Ludwig van Beethoven 11 Bagatelles Op. 119 Beethoven’s Op. 119 is a catch-all collection of pieces written without any preconceived formal plan for the enjoyment of amateur piano enthusiasts. The last five were published first as a contribution to a … Continue reading
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The Writer Who Makes Perfect Sense of Classical Music
theatlantic.com
Alfred Brendel’s essays about Beethoven, Schubert, and many others are deeply relevant to performers and amateur listeners alike.We're deeply saddened to hear that Ken Pickering has passed away. Ken was the co-founder and longtime Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. He was a wonderful colleague who'll be missed. A real loss to our Arts community. Read Alex Varty's moving tribute in the Georgia Straight.
A fond goodbye to a jazz great: Ken Pickering's passing mourned
straight.com
His particular gift was for happy collaboration, between musicians and between organizations: through his international contacts he sent Vancouver artists out into the world and they returned renewed.An interesting article from the Washington Post's Anne Midgette...
Perspective | A beginner’s guide to enjoying classical music. No snobs allowed
washingtonpost.com
“Hallelujah”: A primer for everyone who wants to learn about what they’ve been missing.PROGRAM NOTES: INON BARNATAN
Posted onGeorge Frederick Handel Chaconne in G Major While Handel is principally remembered as a composer of operas and oratorios, it was well known to his contemporaries that he possessed major moxy as a keyboard performer, as well. In witness thereof, … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: EDGAR MOREAU & JESSICA XYLINA OSBORNE
Posted onFrancis Poulenc Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 143 Mozart meets Stravinsky – in a Paris cabaret. As unlikely as such a meeting might be in historical terms, it is about as good a description as you can find for … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF
Posted onRobert Schumann Variations on an Original Theme in E at major (“Ghost Variations”) WoO 24 In February of 1854, Robert Schumann was in a state of delirium, but a very musical one. He was surrounded by ghosts, he told his … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: BENEDETTI ELSCHENBROICH GRYNYUK TRIO
Posted onFranz Schubert Adagio from Piano Trio in E at Major Op. 148 D 897 Schubert’s Adagio for Piano Trio D 897 was composed in 1827 but only published decades later, under the publisher’s title Notturno. And indeed, the opening section … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: SCHAGHAJEGH NOSRATI
Posted onJohann Sebastian Bach GOLDBERG VARIATIONS BWV 988 Historical Background Such was Bach’s mastery of his musical materials that he was often tempted to explore a particular genre or compositional technique in a systematic way by providing a quasi-exhaustive compendium of … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN
Posted onFranz Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A minor Liszt’s 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies pay tribute to the gypsy music of his native Hungary. Like an ancient insect trapped in amber, they encapsulate for posterity the dramatic, improvisatory performance style of … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: NIKOLAJ ZNAIDER & ROBERT KULEK
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven Sonata for Violin & Piano in G major Op. 30 No. 3 “Who are you, and what have you done with Ludwig van Beethoven?” Such is the question that Beethoven enthusiasts raised on the Pathétique Sonata, the … Continue reading
Notice of the Vancouver Recital Society’s AGM
Posted onNOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE VANCOUVER RECITAL SOCIETY (the “Society”) The Board of Directors of the Society hereby gives notice that the Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held on February 4, 2018 at … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: TARA ERRAUGHT & JAMES BAILLIEU
Posted onFranz Liszt Victor Hugo Poems It may seem strange to think of Liszt as a song composer, so firmly is his name associated with 19th-century virtuoso pianism. But the extraordinary breadth of his musical sympathies is already clearly evident in … Continue reading