Vancouver music lovers have been privileged to follow the career of Paul Lewis, a truly great pianist who is renowned for his Schubert performances and recordings. He burst onto the VRS scene in the early 2000’s when he played in our Chamber Music Festival. He has returned to Vancouver many times since then, both as a chamber music performer and a soloist, and has made more appearances for the VRS than any other pianist… which tells you everything you need to know about our high regard for his artistry.
Paul has been travelling around the globe with his latest Schubert Sonata project, and we are absolutely thrilled that we will get to experience 12 of Schubert’s great Piano Sonatas in 4 concerts. Come and immerse yourself in glorious music performed by one of the world’s most revered Schubert performers.
Friday, May 17, 2024 at 7.30pm
Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D. 958
Piano Sonata No. 20 in A major, D. 959
Piano Sonata No. 21 B-flat major, D. 960
“Lewis is one of the best pianists I know for delivering both explosiveness of drama and the kind of melting expressiveness which draws you in, but without losing that inner core of strength which raises Schubert from genteel picturesqueness into an artist of granite stature.” — Music Web International
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
All 4 concerts sponsored by: Elaine Adair
Additional Support:
Selected as Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year in 2016, baritone Benjamin Appl was a member of the BBC New Generation Artist Scheme from 2014-16, as well as a Wigmore Hall Emerging Artist and an ECHO Rising Star. A captivating and riveting singer, Benjamin is celebrated by audiences and critics alike for a voice that “belongs to the last of the old great masters of song“ with “an almost infinite range of colours“ (Süddeutsche Zeitung). He will perform with pianist James Baillieu, a regular and beloved presence on the VRS stage. Leila has spent several years attempting to book Benjamin‘s Vancouver debut… be there and prepare to be wowed!!
SCHUBERT | TCHAIKOVSKY | RICHARD STRAUSS | HAHN | SOMERVELL | VAUGHN WILLIAMS| SCHUMANN|BOLCOM | QUILTER | IVOR GURNEY | SCHÖNBERG | GRIEG | ILSE WEBER | JAMES MACMILLAN
“The way he navigated the song’s transformation, from disappointment to obsession, was so gripping and troublingly real, I heard people all around me exhale afterward, as if Mr. Appl had rendered them breathless.” — The New York Times
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Allison Hart
Additional Support:
CANADIAN DEBUT!
24-year-old Mao Fujita was only 17 and still studying at the Tokyo College of Music when he won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland. His captivating performances landed him the Silver Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019. Upon hearing him perform, Leila was smitten and booked him to visit Vancouver at the first possible opportunity. Mao’s meteoric rise is fascinating and extraordinary. He has a rare talent for Mozart which is why we have chosen an all-Mozart sonata program for his Canadian debut!
MOZART: Sonata No. 7 in C major, K. 309
MOZART: Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310/300d
MOZART: Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major, K. 333
MOZART: Sonata No. 9 in D major, K. 311
“Fujita is a musician of tremendous versatility and taste, with a poetic sense of pulse and eloquent, insightful, fearless articulation.” — The Times
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Joyce and Tony
Additional Support:
After a gap of way too many years, Italian pianist Andrea Lucchesini returned to the VRS in 2018 and played such a wonderful concert that we immediately re-engaged him. Unfortunately, his 2021 concert was another casualty of the pandemic, but we are so pleased to welcome him back for this performance.
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight”
SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
LISZT: Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178
“A refined touch and a beguiling sense of Schubertian style.” — The Telegraph
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Ann Harding
Additional Support:
ISATA KANNEH-MASON, piano
BRAIMAH KANNEH-MASON, violin
SHEKU KANNEH-MASON, cello
KONYA KANNEH-MASON, piano & violin
JENEBA KANNEH-MASON, piano & cello
AMINATA KANNEH-MASON, violin & piano
MARIATU KANNEH-MASON, cello & piano
VRS patrons are very familiar with two members of the prodigiously talented Kanneh-Mason family: cellist Sheku and pianist Isata, who made their Canadian debuts in a sold-out recital on our stage in 2017 (the duo returned in 2019, and Isata performed a solo recital in 2022). Incredibly, there are five additional Kanneh-Mason siblings, ranging in age from 11 to 24 years old, all of whom play either violin, piano or cello. They have won many prizes and awards and appeared in numerous television shows. In October 2020, they released their first album ‘Carnival’ on Decca Classics to great critical acclaim, and in May 2021 received the Global Award for Best Classical Artist. All the children attend or have attended London’s Royal Academy of Music and its Primary and Junior Academies, except pianist Jeneba who has progressed to London’s Royal College of Music for her undergraduate studies.
