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NIKKI & TIMMY CHOOI

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We can’t think of a more wonderful way to open our 40th Season than by bringing these three illustrious musicians back to our stage. Since the beginning of their careers, Nikki, Timmy, and Angela have been frequent visitors to the VRS and all have a deep connection to our organization. And speaking of “dreams come true”… in the early stages of putting this concert together, Leila had a dream that Marc-André Hamelin wrote a piece especially for the occasion. Enjoy its debut performance!

DEBUSSY: Sonata for Violin and Piano (1917)
SHOSTAKOVICH: 5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano
HAMELIN: “Reverie” for Two Violins and Piano
CHAMINADE: Theme and Variations, Op. 89 for Piano
FRANCK: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano

“Congratulations, Leila, for your dedication to the Vancouver Recital Society over the past four decades. You have been such an important force in bringing the best artists from around the world for the people in Vancouver. You have also helped cultivate new generations of talent along the way, from within Canada and abroad, introducing them to some of their first professional opportunities to the public. I am grateful to have met you early on in my career (as a teenager, in fact!) and that you have been a supportive voice throughout my many different adventures. I am ecstatic to return to the VRS, this time with my brother, Timothy, and the great pianist, Angela Cheng, to launch its 40th Anniversary Season. It will be a very special event for all of us!” — Nikki Chooi

“Congratulations on your 40th Anniversary, Leila and the VRS!!! I’m so thrilled that you have reached this important and impressive landmark, especially in today’s somewhat troubled times of our classical music world! It just proves that, under the leadership of someone who is passionate, inspiring and devoted, great music can flourish!! I guess what we need to do is to clone you, Leila, and place you everywhere in the world so that there is a bright and promising future for beautiful music. I’m so excited and honoured to not only be a part of your 40th Anniversary season, but to open your season! Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait to come play for you!! Congratulations again!!!”
— Angela Cheng

 

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 Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation

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DANISH STRING QUARTET

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The Danish String Quartet has established a reputation for their integrated sound, impeccable intonation, and judicious balance. With their technical and interpretive talents matched by an infectious joy for music-making and “rampaging energy” (The New Yorker), the quartet is in demand worldwide by concert and festival presenters alike. This is their third appearance for the VRS.

“They could be grounded in their tone or mystical. They allowed time to stand still, and they could assume the pose of excitingly aggressive rockers. They did it all.” — The Los Angeles Times

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
MUSIC FROM THE NORDIC COUNTRIES
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 74, No. 10 (“Harp”)

Series Sponsor:

Concert Sponsor: Joyce and Tony

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FILIPPO GORINI

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22 year-old pianist Filippo Gorini is praised for his rare intellect, temperament, and vivid imagination. In 2015, he received both the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn. Upon hearing him perform Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Alfred Brendel invited this gifted young Italian to study with him. In 2017, Filippo’s debut album — his recording of the Diabelli Variations — was released. It has already won a Diapason d’Or award.

In a 5-star review of his Diabelli Variations recording, The Guardian’s Kate Molleson wrote: “It is brave, original playing for a musician of any age.”

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 31, Op. 110
BARTÓK: Sonata Sz. 80
STOCKHAUSEN: Klavierstück IX
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 32, Op. 111

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Judith and Poul Hansen

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JULIA BULLOCK

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American soprano Julia Bullock has been hailed as an “impressive fast-rising soprano poised for a signicant career” (The New York Times). Equally at home in recital and concert repertoire, she captivates audiences with her versatile artistry and commanding stage presence.

SCHUBERT I BARBER I FAURÉ
A SELECTION OF AMERICAN SONGS

“Julia Bullock combines a rare on stage aura with a style that is exacting but not fussy, with hardly an unturned phrase” — The New Yorker

Series Sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Gaby and Yoram Minnes

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rbc-city-van-new

SIR SIMON KEENLYSIDE

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Sir Simon Keenlyside is one of the world’s most sought-after and charismatic singers, noted for his versatility and highly charged performances on stage. In 2006, he was the winner of the Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in opera, the ECHO Klassik Male Singer of the Year Award in 2007, and was honoured as Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year in 2011. Last June he was awarded the title of Österreichischer Kammersänger by the Wiener Staatsoper, recognizing his extraordinary contribution to the world of opera. We eagerly await his return to Vancouver with his wonderful recital partner Malcolm Martineau, who is well known to VRS audiences.

