Francis 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
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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
PROGRAM NOTES: SHEKU KANNEH-MASON & ISATA KANNEH-MASON
Posted onGaspar Cassadó Suite for Solo Cello Gaspar Cassadó is hardly a household name, but he was one of the great cellists of the twentieth century, active as a performer, composer and transcriber for his instrument. Born in Barcelona in 1897, … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES:PAUL LEWIS (CONCERT 1)
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn Sonata in C major Hob. XV1:50 Haydn’s last three piano sonatas, Nos. 60 to 62 (Hob. XVI: 50-52), were written during the composer’s second trip to London in 1794-1795. All three were composed with a specific dedicatee … Continue reading