Edmonton Chamber Music Society
2008/2009 Concert Schedule
| Saturday, September 20, 2008 | The Gryphon Trio |
| Saturday, October 4, 2008 |
St. Lawrence String Quartet
with Marina Hoover, cello and Barry Shiffman, violin |
| Saturday, October 11, 2008 |
The Theatre of Early Music
Daniel Taylor, Artistic Director with Emma Kirkby, soprano |
| Saturday, November 1, 2008 | The St. Petersburg String Quartet |
| Saturday, February 14, 2009 |
Arion Baroque Orchestra
Jaap ter Linden, guest conductor with Matthew White, counter-tenor |
| Monday, March 9, 2009 |
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
with Janet Scott Hoyt, piano |
| Tuesday, March 24, 2009 |
James Ehnes, violin
with Andrew Russo, piano |
To add your name to the list, please leave a message at 433-4532 (name, address including postal code, e-mail address and telephone number) or send an e-mail.
All programmes are subject to change without notice.
The Gryphon Trio
Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin
Roman Borys, cello
Jamie Parker, piano
Now in its 16th season, the Toronto-based Gryphon Trio is renowned for its impeccable performances and adventurous programming. In a concert that offers its signature blend of the familiar and the new, the Trio presents a work by the Ukrainian composer, Bohdana Froljak, which it premiered in Odessa in April, 2008.
Programme
Joseph Haydn Piano Trio in A Major, Hob. XV: 15
Bohdana Froljak Lamento (2008)
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in B-flat Major, op. 97 (“Archduke”)
“…the Gryphon Trio…is one of the best ensembles of its kind in the world, consistently making music of rare excellence.”
Robert Harris, The Globe and Mail
St. Lawrence String Quartet
with Marina Hoover, cello and Barry Shiffman, violin
Geoff Nuttall, violin
Scott St. John, violin
Lesley Robertson, viola
Christopher Costanza, cello
To celebrate the approaching 20th anniversary of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, cellist Marina Hoover and violinist/violist Barry Shiffman return as guests of the ensemble they co-founded in 1989. Winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 1992, the SLSQ has performed to great critical acclaim around the world. Dedicated to the exploration of contemporary as well as traditional quartet repertoire, the SLSQ premieres a work commissioned from Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum.
Programme
Richard Strauss String Sextet from Capriccio, op. 85
Joseph Haydn String Quartet in F Major, op. 77, no. 2
Elizabeth Raum Table at the Bushwakker (2008)
Antonín Dvorák String Sextet in A Major, op. 48
“…the concert was vintage SLSQ: visceral and passionate, yet rooted in a ferocious attention to the details of the score.”
Tamara Bernstein, The Globe and Mail
The Theatre of Early Music
Daniel Taylor, Artistic Director
with Emma Kirkby, soprano
The Theatre of Early Music, under the direction of countertenor Daniel Taylor, returns to Edmonton to present Sacred and Secular Love, a selection of arias and duets from Handel’s operas and oratorios. Daniel Taylor and Dame Emma Kirkby have appeared together many times, in live and recorded performance, since their first collaboration several years ago. Their much- praised partnership unites two extraordinary voices and Baroque specialists.
Founded in 2001, the Montreal-based Theatre of Early Music has quickly become a major presence on the early music scene in North America and abroad. The core group of musicians collaborates frequently with other artists to explore instrumental and vocal music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
“The Theatre of Early Music with the voice of Daniel Taylor gives us the remarkable impression that we are listening to the intimate confessions of a true believer.”
Repertoire Magazine
“For two decades, Emma Kirkby’s clear, agile voice has epitomized the pure sound of early music. She remains one of the treasures of the music world.”
The Globe and Mail
The St. Petersburg String Quartet
Alla Aranovskaya, violin
Alla Krolevich, violin
Boris Vayner, viola
Leonid Shukayev, cello
Founded in 1985 by graduates of the Leningrad Conservatory, the St. Petersburg Quartet enjoyed an early success that led to tours and prize-winning performances outside Russia and to enduring international pre-eminence. Noted interpreters of Shostakovich, whose complete quartets they have recorded to great critical acclaim, the group will perform his stirring 12th Quartet along with Borodin’s much loved String Quartet no. 2 and a recent work by the contemporary Georgian composer, Zurab Nadarejshvili.
Programme
Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet no. 12 in D-flat Major, op. 133
Zurab Nadarejshvili String Quartet no. 1 (1987)
Alexander Borodin String Quartet no. 2 in D Major
“You might think that discipline, passion and impetuousness inhabit different universes, but the St. Petersburg String Quartet has morphed the three into a powerful musical persona.”
The Washington Post
Arion Baroque Orchestra
Claire Guimond, artistic director
Jaap ter Linden, guest conductor
with Matthew White, counter-tenor
Established in 1981 by flutist Claire Guimond, violinist Chantal Rémillard, gambist Betsy MacMillan and harpsichordist Hank Knox, Arion performs regularly with world-renowned guest conductors and soloists in its concert series in Montreal and on its numerous recordings. Cellist and gambist Jaap ter Linden joins Arion as guest conductor along with Canadian countertenor Matthew White to present Antonio Vivaldi, the Red Priest, a program of vocal and instrumental works by the famous Venetian composer.
Programme
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto in G Major for Strings and Continuo, “Alla Rustica,” RV 151
Concerto in a minor for Bassoon, Strings and Continuo, RV 497, F.VIII, no. 7
Concerto in D Major for Flute, Strings and Continuo, “Il Gardellino,” RV 428,
F.VI, no. 14
Cantata “Cessate, omai cessate,” RV 684
Concerto for Cello in c minor, RV 401
Stabat Mater for Alto, Strings and Continuo, RV 621
“The Montreal-based Arion has grown from a respectable quartet to a first-rate baroque orchestra….The Netherland’s Jaap ter Linden conducts the orchestra in ebullient, soulful performances….”
The National Post
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
with Janet Scott Hoyt, piano
One of the world’s most celebrated musicians, the English cellist Raphael Wallfisch, appears as a Distinguished Artist in the University of Alberta’s Ovations concert series. The program includes a transcription by his former teacher, the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, and works by early 20th century composers Bohuslav Martin? and Ernest Bloch, to mark the 50th anniversary of their deaths.
Much sought after as a collaborative pianist, Janet Scott Hoyt has performed with many internationally known string and wind players. She has been a faculty member of the Department of Music at the University of Alberta since 1998.
Programme
Franz Schubert Introduction, Theme, and Variations (transcr. Gregor Piatigorsky)
Claude Debussy Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915)
Bohuslav Martin? Sonata no. 1 for Cello and Piano, H. 277
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, op. 102, no. 1
Ernest Bloch Suite (1917)
“…Raphael Wallfisch showed the best kind of star quality….Cello tone was gorgeous, full of variety, and impeccably related to expressive purpose….This was a performance freed from the weight of tradition and full of the pleasure of making music.”
Irish Times
The concert is a joint presentation of the Edmonton Chamber Music Society and the Dept. of Music at the University of Alberta.
James Ehnes, violin
with Andrew Russo, piano
Awarded a Grammy for his recent recording of violin concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Canadian born James Ehnes has rapidly risen to international prominence. The breadth of his interests and talents is highlighted in a concert program that ranges from the classical to the contemporary and includes his performances on piano and viola as well as on violin.
The American pianist Andrew Russo, also a Grammy award nominee and a musician of great versatility, joins James Ehnes. A champion of new music, he has premiered many works by contemporary American and European composers.
Programme
Ludwig von Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major, op. 12, no. 3
John Adams Hallelujah Junction for Two Pianos
Johannes Brahms Sonata for Viola and Piano in f minor, op. 120, no. 1
Paul Schoenfield Four Souvenirs for Violin and Piano
“…James Ehnes seems set to become one of classical music’s biggest names….he produces a simply gorgeous palette of timbres….”
London Times
The concert is a joint presentation of the Edmonton Recital Society and the Edmonton Chamber Music Society.