BEETHOVEN, MENDELSSOHN, RACHMANINOV, SHOSTAKOVICH, BRAHMS & MORE
“Probably the most talented family in the world.” — Simon Cowell
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $74 C: $63 D: $45 E: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Series Sponsor:
Concert sponsor:
Supported by:
Additional Support:
Ready for something a little different? George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a group of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players whose concerts are a funny, virtuosic, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll featuring the “bonsai guitar” and a menagerie of voices. Formed in 1985 as “a bit of fun”, the orchestra’s first gig was an instant sell-out. The ensemble has gone on to play concerts around the world at venues such as the Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. By royal request, the orchestra proudly performed at a private 90th birthday party for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. With a love of irreverent wit and a penchant for reinterpretation, their catalogue is a collection of rock, pop, jazz, blues and classical music. You won’t want to miss these pluckers!
“Absolutely the best of British.” — Michael Palin of Monty Python
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $74 C: $63 D: $45 E: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Click here to download the concert program booklet
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: The Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation
Additional Support:
Media Partner:
CANADIAN DEBUT!
22-year-old Tom Borrow is precisely the kind of young artist we get excited about. Described as “the very definition of ‘one to watch’” (International Piano Magazine), he was named a BBC New Generation Artist for 2021-23, a coveted and prestigious designation that has earned him engagements at Wigmore Hall and appearances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In July 2022, Tom made his debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall to critical acclaim. He currently studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University, and is mentored by Murray Perahia through the Jerusalem Music Centre’s program for outstanding young musicians. Catch him in his Canadian debut and say “I heard him when…”
J.S. BACH: Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971
FRANCK: Prélude, Choral et Fugue, FWV 21
SCRIABIN: Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
RACHMANINOV: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
“Tom Borrow will become a major star.” — La Scena Musicale
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: John C. Kerr Family Foundation
Additional Support:
The 2022–23 Season marks the 20th Anniversary of the formation of the Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet. We are thrilled to bring them back for the third concert in their international commissioning project, Doppelgänger. This innovative and daring project pairs four world premieres from four renowned contemporary composers — each piece co-commissioned by the VRS — with the four major Schubert works that inspired them. This time around “the Danes” will pair Schubert’s “Rosamunde” Quartet with a work by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, one of the most original voices of her generation who possesses “seemingly boundless textural imagination” (The New York Times).
SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 “Rosamunde”
SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 12 in C minor, D. 703 “Quartettsatz”
ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR: Rituals (new work for String Quartet)
SCHUBERT: “Gretchen am Spinnrade“, Op. 2, D. 118 (lied arr. by Danish String Quartet)
*Rituals is commissioned by the Danish String Quartet with the support of Carnegie Hall, Cal Performances, Vancouver Recital Society, UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, Washington Performing Arts, Flagey and Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ.
“They are today’s best hope for the future of the string quartet.” — Wall Street Journal
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $74 C: $63 D: $45 E: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Sherry Killam and Mamie Angus
Additional Support:
Midori is a visionary artist, activist and educator who explores and builds connections between music and the human experience and breaks with traditional boundaries, making her one of the outstanding violinists of our time. This season marks the 40thAnniversary of her career, which took off in 1982, when, at the age of 11, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic. Midori performed for the VRS at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in 1998. We are delighted to welcome her back in this program for solo violin.
J.S. BACH: Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G minor, BWV 1001
JESSIE MONTGOMERY: Rhapsody No. 1
J.S. BACH: Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
JOHN ZORN: Passagen
J.S. BACH: Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006
“Midori is a violin superstar. The audiences love her not only for her technical brilliance and flawless playing, but also her personality.” — Die Rheinpfalz
Ticket prices: A: $90 B: $60 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: George Pick and Santi Pick-Pelaez
Additional Support:
This dynamic quartet brings “a shock to the ears of the best kind” (The Observer). Their 2021 VRS engagement was cancelled due to Covid-19 and we were determined to re-book them at the first available opportunity. Dubbed “a trailblazer for the authentic performance of High Classical chamber music” (Gramophone Magazine), this international ensemble performs music of the Classical and early Romantic periods on gut strings and with historical bows, producing a unique sound that has brought audiences around the world to their feet.
SCHUBERT: Quartettsatz in C minor, D. 703
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet in in F minor, Op. 95
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
“What was on display was, in short, a peculiar type of recreative genius.” — The Irish Times
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Joyce and Tony
Additional Support:
