.ca

 

Isang Yun: Sunrise Falling, a Centenary Composer Portrait

Posted by shiragilbert on
 October 22, 2018
  · No Comments

From a life wrought with struggle and torture, comes extraordinary music of stunning virtuosity and raw emotional power.

Uncompromising in his life as he was in his music, Korean composer Isang Yun(1917–95)held fast to his dream of a united people, even as he was unjustly accused of espionage for North Korea and sentenced to imprisonment and death. From this life of unimaginable oppression and torture emerges music of raw emotional power, now heard onISANG YUN: Sunrise Falling, a centennial commemoration of Yun’s life and music from the PENTATONE Oxingale Series. Maestro Dennis Russell Davies, a longtime collaborator and advocate for Yun, curates the program and conducts the Bruckner Orchester Linz, with remarkable, searing solo performances from cellist Matt Haimovitz, violinist Yumi Hwang-Williams, and pianist Maki Namekawa. Called an “important, courageous release” by Deutschlandfunk Kultur,this is the first in a new series of composer portraits from the PENTATONE Oxingale series. ISANG YUN: Sunrise Falling is available for digital download and streaming starting today with the CD release to follow October 5.

A cellist himself, Yun’s fascinating, highly autobiographical Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra (1975/76) anchors the album, bursting with passion, despair, and new timbral textures bridging Schoenbergian serialism and indeterminate pitch worlds, with radically precise technical demands. The work also integrates the sonic world of Asian instruments and forms, such as the use of a plectrum to emulate the Korean zither, the kŏmun’go. Cellist Matt Haimovitzhad not come across Isang Yun’s work, nor heard of his harrowing personal narrative, until recently: “I tapped into every aspect of my musical toolbox as I approached what at first glance appeared impossible. At the end of my solitary work was confirmation of the rich treasure I had in my possession. Isang Yun’s Cello Concerto deserves to stand alongside Lutoslawski’s and Dutilleux’s in the pantheon of the genre’s late 20th century innovations.” Haimovitz performed Yun’s “Glissées for Solo Cello” (1970), also heard on Sunrise Falling,at the Isang Yun Haus in Berlin on September 17, which would have been the composer’s 101st birthday, and will perform music by Yun at selected upcoming performances in Moscow, Washington, DC, Boston, New York, and elsewhere this fall.

“A composer cannot view the world in which he lives with indifference. Human suffering, oppression, injustice … Where there is pain, where there is injustice, I want to have my say through my music.”– Isang Yun, 1983

Yun’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No.1(1981) features violinistYumi Hwang-Williams, who reflects upon her own emotional return to Korea in 2015, where she performed the concerto at the Tongyeong International Music Festival held in honor of Isang Yun. Hwang-Williams also performs the wonderfully imaginative Kontraste. Two Pieces for Solo Violin (1987), and Gasa for Violin and Piano (1963), with Dennis Russell Davies at the piano. The double album also includes the orchestralFanfare & Memorial, and the intricate solo piano work, Interludium A(1982)– the note A also being an important reference point in the cello concerto and other works by Yun – performed by pianist Maki Namekawa.

Today, one hundred years after Isang Yun’s birth, the two Koreas still teeter on a razor’s edge, with ever more global ramifications. As unlocked and performed by these extraordinary artists, this music opens the gate to a lost, united land, with Yun’s own heart bleeding, but ever hopeful.

MATT HAIMOVITZ is praised by The New York Times as a “ferociously talented cellist who brings his megawatt sound and uncommon expressive gifts to a vast variety of styles.” Along with his performances around the world, he currently holds positions at the Schulich School of Music in Montreal and as the first John Cage fellow at The New School’s Mannes School of Music. Haimovitz’s recent recordings include an album solo cello music by Philip Glass, on the Orange Mountain Music label, and, for the PENTATONE Oxingale series, TROIKA, music of the Slavic soul; The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalenaand its companion album, Overtures to Bach; among others.

DENNIS RUSSELL DAVIES is known for his extraordinary range of repertoire, technical brilliance and fearless music-making. An esteemed presence consistently at the forefront of both orchestral and operatic worlds, Davies is also an accomplished pianist.2018 marks 49 seasons that Davies has held music directorships of prestigious international orchestras, while frequently guest conducting with major orchestras and opera companies worldwide. Davis is Music Director and Chief Conductor of the BRUCKNER ORCHESTER LINZ, one of the leading orchestras of Central Europe, and was recently appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Filharmonie Brno.

YUMI HWANG-WILLIAMSis an American violinist of exceptional musicianship, recognized both for her stylish performances of the classics and her commitment to the works of present-day composers. Stringscalls her “a modern Prometheus” who has “emerged as a fiery champion of contemporary classical music.” Hwang-Williams recently celebrated Leonard Bernstein’s 100th by performing Serenade with the Colorado Symphony (Denver), where she has been Concertmaster since 2000.

A leading figure among today’s pianists, MAKI NAMEKAWA is equally at home in classical music and the repertoire of our time. Namekawa records and performs frequently for major radio networks in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France. In 2013, she performed the world premiere of the entire cycle of Philip Glass’ 20 Études for Solo Pianoat Perth International Arts Festival under the participation of Glass himself, followed by concerts around the world. A best-selling double-CD of the complete Glass etudes was released by Orange Mountain Music in 2014.

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