Vancouver music lovers have been privileged to follow the career of Paul Lewis, a truly great pianist who is renowned for his Schubert performances and recordings. He burst onto the VRS scene in the early 2000’s when he played in our Chamber Music Festival. He has returned to Vancouver many times since then, both as a chamber music performer and a soloist, and has made more appearances for the VRS than any other pianist… which tells you everything you need to know about our high regard for his artistry.
Paul has been travelling around the globe with his latest Schubert Sonata project, and we are absolutely thrilled that we will get to experience 12 of Schubert’s great Piano Sonatas in 4 concerts. Come and immerse yourself in glorious music performed by one of the world’s most revered Schubert performers.
Friday, May 17, 2024 at 7.30pm
Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D. 958
Piano Sonata No. 20 in A major, D. 959
Piano Sonata No. 21 B-flat major, D. 960
“Lewis is one of the best pianists I know for delivering both explosiveness of drama and the kind of melting expressiveness which draws you in, but without losing that inner core of strength which raises Schubert from genteel picturesqueness into an artist of granite stature.” — Music Web International
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:
All 4 concerts sponsored by: Elaine Adair
Additional Support:
CANADIAN DEBUT!
Since his debut with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Proms in 2017, Turkish cellist Jamal Aliyev has become one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation. He is championed by one of Turkey’s most outstanding and celebrated musicians, pianist/composer Fazil Say, who is touring with Jamal to shine a spotlight on his young protégé. A debut not to be missed!
SCHUBERT: Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and Piano arranged for Cello and Piano, D. 821
FAZIL SAY: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 41
CÉSAR FRANCK: Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major (1886)
“His musicality is a very rare and pure talent from birth.” — Mstislav Rostropovich
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
Series Sponsor:
Next Generation Artist sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller
Concert sponsor: Alexandra Volkoff
Additional Support:
GOING FOR GOLD!
Originally slated for our 40th Anniversary Season, we’ve waited years (and then some!) for Sir András to perform ‘the Goldbergs’ on our stage. Originally written for harpsichord, the Goldberg Variations were first published in 1741 and are named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the first performer of the work.
Going for Gold is a benefit concert; Sir András’s performance will help the VRS set the stage for its next big milestone… our 50th Anniversary Season in 2030. VRS patrons are individually sponsoring variations and we are deeply grateful for all the wonderful support!
J.S. BACH: Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971
J.S. BACH: Overture in French Style in B minor, BWV 831
J.S. BACH: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
“There is nothing more reliable in the world of classical music today than pianist András Schiff playing Bach.” — New York Times
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
Goldberg Sponsors (listed by variation number):
Aria: Leon & Leila Getz; 1. Mary Jane Mitchell 2. David Harvey & Cecilia Bernabe 3. D. Wendy Lee 4. Helga Murray in memory of Doug Murray 5. Ally Hart 6. the late Christine Dryvynsyde 7. Rob Baker & Holly Sykes 8. Nancy Wu 9. Peter Cass 10. Maryke Gilmore 11. David McMurtry 12. Richard & Barbara Bergstrom 13. Mark Allison & Stephanie Holmquist 14. Anthony & Kim George 15. Stephen Gauer 16. Stephen Schachter & Nancy Stern 17. Kim Floeck 18. Linda A. Wong 19. Susan & Robert Lim 20. Anonymous 21. Gloria Wong & Cameron McGill 22. Karen Shuster 23. Wilfrid & Sally Mennell 24. Bill & Risa Levine 25. Myron Story & Larry Clausen 26. Christine L. Shiner 27. Michael & Brenda O’Keefe 28. Christopher Kin Ming Wong & Yee Cheng Leong 29. Ric & Lynda Spratley 30.Tsuyoshi, Tomoko & Toshiko Shibano Aria (return): Martha Lou Henley
Supported by:
Sir András Schiff was scheduled to fly to Vancouver in March, 2020 to help us celebrate our 40th Anniversary Season… instead he was detained in Japan as the world went into lockdown due to Covid-19. I can’t say how happy we are to be able to reschedule him!
This performance at the Playhouse will be special; we will not know the program in advance — Sir András will announce and discuss what he is going to play from the stage. Those who know him through his incredible performances and recordings over the years can be assured that Liszt and Rachmaninov will not feature on the program!
Program information (added Oct 19, 2022):
Bach: Aria from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Bach: Ricercar a 3, BWV 1079
Mozart: Fantasia in C minor, K. 475
Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
Mozart: Kleine Gigue in G major, K. 574
Bach: Prelude and Fugue in D minor (WTK, Book I, No. 6), BWV 851
Mozart: Adagio in B minor, K. 540
Haydn: Sonata in G minor, Hob. XVI:44
Beethoven: Six Bagatelles, Op. 126
Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
“He is one of the most penetratingly serious masters of the keyboard before the public today. Full stop.” — Boston Globe
Ticket prices: A: $90 B: $60 C: $28
BUY 3 concerts or more and receive a 15% discount
BUY 5 concerts or more and receive a 20% discount
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: The Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation
Additional Support:
We lost the original date for Steven and Connie’s concert back in our 40th Season due to the pandemic, but we are delighted that we have been able to reschedule it. These are two wonderful performers who have a long and trusted relationship both with each other and with the VRS. We can’t wait for you to hear them!
