Franz 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
Latest
VRS on Facebook
In this week's e-news, Leila writes about finding certainty in these uncertain COVID-19 times. Plus, we share a great documentary from 1981 about pianist Murray Perahia. Perfect viewing for a rainy day such as today! bit.ly/301N6HH
In this week's e-news we share a fascinating conversation — courtesy of Ottawa Chamberfest — in which Eric Friesen and Robert Harris discuss Beethoven. Plus, we're still coming to terms with our disappointment regarding the cancellation of our fall season, which should have kicked off last Sunday with a performance by Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci. 😞 bit.ly/3mriKb6
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts has just announced its new Dot Com Series. There are six performances including one from South African cellist Abel Selaocoe. Check it out!
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
PROGRAM NOTES: ALBAN GERHARDT & STEVEN OSBORNE
Posted onJohann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor BWV 1008 The instrumental suite, with its predictable allemande-courante-sarabande-gigue sequence of dances and its un-predictable addition of various galanteries (minuets, bourrées, gavottes, etc.), was a staple of the Baroque. Arising … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: GEORGE LI
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn Sonata in B minor Hob. XVI:32 It is not often that you catch the congenial, ever-chipper Haydn writing in a minor key. But minor keys were all the rage in the 1770s, the age of Sturm und Drang … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: ZHANG ZUO
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven 32 Variations in C minor WoO 80 The theme that Beethoven chose for his 32 Variations in C minor (1806) has a Baroque feel to it, with its chaconne-like harmonic pattern in the left hand and sarabande-like … Continue reading
PROGRAM NOTES: YEKWON SUNWOO
Posted onFranz Schubert Sonata in C minor D 958 Schubert’s unabashed admiration for Beethoven is vividly on display in the opening bars of his Sonata in C minor D 958, composed in September 1828, shortly before his death. Schubert had served … Continue reading