Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 870 Among the chores assigned to the prelude in the time of Bach were those of catching the listener’s attention, establishing the tonality of the following (presumably more important) piece, … Continue reading
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Program Notes: Tetzlaff Trio
Posted onRobert Schumann Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80 Robert Schumann began composing in the 1830s, a time when the formation of a canon of great musical works was just beginning, thanks to new publications of older music … Continue reading
Program Notes: Igor Levit
Posted onJohann Sebastian Bach Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828 The Baroque suite was the iPod shuffle of its time. It was a colourful bowl of musical Smarties with a cosmopolitan flavour, offering a collection of dances from all the major … Continue reading
Program Notes: Sir András Schiff (Tuesday, February 9)
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn Sonata No. 62 in E flat major, Hob. XVI:52 Joseph Haydn wrote his last three piano sonatas on his second visit to England (1794-95), keenly aware that the sound of the English piano was very different from … Continue reading
Program Notes: Sir András Schiff (Sunday, February 7)
Posted onWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata in B flat major K. 570 The period of the 1770s and 1780s brought regime change to the world of keyboard music as the harpsichord was gradually edged out by the first generation of fortepianos, capable … Continue reading
Notice of Annual General Meeting + A Chance to Win
Posted onNotice of AGM All members are welcome and encouraged to attend The Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Recital Society Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 12:45pm Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre, UBC Meeting Business 12:45pm The membership will be asked … Continue reading
Program Notes: Roman Rabinovich
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn Sonata in B-flat Major, Hob. XVI:41 In 1784 Haydn wrote three keyboard sonatas for Princess Marie, the new bride of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, grandson of Haydn’s employer Prince Nicholas I. Each is a two- movement work, without … Continue reading
Program Notes: Apollon Musagète Quartet
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven String Quartet in D major, Op. 18 No. 3 In the Napoleonic era, when a Viennese aristocrat was thinking of entertaining friends at home, he might pop down to the local shop to pick up a six-pack—a … Continue reading
Program Notes: Leif Ove Andsnes
Posted onJean Sibelius Kyllikki, Three Lyric Pieces for Piano Op. 41 Finland’s national composer, Jean Sibelius, has earned an honoured place in the modern canon chiefly on the merits of his orchestral works, notably his seven symphonies, the Violin Concerto, and … Continue reading
Program Notes: Arcanto Quartet
Posted onThis evening the Arcanto Quartet offers us a chance to explore chamber music from the end of the 17th century to the recent past, sampling music for four players by Henry Purcell (1659–95), Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), and Benjamin Britten … Continue reading