Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata in C minor Op. 13 (Pathétique) At the end of the 18th century, a young Ludwig van Beethoven burst upon the scene with a musical personality that mixed brooding machismo with emotional vulnerability. This unusual combination … Continue reading
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Check out Alex Varty's interview with Measha Brueggergosman in this week's The Georgia Straight:
Art song meets gospel as star soprano Measha Brueggergosman ups the ante
The celebrated singer makes a convincing case that European art song and the African-American spiritual are soul mates.In this week's e-news: welcoming miraculous Measha Brueggergosman back to our stage, plus pianist Beatrice Rana is Gramophone Magazine's November cover star. bit.ly/2XcucLo
Read all about Measha Brueggergosman's recital at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts this Sunday in the Vancouver Sun.
Metro Vancouver classical music community celebrates anniversaries
Two very different concerts celebrating different anniversaries will be here to whet our appetites before the holiday music season kicks inProgram notes: Yun-Chin Zhou
Posted onDomenico Scarlatti Three Sonatas 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 of simple two- and three-part keyboard writing has one foot in … Continue reading
Program notes: Steven Isserlis & Robert Levin — Performance 2
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven 7 Variations on Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte Wo046 Beethoven’s second set of cello and piano variations on a tune derived from Mozart’s Magic Flute was composed in 1801, five years after his … Continue reading
Program notes: Steven Isserlis & Robert Levin — Performance 1
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven 12 Variations on a Theme from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus Wo0 45 In 1796 Beethoven paid a visit to the court of King Friedrich Wilhelm II in Berlin, and cellists the world over are glad that he did. … Continue reading
Program notes: Benjamin Grosvenor
Posted onJean-Philippe Rameau Gavotte and Variations in A minor The modern pianist seeking to play the Baroque harpsichord repertoire faces many obstacles, starting with the friendly fire of his own trusty Steinway itself, so different in sound from the perky little … Continue reading
Program notes: Sir András Schiff
Posted onFranz Joseph Haydn Sonata No. 60 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 of 1794-1795. All three were composed with a specific … Continue reading
Program notes: Steven Osborne
Posted onLudwig van Beethoven Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 The use of the piano sonata in marriage counselling has not found wide adoption in the profession since Beethoven first introduced the practice with his Sonata in E minor Op. 90. … Continue reading
Program notes: Emanuel Ax
Posted onGeorges Bizet Variations Chromatiques de concert For those that like to feather-dust humming the habanera from Carmen with a rose clenched between their teeth might be surprised to learn that Georges Bizet was not only an opera composer, but also … Continue reading
Program notes: Doric String Quartet
Posted onFRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2 Those of us wondering in our spare moments what a happy retirement consists of might do well to consider the case of one Franz Joseph Haydn, whose life … Continue reading
Program notes: Pavel Kolesnikov
Posted onWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Fantasy in C minor K. 475 The year 1785 was a good one for Mozart. In the words of musicologist John Irving, he had become something of a ‘hot property’ in Vienna, enjoying considerable success both as … Continue reading