Robert Schumann Waldszenen Op. 82 It is not by chance that Carl Maria von Weber’s opera Der Freischütz, the founding work of German musical Romanticism, is set in a forest. Nor is it a coincidence that German Romantic poets from … Continue reading
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Our first concert of the 2019-20 Season is just over a month away (Sept 22). Violinists Nikki and Timmy Chooi and pianist Angela Cheng will debut a new piece by Marc-André Hamelin which was composed to commemorate our 40th Anniversary Season. Can't wait!
Today's the day! Single tickets for 2019-20 performances are now on sale: vanrecital.com/concerts/
PROGRAM NOTES: PAUL LEWIS
Posted onJohannes Brahms 7 Fantasies Op. 116 If the word fantasy implies improvisation and free association of thoughts, then the collection of three capricci and four intermezzi that Brahms published under the title Fantasien in 1892 are misnamed, as they are … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: SIR SIMON KEENLYSIDE
Posted onJohannes Brahms Songs from Opp. 6, 72, 86 & 96 It may be surprising to learn that while Brahms is universally revered as a giant of 19th-century instrumental music, he is often listed as one of the lesser composers of … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: ANDREA LUCCHESINI
Posted onDomenico Scarlatti Six Sonatas K 491 – K 454 – K 239 – K 466 – K 342 – K 146 The 550-odd sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti are perhaps the most successful works to migrate from the harpsichord to the modern grand piano. Their transparent texture … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: IGOR LEVIT
Posted onJohann Sebastian Bach Chaconne in D minor BWV 1004 (arr. Brahms) The Bach revival of the 19th century began with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829, conducted by the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn. It reached its stride … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: JULIA BULLOCK & JOHN ARIDA
Posted onFRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) Four Lieder About the Composer Franz Schubert established the German lied as an important art form and then set a standard of excellence that no one since has quite matched. Schubert created more than 600 songs in … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: Jerusalem Quartet with Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth
Posted onRichard Strauss String Sextet from Capriccio Capriccio (1942), Richard Strauss’ last stage work, is an opera about opera, constructed as a series of elegant salon conversations dealing with a question that has bedevilled opera lovers for centuries: which is more … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: EVGENY KISSIN
Posted onFrédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann “…calling it a sonata is a caprice if not a jest for Chopin seems to have taken four of his most unruly children and put them together possibly thinking to smuggle them, as a sonata, … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: CASTALIAN STRING QUARTET
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in D, Op. 76 No. 5 Having recently returned from his hugely successful visits to England and been liberated from financial woes, Haydn composed a set of six String Quartets, Op. 76 which were commissioned … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: PAUL LEWIS
Posted onLudwig 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