Captivating stage presence combined with performances that are technically and musically masterful make accordionist Hanzhi Wang the perfect ambassador for her instrument. In addition to winning First Prize at the 2017 Young Concert Artist International Auditions in New York (where we heard her stunning performance), she also won First Prize at the Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy.
Distinctive among today’s young string quartets, the Omer Quartet is known for presenting both fearless renditions of the standard quartet repertoire and compelling works by today’s composers. In addition to winning First Prize in the 2017 Young Concert Artist International Auditions, they won Top Prize at the 2017 Paolo Borciani Competition, Top Prize at the 2017 Trondheim International Competition, and Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in the US.
CANADIAN DEBUT (Hanzhi Wang)
VANCOUVER DEBUT (Omer Quartet)
SCARLATTI: 3 Sonatas
SCHNITTKE: Revis Fairy Tale
MOSZKOWSKI: Étincelles, Op. 36, No. 6
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
DVOŘÁK: Bagatelles for Two Violins, Cello, and Harmonium
GUNNAR VALKARE: Taang
PIAZZOLLA: Five Tango Sensations for String Quartet and Accordion
“Putting a regal polish on every phrase, her sparkling technique held the audience in a state of breathlessness” — Oberon’s Grove
“These four musicians certainly rose to the occasion. They opened with a poised, mature and ebullient account of the Haydn, gave a glowing vividly dramatic performance of Debussy and brought out the punch energy of Chris Rogerson’s String Quartet” — New York Times
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: The Board of Directors of the Vancouver Recital Society
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Those who heard Behzod on his previous visits to the VRS know that his electrifying performances combine an immense depth of musicality with phenomenal technique and breathtaking delicacy.
Buckle up for this one!
BACH or SCARLATTI (TBD)
SCHUMANN: Kreisleriana Op. 16
LISZT: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude
RACHMANINOV: Corelli Variations, Op. 42
“With prodigious technique and rhapsodic flair, Mr. Abduraimov dispatched the work’s challenges, including bursts of arm-blurring octaves, with eerie command” — New York Times
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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Concert Sponsor: Ann Harding
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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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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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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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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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If you were lucky enough to have been in the audience when Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov performed the Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin in our 2011-12 Season, you’ll be first in line for tickets to this performance! This time around, they’ll play a selection of Beethoven Trios with the wonderful French cellist, Jean-Guihen Queyras.
BEETHOVEN: “Kakadu” Variations in G major, Op. 121a
BEETHOVEN: Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2
BEETHOVEN: Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke”
“For us Vancouver will forever be connected with the figure of the incomparable Leila Getz – with her unique mixture of strength, elegance, wit, and profoundness. If our sorry civilization could be ruled by people like Leila, we would all be in a better place.”
— Isabelle, Jean-Guihen, and Alexander
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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Concert Sponsor: Joyce and Tony
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Nobody describes the Danish String Quartet better than they do themselves…
“We are three Danes and one Norwegian cellist, making this a truly Scandinavian endeavor. Being relatively bearded, we are often compared to the Vikings… Yes, playing string quartets is our job, and yes it is hard work, but we mostly do it for pleasure, like we always did. Music is a way to hang out with friends, and we hope we can continue to hang out for many, many years.”
J.S. BACH: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 (arr. Förster)
MENDELSSOHN: Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
BEETHOVEN: Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
“When you tour and travel a lot, you realize that there are some places where you feel more at home than others. Maybe because of our Scandinavian background, we feel most comfortable when we are near the ocean. If we can smell the sea, we perform our best. If a city is surrounded by water, we feel we can navigate it – literally and musically. Things tend to get hard for us when we feel the cold wind of an air conditioner. Vancouver smells like home and we always feel comfortable performing and staying there. As a young ensemble, you need to work hard and practice and all, but you also need someone to reach out and give you a chance. You need someone to take a risk and invite you while your resume is still a blank sheet of paper. Leila and the VRS did just that when they invited a very young Danish String Quartet many years ago and we are forever grateful for being able to return to this place far away that feels so much like home.” — Danish String Quartet
Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2.15pm in Salon A.
Series Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Robert & Denise
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What can we say? These brilliant Brits have become two of our very favourite people! They entered the VRS’s orbit in the years 2000 and 2001; since then, they have returned to our stage many times for both solo and chamber music recitals. To have both of them here performing at the same time (and on the same piano) will be sheer heaven!
FAURÉ: Dolly Suite, Op. 56
POULENC: Sonata for Piano Duet
DEBUSSY: Six Épigraphes antiques, L. 131
DEBUSSY: Petite Suite
STRAVINSKY: Trois pièces faciles
RAVEL: Mother Goose Suite
“Visiting the VRS is always a highlight of the season. There can be few music organisations with a more passionate and personable leader than Leila Getz. It has been one of the real pleasures of my career to get to know her over the years, and to have the chance to repeatedly visit such a wonderful part of the world to play for such an engaged audience has been a privilege.” — Steven Osborne
“Leila Getz was the first presenter in North America to invite me to cross the Atlantic, 20 years ago. Since then, every visit to the VRS has felt like dropping in on close friends, almost like coming home. I feel incredibly fortunate to be associated with the VRS and to have had the chance to get to know Leila over the years. Her knowledge, passion and determination are a huge source of inspiration, and have put the VRS where it stands today.” — Paul Lewis
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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Not since the days of the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival have we had the privilege of bringing artists together for the first time to make music together. These musicians are well known to and loved by VRS audiences, and we look forward to the energy and synergy this will bring to their performance.
SIBELIUS: Quartet in D minor, “Voces Intimae”, Op. 56
HAMELIN: Piano Quintet
DVOŘÁK: Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81
“Playing for the Vancouver Recital Society all these years has been a pleasure that has just gotten better and better, time after time! I just love the series, what Leila Getz has done with it, and the eagerness of her audiences to experience anything it has to offer. I especially like the fact that these concerts showcase seasoned artists as well as promising newcomers. The series is one of the jewels of the city’s musical life, and may it last for at least another 40 years!” — Marc-André Hamelin
“It is always a delight to perform for the VRS – it was one of our most important debut concerts and to feel the support of such an important and venerable series was a massive boost to us at an early stage in our career. They seem to have gotten something very right – a series that feels both iconic and glamorous, yet the audience retains an intimacy and warmth that is so wonderfully supportive! Many happy returns!” — Doric String Quartet
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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