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:
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
Series Sponsor:
Concert Sponsor: Ann Harding
Supported by:
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
Supported by:
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
Supported by:
