Tag: Paul Gravett
-
A GROWING APPRECIATION: PRELUDES AND FUGUES BY SHOSTAKOVICH
Perhaps it has been a deficiency in my musical education, but I have found it hard to warm to Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues. Written in 1950-51 and influenced by Bach and in a lineage of prelude collections by Chopin, Scriabin, Busoni, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff, these works have generally remained on the outskirts of the repertoire.…
-
A PASSING THOUGHT
Our 32nd season opened this past Sunday with the Russian-born, Israeli-based pianist Boris Giltburg. He may be young (27 years), and he may not be a household name, but he left no doubt he is an artist to watch. The buzz in the lobby at intermission was great: one woman described to me his ‘magic fingers’…
-
THE SEASON BEGINS
Once again we have a season of musical treasures that will be yours to discover over 21 performances, plus one very special presentation. To start this season we present the Vancouver debuts of two young musicians: pianist Boris Giltburg and violist Maxim Rysanov. Boris Giltburg first came to our attention through a long-time friend of…
-
SERVING UP VIRTUOSITY
I read with interest a New York Times article (found here) about the plethora of virtuosi currently found on the concert stages. According to the author, Anthony Tommasini, there are perhaps more technically gifted pianists now than at any other time. Compositions that were once the exclusive domain of the rare pianists are now commonplace…