PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2:15PM
Compelling repertoire. Captivating musicians. Sizzling performances. These remarkable artists — all successful soloists — have joined forces to perform as a trio in just two cities in the 2023-24 Season: Vancouver and San Francisco. Each musician is very special in his own right, and all are seasoned chamber music players. Juho Pohjonen has given several wonderful performances for the VRS over the years. Stephen Waarts made his long-overdue debut in Vancouver in the 2021-22 Season in a memorable recital, and Jonathan Swensen will make his Vancouver debut following in the footsteps of his father, violinist Joseph Swensen, who made his debut on our stage in 1985!
SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8
JANÁČEK: Pohádka (Fairy Tale) for cello and piano
JANÁČEK: Violin Sonata
FRANCK: Piano Trio No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1, No. 1
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Robert & Denise
Additional Support:
CANADIAN DEBUT!
POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACK
Israeli pianist Ariel Lanyi has been on our radar for a while and it has been a thrill to witness his career skyrocketing. In 2021, Ariel won 3rd Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition and was a prize winner in both the Young Classical Artists Trust YCAT (London) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) International Auditions. That same year, during the height of the pandemic, we shared Ariel’s Virtually VRS recorded performance on our YouTube channel. Fast forward a few years and we are thrilled to welcome him to our stage in person for a live performance. You won’t want to miss his Canadian debut!
“Innate intelligence and a sense of flawless rhythm. He has that specific combination of brain and heart.” — Cultuurpakt
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
CHOPIN: Mazurkas, Op. 59
CHOPIN: Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61
REGER: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Bach, Op. 81
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: The Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation
Additional Support:
“The Great Danes” return for the fourth and final installment of their innovative Doppelgänger project, in which they pair one of Schubert’s timeless string compositions with a newly-commissioned work.
For this fourth concert, the quartet will be joined by Finnish cellist Johannes Rostamo to perform Schubert’s epic String Quintet, which was written during the final weeks of the composer’s life. It is regarded as one of the all-time great works of the chamber repertoire. Its Doppelgänger will be a new work by composer Thomas Adès “one of the most accomplished and complete musicians of his generation” (The New York Times). The VRS is a proud co-commissioner of the Doppelgänger project.
SCHUBERT: String Quintet in C major, D. 956
THOMAS ADÈS: Wreath for Franz Schubert (Canadian premiere)
SCHUBERT: Die Nebensonnen (from Winterreise). Arr. Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen
“This was ensemble music at its purest — a consensus interpretation, rendered selflessly in service of the group as instrument.” — New York Times
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Elizabeth Arnold-Bailey & Robert Bailey and Kate Ker & Paul Cobban
Additional Support:
POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACK
Swiss-born Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula enjoys a busy and varied musical life as a pianist and composer. His teachers have included Ronan O’Hora, Sir András Schiff, Ferenc Rados and Jorg Widmann, and his awards include the Edvard Grieg International Composer Competition, the Guildhall Wigmore Prize, and the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Award. He has performed around the world both as a soloist and chamber musician, and we are delighted to present him in his Vancouver debut.
JANÁČEK: In the Mists
ABDELMOULA: Two Interludes (2006)
JANÁČEK: Sonata 1. X. 1905 ‘From the Street’
SCHUBERT: Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960
“An uncommonly poetic musician” — New York Times
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Quesnel Foundation
Additional Support:
PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2:15PM
Sheku returns to the VRS for the fourth time, but on this occasion he’s performing solo. Hear him in a varied and exhilarating program of music written for solo cello in the fine acoustic setting of the Chan Shun Concert Hall at the Chan Centre. He will be joined by a group of young local cellists in a performance of Pablo Casals’ ‘Song of the Birds’ as a grand finale to the concert.
J.S. BACH: Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
GWILYM SIMCOCK: Prayer for the Senses
BRITTEN: Suite No. 1 for solo cello, Op. 72
LEO BROUWER: Sonata No. 2 for solo cello
EDMUND FINNIS: Five Preludes for solo cello
CASSADÓ: Suite for solo cello
CASALS: Song of the Birds (Arr. Posner)
“Technically superb and eloquent in his expressivity, he held the capacity audience spellbound with an interpretation of exceptional authority.” — The Guardian
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $74 C: $63 D: $45 E: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor:
Additional Support:
POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACK
We are delighted to open our 44th Season with this remarkable young pianist who hails from Salmon Arm, BC. A graduate of The Juilliard School and the UBC School of Music, Jaeden recently won both the Santander and Maria Canals International Piano Competitions in Europe, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in the United States. He has a burgeoning career in Europe and we are pleased to have secured a date in his increasingly busy schedule!
SCHUBERT: Selected Moments musicaux, D. 780
MEDTNER: Sonata Romantica, Op. 53 No. 1
RAVEL: Miroirs
CHOPIN: Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
“He projects a distinctive musical personality that imbues even the most routine passagework with character and individuality” — Calgary Herald
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Richard & Lynda Spratley
Additional Support:
PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2:15PM
Javier Perianes made his Canadian debut on the VRS stage in 2008, with return appearances in 2009 and 2017. Over the years his career has flourished, taking him to the world’s most prestigious venues and making him a national treasure in his native Spain, where he was awarded the National Music Prize by the Ministry of Culture in 2012. He has a deep affinity for the music of Spanish composers; his program includes Goyescas by Enrique Granados, a work inspired by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Please join us in welcoming this “poet of the piano” back to Vancouver.
CLARA SCHUMANN: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14, III. Quasi variazioni. Andantino de Clara Wieck
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann, Op. 9
ENRIQUE GRANADOS: Goyescas, Op. 11
“Perianes played with such grace that it seemed as if his hands were floating over the keys.” — Opera Wire
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Anonymous
Additional Support:
PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2:15PM
ALEXANDER SITKOVETSKY, violin
ISANG ENDERS, cello
WU QIAN, piano
The Sitkovetsky Trio was founded 16 years ago when Alexander Sitkovetsky and Wu Qian were students at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London. Over the years, the trio has established a reputation as an exceptional and dynamic chamber ensemble. Their thoughtful and committed approach has brought both critical acclaim and invitations to renowned concert halls around the world. The Sitkovetsky Trio made its debut on our stage in 2013 and we are delighted to welcome them back!
JULIA ADOLPHE: Etched in Smoke and Light for piano, violin and cello
CÉCILE CHAMINADE: Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor, Op. 34
BEETHOVEN: Allegretto for Piano Trio in B-flat major, WoO 39
MENDELSSOHN: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66
“Incredibly well matched, this is an established trio and you can tell how much they trust each other.” — BBC Radio 3
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor: The Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation
Additional Support:
PRE-CONCERT TALK AT 2:15PM
When Federico Colli came to prominence after winning the Salzburg Mozart Competition in 2011, it was the start of a dynamic streak for the Italian pianist. A year later he swept the board at the 2012 Leeds Piano Competition. Over a decade later, he’s one of the most compelling pianists on the international scene, described by International Piano as “the most scintillating and personal of all young artists.” Fully steeped in the Italian piano tradition, Federico is praised for his highly imaginative and philosophical approaches to interpretations. Don’t miss his return to Vancouver.
LIGETI: Musica Ricercata
COUPERIN: Selected works
PROKOFIEV: Visions fugitives, Op. 22
RAVEL: Le Tombeau de Couperin
‘His beautifully light touch and lyrical grace make the music shine.” — The Telegraph
Ticket prices: A: $88 B: $63 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Concert sponsor: John C. Kerr Family Foundation
Additional Support:
POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACK
This remarkable brother and sister duo were raised in Ottawa and have been performing together since their Carnegie Hall debut in 2011. Following recent prize-winning successes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the Concours de Genève, Bryan, who is now based in Berlin, has a burgeoning career in Europe and Canada. Silvie, who is based in New York, has a growing solo career which she balances with frequent performances with Bryan.
PAUL WIANCKO: Sonata No. 1 for cello and piano, ‘Shifting Baselines’
SULKHAN TSINTSADZE: Five Pieces on Folk Themes
SIBELIUS: Andante molto in F minor for cello and piano, JS 36
RACHMANINOV: Sonata in G minor for cello and piano, Op. 19
“The New York recital debut of Bryan and Silvie Cheng was infused with a spirit of thoughtfulness and generosity. The obvious affection between the two siblings extends beyond the familial sphere into the audience, and most importantly, into the music itself.” — New York Concert Review
Ticket prices: A: $63 B: $48 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
BUY 8 concerts or more and receive a 25% discount
Season sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Anonymous
Additional Support:
