2010/2011 Concert Schedule
Saturday, October 9, 2010 |
ANTON KUERTI Piano |
Saturday, November 27, 2010 |
PAOLO PANDOLFO |
Saturday, January 29, 2011 |
TAFELMUSIK |
Saturday, March 5, 2011 |
SHANGHAI QUARTET |
Thursday, March 24, 2011 |
TALLIS SCHOLARS |
Friday, April 1, 2011 |
REBEL |
Honoured in 2008 with a Governor-General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, pianist Anton Kuerti remains one of Canada’s most admired and sought-after performers. An international soloist and prolific recording artist, he is also a dedicated chamber musician. His appearance in Edmonton as guest pianist with the Jacques Thibaud Trio continues a long association with the ensemble. Founded in Berlin in 1994 and named for the distinguished French violinist, the Jacques Thibaud Trio has won acclaim throughout Europe and North America for its exuberant virtuosity. Canadian-born violinist Kai Gleusteen and the American violist Paul Cortese, both now based in Spain, joined the Trio in the fall of 2009. The concert program includes the rarely heard Piano Quartet by Hermann Goetz, deemed by critic Laurence Vittes “one of the masterpieces of the literature.”
|
||||||||||||||
“Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of Anton Kuerti is his unabating growth as an artist…. At 70, he shows no loss of intellectual freshness, emotional dimension, musical sophistication or technical panache.” –Ken Winters, Globe and Mail “[The Thibaud Trio] were more than brilliant… –San Francisco Classical Voice |
||||||||||||||
An extraordinary performer and noted scholar, Paolo Pandolfo has long been at the centre of the early music world in Europe. In his appearances in North America, he has entranced audiences with his eloquent playing and inspired improvisations. In addition to his solo performances, he appears frequently with the Ensemble di viole Labyrinto, a group dedicated to the repertoire for viol consort that he has directed since 1992. In 2001, Paolo Pandolfo released, to great acclaim, a recording of his transcription of the six Cello Suites by J.S. Bach, “old music,” in Bach’s words, for a “new instrument.” More recently, he has explored “new music for an old instrument” in his 2009 CD, Abel: The Drexel Manuscript, featuring works by the 18th century viol master Karl Friedrich Abel. Paolo Pandolfo’s concert in Edmonton combines elements from each, in a program that highlights a musical language in transition. “[Pandolfo] creates the most beautiful gamba sound you’ve ever heard – a singing tone that never loses its line even when the line is decorated with an efflorescence of the most fantastic fingerings.” –Lloyd Schwartz, Boston Phoenix |
||||||||||||||
“Quite simply, you’re not likely to hear baroque music played any better anywhere else by people who give every indication of really wanting to be there for you. Let’s have 30 more years of Tafelmusik, please.” –John Terauds, Toronto Star |
||||||||||||||
Formed in 1983 at the Shanghai Conservatory, the Shanghai Quartet has won international acclaim as a passionate champion of new music and cross-cultural expression. In its recent 25th anniversary season, it premiered works by Penderecki, Chen Yi, Vivian Fung, and jazz pianist Dick Hyman, in a characteristic embrace of Eastern and Western musical traditions. The Quartet will perform another of composer Vivian Fung’s works in Edmonton, the city of her birth, her String Quartet no. 2, in its Canadian premiere. The Shanghai Quartet has performed in festivals and concert halls around the world, appeared in television and film, including a cameo appearance in Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda, and made over 25 recordings. One of the most popular has been ChinaSong, a collection of Chinese folk songs that touch upon arranger’s Yi-Wen Jiang’s memories of the Cultural Revolution.
“This was high-class quartet playing: clean, unanimous and expressive.” |
||||||||||||||
The Tallis Scholars, under the direction of Peter Phillips, celebrate the genius of the 16th century Spanish composer and master of polyphony, Tomás Luis De Victoria. Unsurpassed exponents of sacred vocal music, The Tallis Scholars have, for almost forty years, conveyed the beauty of the Renaissance repertoire in live and recorded performance. Their frequent tours have taken them to Europe, North America, Japan, China, and Australia where they have appeared in both secular and sacred venues, including the Sistine Chapel.
“The Tallis Scholars under conductor Peter Phillips sang these slow-moving, luminous masses with impeccable blend and balance…. This is music where time stands still.” –Financial Times |
||||||||||||||
The New York-based ensemble shares with its namesake, French Baroque composer Jean-Féry Rebel, a reputation for bold and original musical ideas. Founded in the Netherlands in 1991, the group has performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and North America, delighting audiences with its highly expressive, energetic style. Its long residency at Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church and widely broadcast performances with Trinity Choir have made REBEL familiar to early music devotees across the U.S. The core group of four musicians expands frequently to include other instrumentalists, notably Matthias Maute, on flute and recorder, and soloists such as Suzy Le Blanc, Daniel Taylor and the renowned soprano Renée Fleming. In its Edmonton concert, REBEL performs works by Leclair, Purcell, Marini, Corelli, Handel, Fux, Pergolesi, and Telemann, in a program of musical gems — “irregular pearls” — that illuminate the essence of the Baroque aesthetic. “REBEL’S trademark combination of brio, zest and nervy alertness [is evident]…these are well-equipped, interventionist-style players….” –Boston Globe |
||||||||||||||
Add your name to our contact list:
- leave a message at 780-433-4532
(name, address including postal code, email address and telephone number)
or - send an email
Any personal information you provide to us will not be released, sold, or rented
to any entities or individuals.
Please note that all concerts are subject to change without notice.