REYNALDO HAHN: Variations chantantes sur un air ancien
FAURÉ: Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117
ADÈS: Lieux retrouvés
SCHUMANN: Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70
BRAHMS: Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99
“Stylish playing, bursting with character throughout – but then what else would one expect from cellist Steven Isserlis?” — Gramophone Magazine
“Shih proved a terrific, imaginative partner, with enough lightness, speed and power.” — Washington Post
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
Season Sponsor:
Concert Sponsors:
Ric and Lynda Spratley
Additional Support:
The Estate of Miss Denise Mara
Pre-concert presentation at 2pm | Concert at 3pm
Filippo Gorini is a singular young pianist. He made his Canadian debut on our series in 2019 with a fascinating and fulfilling program, and his post-concert chat and Q&A were riveting. Luckily for us, during the Covid-19 lockdown he turned his probing intellect and musical curiosity to uncovering the message in J.S. Bach’s last composition, The Art of Fugue.
Filippo’s 2020 recording for Alpha Classics of Bach’s masterpiece of counterpoint kicked off a multi-year project funded by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. As part of the project, he is releasing a number of filmed conversations with personalities such as Frank Gehry, Alfred Brendel, Peter Sellars and Sasha Waltz. The VRS audience will have access to some of these films and will hear Filippo introduce the project in a pre-concert presentation, and then, after the performance, he will open up the discussion and take questions from the stage.
J.S. BACH: The Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080
“There is no doubt: a star has risen, perhaps of the brightest kind.” — Diapason D’Or
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
Season Sponsor:
Concert sponsor: Elaine Adair
Additional Support:
In this concert we’ll celebrate J.S. Bach’s 336th birthday with a selection of his works arranged by this wonderful group of musicians. The Dover Quartet catapulted to international fame following a stunning sweep of the 2013 Banff Competition, at which they won every prize. In 2017, they appeared on our Next Generation Series with mandolinist Avi Avital.
Bridget Kibbey has gained a reputation for her diverse, energetic programming that spans the baroque, French masterworks, and rhythmic South American music. The award-winning harpist appears frequently as soloist and chamber musician at festivals and on series across the globe.
“It is my great pleasure to join the formidable Dover Quartet in sharing this experience with you live, via some of our best-beloved works of J.S. Bach, adapted for harp and string quartet. In this context, the harp becomes a mighty organ, an intimate lute, a clavecin supporting vocal lines executed by the bow. The quartet becomes a harpsichord with lines drawn out in various colours, an individual violin becomes a vocalist; and together, the ensemble becomes an orchestra exalting in the complexity of woven counterpoint. We hope you enjoy our celebration of J.S. Bach, re-imagined for harp and strings.”
— Bridget Kibbey
J.S. BACH: Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (harp) (trans. Kibbey)
J.S. BACH: Sonata in E flat major, BWV 1031 (violin & harp)
J.S. BACH: Aria and 4 Variations from the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (violin, viola & cello) (trans. Daniel Lee)
J.S. BACH: Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056 (string quartet & harp)
J.S. BACH: Sonata in G minor for Violin & Clavier, BWV 1020 (violin & harp)
J.S. BACH: Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080: Contrapuncti 1 – IV (string quartet)
J.S. BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (string quartet & harp)
“A sound so distinctive as to be identified within mere minutes” — Philadelphia Enquirer
“Kibbey made it seem as though her instrument had been waiting all its life to explode with the gorgeous colours and energetic figures she was getting from it” — 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
Series Sponsor:
Supported by:
This exciting young Canadian pianist was First Prize Winner and Gold Medalist at the First China International Music Competition. He’s currently studying piano and composition at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division. Tony has given recitals in North America, Europe and Asia, and has appeared twice with the China Philharmonic Orchestra.
VANCOUVER DEBUT!
BUSONI: All’ Italia (in modo napolitano) BV 249
WAGNER/LISZT: Solemn March to the Holy Grail from Parsifal S. 450
CHOPIN: Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
SCHUBERT: Sonata No. 18 in G major, D. 894
“Tony is a true poet of the keyboard. Expressive, and with his own distinct voice, yet elegant and poised.” — Pianist 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: This concert is sponsored in memory of Michael Kemble
Supported by:
So captivated were we — and our audience — with the Chiaroscuro’s performance in the 2018-19 Season that we re-booked them immediately! Hear this brilliant ensemble in a program of string quartet gems. Everything they play sounds fresh and original.
PURCELL: Fantasias (selection TBD)
MOZART: Quartet No. 21 in D major, K. 575
SCHUBERT: Quartettsatz in C minor, D. 703
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80
“The playing is intense and refined, exploratory and poised. The sound is featherweight, but there is grit and substance when needed” — The Guardian
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 and Denise
Supported by:
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
Supported by:
