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FILIPPO GORINI

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Since winning both the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Beethoven Competition in Bonn in 2015, Italian pianist Filippo Gorini’s career has gone from strength to strength. His performances in many of Europe’s prestigious concert halls have earned him unanimous critical acclaim. After graduating with honours from the Donizetti Academy in Bergamo, and completing a postgraduate course at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Filippo continues his studies with Maria Grazia Bellocchio and Pavel Gililov, and is mentored by Alfred Brendel.

Filippo made a great first impression when he appeared on our Next Generation Series in 2019… so much so, we re-engaged him on the spot! Filippo was recently announced as the winner of a coveted Borletti Buitoni Trust Award in London.

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 27, No. 2
BRAHMS: 7 Fantasies, Op. 116
SCHUBERT: Sonata No. 18 in G major, D. 894

 

“A pianist with remarkable keyboard control who can penetrate works with unusual clarity and long-term vision” — Geoffrey Newman, Vancouver Classical Music

 

Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2.15pm in Salon A

 

Concert Sponsor: Elaine Adair

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ANDREA LUCCHESINI

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Trained under the guidance of Maria Tipo, Andrea Lucchesini garnered international recognition at a very young age, and made his Canadian debut for the VRS at the Playhouse in 1986. He returned no less than three times in the following seasons and — after a rest of 28 years — we brought him back to our series in 2018. He’s a most extraordinary pianist and we’re now making up for lost time!

SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960
SCHUMANN: Fantasy in C major, Op. 17

 

“[Lucchesini’s] versatility now extends to Schubert in performances of an exceptional delicacy and restraint, almost as if played late at night before an audience of close friends”  — Gramophone

 

Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2.15pm in Salon A

 

Concert Sponsor: Anonymous

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TAMARA STEFANOVICH

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We’ve been determined to bring Tamara Stefanovich to Vancouver for some time, and here she is in her Canadian debut! Known for her captivating interpretations of a wide repertoire, Tamara performs in the world’s major concert venues. She’s equally at home in the music of Bach as she is in the music of composers of today and everything in between, as you’ll hear in her Vancouver program.

CANADIAN DEBUT!

C.P.E. BACH: Sonata for Keyboard in G minor, Wq. 65/17 H. 47
SCARLATTI: Sonata in G major, K. 13
Sonata in G minor, K. 8
Sonata in G minor, K. 450
SOLER: Sonata for Keyboard in G minor
WEBER: Sonata for Piano No. 1 in C major, Op. 24
IVES: Piano Sonata No. 1

 

“Simply put, I was bowled over. I was struck by her tonal vibrancy, variety of touch, natural rubato and expressive but never exaggerated turns of phrase.” — Musical America

 

Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2.15pm in Salon A

 

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SCHAGHAJEGH NOSRATI

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We’re delighted to bring Schaghajegh Nosrati back to our series after her wonderful performance of The Goldberg Variations at the Playhouse in 2018. She has a burgeoning career in Europe and will be making a Carnegie Hall debut on this trip to North America, just ahead of her Vancouver performance.

HAYDN: Sonata in E minor, Hob. XVI/34
J.S. BACH: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830
CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN: Concerto for Piano Solo, Op. 39 Nos. 8-10

 

“At her most inspired, Nosrati is a captivating Bachian; rhythmically infectious, supremely intelligent” — Paul Riley, Classical-Music

 

Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2.15pm in Salon A

 

Concert Sponsor: Maryke Gilmore

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ZLATOMIR FUNG

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Zlatomir Fung is the first American in four decades, and youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, Cello Division. We first discovered this remarkable young cellist in New York, where he won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions a year before he won the Tchaikovsky Competition. Prepare to be impressed!

CANADIAN SOLO DEBUT!

JUDITH WEIR: Unlocked
FAURÉ: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117
BERGER: Duo for Cello and Piano
BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major Op. 69

 

“The cellist showed a mastery of his instrument that was truly a thing to behold” — Benicia Herald

 

Learn more about the musicians when they return to the stage to answer your questions following their performance

 

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Elizabeth Arnold-Bailey and Robert Bailey

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ABEL SELAOCOE

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South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is redefining the parameters of the cello. He moves seamlessly across a plethora of genres and styles, from collaborations with world musicians and beatboxers, to concerto performances and solo classical recitals. Heavily influenced by South Africa and with a deep rooting in classical music, Abel combines virtuosic performance with improvisation and singing. He has a special interest in curating recital programmes that highlight the links between Western and non-Western musical traditions, with a view to helping classical music reach a more diverse audience.

We’re delighted to bring this unique artist to Vancouver in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Abel will perform a program titled “Coast to Coast” on our series at the Vancouver Playhouse, and “Songs of the Liberation of South Africa” on the Chan Centre’s Beyond Words series at the Telus Studio Theatre on Wednesday, October 21 at 7.30pm*. You won’t want to miss EITHER performance!

COAST TO COAST

During his time living in the UK coastal town of Aldeburgh, Abel discovered the music of Benjamin Britten, in particular the first solo cello suite, the beauty of which had a monumental effect on him.

To create a collaboration between this piece of music and his culture, Abel began improvising in an African style through voice and cello in between the movements and drawing on similar strands in the piece.

The first movement of Britten’s Cello Suite No. 1 imitates the swing of the sea in a deep, brash and lethargic manner which lends itself to the deep tradition of umqokola throat singing in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Britten also has fascinating rhythms, as seen in the last presto movement, which easily transitions into an African groove. The main theme that returns from the first movement will be coupled with umqokola, which creates a rich, sonorous sound.

CANADIAN DEBUT!

 

Concert Sponsor: Peter and Hilde Colenbrander

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*Tickets for Abel’s Chan Centre performance at the Telus Studio Theatre can be purchased at chancentre.com or by calling 604-822-2697 (subscription packages available April 18, single tickets available June 10)

 

JERUSALEM QUARTET PERFORMS BEETHOVEN

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A BEETHOVEN CELEBRATION
16 QUARTETS IN 5 CONCERTS

October 1 – 8, 2020

 

All performances take place at the Telus Studio Theatre, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Over the course of his life, Beethoven wrote 16 String Quartets in three fairly distinct blocks: the “early” quartets (Nos. 1-6) composed when he was 27 to 30 years of age, the “middle” quartets (Nos. 7-11) when he was 35 to 40 years old, and the “late” quartets (Nos. 12-16) composed in the last three years of his life.

In celebration of this milestone achievement in the history of western classical music, and the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth, we’re excited and honoured to bring the Jerusalem Quartet to the intimate setting of the Telus Studio Theatre to perform all of Beethoven’s String Quartets in five performances.

In addition, David Gordon Duke, musicologist, educator, and writer will give a free public lecture on Beethoven’s String Quartets in the Alice MacKay Room at the VPL Central Library (350 West Georgia Street), on Tuesday, September 29 at 7.30pm. He’ll also present a pre-concert talk at each of the five performances.

“As near to perfect as one can possibly find” — BBC Music Magazine

 

CONCERT 1

Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 7.30pm
Pre-concert talk at 6.45pm

Quartet in D major, Op. 18, No. 3
Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127

CONCERT 2  

Saturday, October 3, 2020 at 3pm
Pre-concert talk at 2.15pm

Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2
Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130
Quartet in B flat major, Op. 133

CONCERT 3 

Sunday, October 4, 2020 at 3pm
Pre-concert talk at 2.15pm

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1
Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3
Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131

CONCERT 4 

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7.30pm
Pre-concert talk at 6.45pm

Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
Quartet in E flat major, Op. 74
Quartet in A minor, Op. 132

CONCERT 5 

Thursday, October 8, 2020 at 7.30pm
Pre-concert talk at 6.45pm

Quartet in A major, Op. 18, No. 5
Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
Quartet in F minor, Op. 95
Quartet in F major, Op. 135

 

Concert sponsors:  The Estate of the late Denise Mara, Allison Hart, Ric and Lynda Spratley

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The Chan Endowment Fund
at the University of British Columbia

 

TOM BORROW

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Twenty-year-old Israeli pianist Tom Borrow was featured in a two-page article in a 2019 edition of International Piano magazine. Charting his sudden rise to prominence and giving insight into this exciting new pianist, the article asserts: “Tom Borrow is the very definition of one to watch”. Performances take him from Israel to South Korea, and from Verbier to London. He currently studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University, and is mentored by Murray Perahia through the Jerusalem Music Centre’s program for outstanding young musicians.

CANADIAN DEBUT!

SCHUBERT: Sonata in A major, D. 664
FRANCK: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
RACHMANINOV: Selected preludes from Op. 23 and Op. 32
SCRIABIN: Sonata No. 2 (1897) and Sonata No. 5 (1907)

 

“Tom is a truly special young pianist. Technically brilliant and with the soul of a poet”
— Günter Hänssler, Head of Hänssler Classics, one of Germany’s major independent record labels, who recently signed Tom for his first recording

For more information about Tom, visit his website.

 

Learn more about the musicians when they return to the stage to answer your questions following their performance

 

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: John C. Kerr Family Foundation

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ALEXANDER MALOFEEV

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This exciting young Russian pianist gained international recognition through his outstanding appearance at the 8th International Tchaikovsky Competition for young musicians, where he won First Prize. At the time he was just 13. Since then, Alexander has appeared with major orchestras and conductors across Europe, and we’re delighted to welcome him in his Canadian debut with an all-Russian program.

CANADIAN DEBUT!

MEDTNER:  2 Skazki, Op. 48
MEDTNER: Forgotten Melodies 1, Op. 38
PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major, Op. 103
RACHMANINOV: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28

 

“The latest phenomenon of the Russian piano school” — Corriere della Sera, Milan

 

Learn more about the musicians when they return to the stage to answer your questions following their performance

 

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Joyce and Tony

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PETER MOORE

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Yes, we dare to present a trombone and piano recital… and we dare you to attend! Peter Moore was only 12 years old when he won the BBC Young Musician Competition, becoming the youngest winner ever. At 18, he became Co-Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra. There’s so much more we could share about the accolades and achievements of this young musician, but we’ll save that for the program booklet. He is, quite simply, an extraordinary musician and we’re delighted that he’s making his Canadian debut on our stage. James Baillieu, a renowned chamber musician and collaborative pianist, is no stranger to the VRS having performed with soprano Tara Erraught in 2018.

CANADIAN DEBUT!

BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2
SCHUBERT: Ständchen (Schwanengesang, D. 957)
JONGEN: Aria and Polonaise, Op. 128
ARTHUR PRYOR: Love’s Enchantment
FAURÉ: Après un rêve
FAURÉ: Les roses d’Ispahan
DUPARC: La vie antérieure
BIZET: Tarantelle
GERSHWIN: 3 Songs (arranged by Paul Cott) Embraceable You, Fascinating Rhythm, and Bess, You is My Woman Now

 

“Moore displayed an eloquence and nobility that one might have thought impossible except by the human voice” — BBC Music Magazine

 

Learn more about the musicians when they return to the stage to answer your questions following their performance

 

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Rick Carswell and Alison Kirkley

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