BRAHMS | POULENC | RAVEL | SCHUBERT

“He declaimed Wilhelm Müller’s poetry with the fluidity of speech. His German is excellent, his diction is pristine, his eye for detail acute. Armed with his dark, handsome baritone he unveiled multiple layers of meaning in every song, every stanza and occasionally,in a single line”— The Financial Times

Series Sponsor:

Concert Sponsor: Lynn Kagan

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IGOR LEVIT

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Igor Levit was recently announced as the winner of the prestigious quadrennial Gilmore Artist Award, and snagged Gramophone’s Recording of the Year 2016. He returns to the VRS stage after a sold-out Canadian debut in 2016. His riveting performances leave audiences wanting more and critics scrambling for superlatives.

“He hit the first note and the sheer depth and resonant sovereignty of his tone engulfed a monumental space.” — The LA Times

This program, curated by Igor Levit, explores the interrelationship between composer and arranger.

J.S. BACH: Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004 arr. Brahms
BUSONI: Fantasia after J.S. Bach KiV 253
SCHUMANN: Ghost Variations WoO 24
WAGNER: Parsifal: Solemn March to the Holy Grail arr. Liszt
LISZT: Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale, “Ad nos ad salutarem undam” arr. Busoni

In Association With:

 

The Chan Endowment Fund
at the University of British Columbia

 

ZOLTÁN FEJÉRVÁRI

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Winner of the 2017 Concours Musical International de Montréal piano edition, and a recipient of a Borletti- Buitoni Trust Fellowship, Hungarian pianist Zoltán Fejérvári has appeared in recitals throughout Europe and the US. Zoltán made a big impression when he performed on this series two seasons ago with cellist István Várdai. We’re very excited to welcome him back to Vancouver!

SCHUMANN: Waldszenen, Op. 82
JANÁČEK: In the Mists
BARTÓK: Out of Doors
SCHUMANN: Fantasy in C major, Op. 17

“Fejérvári performed the piece with sweep and discernment and made the concerto’s bird-like song and nocturnal atmosphere tremendously affecting” — International Piano Magazine

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: Anonymous

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CASTALIAN STRING QUARTET

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The Castalian String Quartet is rapidly emerging as an exciting voice on the international chamber music scene. In 2018, the Quartet received the prestigious inaugural Merito String Quartet Award & Valentin Erben Prize, and won a pretigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Award. Previous awards include 3rd Prize at the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition and 1st Prize at the 2015 Lyon Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet was selected for respresentation by YCAT (Young Classical Artists Trust) in 2016.

HAYDN: String Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5
FAURÉ: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121
SCHUMANN: String Quartet No.1 in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1

 

“The Castalian Quartet makes the simplest things we hear into the most important things we could ever want to hear.” — The Calgary Herald

 

The Castalian String Quartet replaces the previously scheduled Zorá String Quartet

 

Series sponsor: The Estate of Edwina and Paul Heller

Concert Sponsor: The Board of Directors of the Vancouver Recital Society

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ANDREA LUCCHESINI

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Trained under the guidance of the great Italian pianist Maria Tipo, Andrea Lucchesini garnered international attention at a young age when he won the Dino Ciani International Competition at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Around that time, he made his debut on our series at the Vancouver Playhouse. He enjoyed a close collaboration with renowned Italian composer Luciano Berio and has recorded all his works for piano. Andrea is currently Artistic Director at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole where he teaches when he’s not performing.

“With a refined touch and a beguiling sense of Schubertian style, the Italian pianist Andrea Lucchesini conveys to captivating effect the sublime invention and intimacy of the impromptus.” — The Telegraph

SCARLATTI: 5 Sonatas
BERIO: 6 Encores
SCHUBERT: Sonata in B at major, D. 960

Learn more about the program at our pre-concert talk in the Chan Centre’s Royal Bank Cinema at 2.15pm.

In Association With:

 

The Chan Endowment Fund
at the University of British Columbia

Nikolaj Znaider

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Pre-concert talks! Learn more about each afternoon’s recital program at our pre-concert talks. Each talk takes place at 2:15pm in Salon A.

 

Nikolaj Znaider performs at the highest level as both conductor and virtuoso violin soloist with the world’s most distinguished orchestras. His Canadian debut on our series in 2006, with pianist Robert Kulek, was so enthusiastically received that we brought them back in 2008. Nikolaj’s burgeoning career as a conductor has kept him away from Vancouver until now.

BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 8, Op. 30 No. 3
PROKOFIEV: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a
SHOSTAKOVICH: Four Preludes from Op. 34 (Nos. 10, 15, 16, & 24), transcribed for violin and piano by Dmitri Tsyganov
BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108

“The 32-year-old Danish-Israeli violinist Nikolaj Znaider first appeared for the Vancouver Recital Society two years ago and was such a hit that VRS Artistic Director, Leila Getz vowed to bring him back as often as possible. This was a very smart idea.”

— Lloyd Dykk, The Vancouver Sun (March 2008)

 

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