Hailed for his superior artistry as the maestro of Spanish guitar, Angel Romero is beloved by audiences across the world as a soloist, recitalist and conductor. Following acclaimed performances as conductor leading the Orquesta de Baja California in September, Maestro Romero offers several guitar concerto and recital performances this season, where audiences will once again have the chance to be entranced by this renowned “musician of rare quality” (Los Angeles times), showcasing his “lovely accuracy, sweet tone and elegance” (The New York Times).
On Saturday, November 15, Angel Romero will perform Joaquín Rodrigo’s Conciertode Aranjuez with the Flint Symphony Orchestra. The following month, on Friday, December 12, Maestro Romero shares the stage with The Aeolus Quartet, one of the finest young ensembles performing today and Graduate String Quartet in Residence at the Juilliard School, in a program of classical and holiday music at the Scottsdale Performing Arts Center. Then on Saturday, January 24, he is hosted by the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society for a recital featuring Spanish solo repertoire by Gaspar Sanz, Isaac Albeniz, and Rodrigo.
From May 21-24, Angel Romero returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel for four performances of the popular Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo. It was with this work, written in 1939, that Romero made his debut with the LA Philharmonic at the age of sixteen. This occasion also marked the first time a guitarist was featured as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez, the beloved work transports the listener to another place and time, evoking “the fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds, and the gushing of fountains” in the gardens of Aranjuez.
As a token of the deep admiration and affection between Joaquin Rodrigo and Angel Romero, Rodrigo gave and dedicated to Romero a set of themes titled Rincones de España. In return, Romero, inspired by Maestro Rodrigo, set forth the writing of a guitar concerto based on these themes, entitled Rincones de España, Homage to Joaquin Rodrigo. These themes, cherished by Rodrigo, evoke the spirit not only of the Spanish people but also of the surrounding history and folklore of Spain. This work is of great importance, for it portrays both the heritage of Joaquin Rodrigo and Angel Romero and the closeness and friendship that they shared for so many years.
Born in Malaga Spain, Angel Romero is one of the most sought-after musicians of his generation. He has appeared in concert in the world’s major cultural centers – from London to Vienna, and from Madrid to New York, and as both soloist and as conductor with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Highlights of his extensive discography include “Romero Plays Rodrigo,” featuring works written for and dedicated to Angel Romero through his long and close relationship with the Spanish composer; Vivaldi’s guitar concertos with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; and an RCA recording of flamenco and pop music featuring Mr. Romero’s world-premiere transcriptions for solo guitar. In 1989, he performed the entire score for the acclaimed film “The Milagro Bean Field War” directed by Robert Redford. Among his many honors are the Grand Cross of Isabel la Catolica, the highest honor that the country of Spain has to offer. In 2007, Angel Romero was honored by the Recording Academy, producer of the Grammy Awards, with the Recording Academy President’s Merit Award for his contributions to the music world.
Montreal’s acclaimed professional choir, VivaVoce, along with its engaging director Peter Schubert, presents an enthralling three-concert season featuring music from the Renaissance to the 21st-Century, showcasing the twelve-voice ensemble’s stunning virtuosity, intensity and “compelling mastery.” (Le Devoir). With this season’s guest artists, the Elmer Iseler Singers and early brass ensemble La Rose des Vents, VivaVoce continues to make each concert a uniquely captivating experience, due in large part to Peter Schubert’s delightful introductions. Schubert’s skill in communicating complex and nuanced ideas (in both English and French) in a way that charms both neophytes and musically astute audiences, continues to be a VivaVoce trademark.
The season begins with A Friendly Match on Sunday, November 16 at 3:00 pm. This collegial match-up features a combined performance with Toronto’s acclaimed Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by Lydia Adams. The two choirs join forces to create a glorious sound in rarely-heard double-chorus motets by Mendelssohn, and the goose-bump-eliciting Suma de la Perfección by Canadian composer Peter Togni, a work VivaVoce premiered in 2011.
The holiday season brings Christmas in Dresden, on Sunday, December 21 at 3:00 p.m. VivaVoce celebrates with La Rose des Vents, the early wind ensemble featuring historical trombonist Catherine Motuz and cornettist Matthew Jennejohn. Music for choir and winds by Baroque composers Praetorius, Scheidt, Schein, and Schütz, is combined with traditional Christmas carols arranged by Peter Schubert.
On Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 pm, VivaVoce proclaims the arrival of spring with Sound FX. Renaissance madrigals by Janequin, Lassus, Tomkins, Jacob Handl feature a riot of acoustical vocal effects – birds, frogs, drums, hunting horns, even lovers’ plaintive sighs. The concert also marks the premiere of a new commissioned work, on the same theme, from Montreal composer Philippe Leroux.
VivaVoce’s recent recordings include a collection of Renaissance motets, Scenes from the Gospels, for the ATMA label. “The richness and beauty of these songs are fully confirmed by the impeccable interpretation of the Montreal ensemble,” said Espace Musique. Also for ATMA Classique was Atacama: Symphony No.3 by Montreal composer Tim Brady, which was nominated for a 2014 Juno Award. VivaVoce’s 2012 performance of the work was nominated for three Opus Prizes, and won the prize for Premiere of the Year.
Peter Schubert’s understanding of choral music is informed by his years of study with legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, conducting study with Helmuth Rilling, and doctoral studies in music theory at Columbia University. A professor at McGill University since 1990, Schubert has given lectures and workshops in the United States, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. For a sample of Schubert’s engaging style, view his series of videos demonstrating the art of Renaissance improvisation on his YouTube channel, peterschubertmusic.
L’acclamé chœur professionnel montréalais VivaVoce et son charmant directeur Peter Schubert présentent une passionnante saison de trois concerts qui permettra d’entendre des musique de la Renaissance au 21e siècle mettant en valeur l’éblouissante virtuosité, l’intensité et la « maestria toujours convaincante » (Le Devoir) de cet ensemble à 12 voix. En compagnie des artistes invités cette saison, les Elmer Iseler Singers et l’ensemble pour cuivres baroque La Rose des Vents, VivaVoce continue à faire de chaque concert une expérience exceptionnellement captivante, grâce en grande partie aux délicieuses présentations de Peter Schubert. La facilité avec laquelle Schubert transmet des idées complexes et nuancées (aussi bien en anglais qu’en français), qui charme les néophytes autant que les mélomanes fervents, est encore et toujours la marque de commerce de VivaVoce.
Cette saison commence avec Une joute amicaledimanche le 16 novembre à 15 h. Cette rencontre collégiale propose un concert conjoint avec les acclamés Elmer Iseler Singers de Toronto, sous la direction de Lydia Adams. Les deux chœurs uniront leurs forces pour rendre les sonorités glorieuses de rarement donnés motets à double chœur de Mendelssohn et Suma de la Perfección du compositeur canadien Peter Togni, œuvre créée en 2011 par VivaVoce, qui vous donnera assurément des frissons.
Dimanche le 21 décembre à 15 h, le Temps des fêtes concordera avec Noël à Dresde. VivaVoce célébrera avec La Rose des Vents, un ensemble à vent baroque mettant en lumière la tromboniste sur instrument ancien Catherine Motuz et le cornettiste Matthew Jennejohn, de la musique pour chœur et vents des compositeurs baroques Praetorius, Scheidt, Schein et Schütz, de même que des chants traditionnels de Noël arrangés par Peter Schubert.
Dimanche le 26 avril à 15 h, VivaVoce proclame l’arrivée du printemps avec Effets sonores. Des madrigaux de la Renaissance de Janequin, Lassus, Tomkins et Jacob Handl révéleront un large éventail d’effets sonores – oiseaux, grenouilles, tambours, cors de chasse et même plaintes d’amants. Le concert marquera aussi la création d’une nouvelle œuvre sur le même thème, commandée au compositeur montréalais Philippe Leroux.
Parmi les enregistrements récents de VivaVoce, on compte notamment des motets de la Renaissance, Scenes from the Gospels, sous étiquette ATMA. « La richesse et la beauté de ces chants sont soutenues par l’impeccable interprétation de cet ensemble de Montréal », a-t-on pu entendre sur Espace Musique. Également sous étiquette ATMA Classique, on retrouve Atacama : Symphonie no 3 du compositeur montréalais Tim Brady, nommé pour un Juno en 2014. L’interprétation en concert de l’œuvre de VivaVoce en 2012 a reçu trois nominations aux Prix Opus et s’est vu remettre le prix de la Création de l’année.
La profonde compréhension de la musique chorale que possède Peter Schubert est basée sur ses années d’étude auprès de la légendaire pédagogue Nadia Boulanger, sur ses études de direction auprès de Helmuth Rilling et sur ses études de doctorat en théorie musicale à l’Université Columbia de New York. Professeur de théorie musicale à l’Université McGill depuis 1990, Peter Schubert a donné des conférences et des ateliers aux États-Unis, en Belgique, au Canada, en France, en Italie, en Suisse et aux Pays-Bas. Pour une idée du style engageant de Peter Schubert, vous pouvez visionner sur son canal YouTube, peterschubertmusic, ses séries de vidéos dans lesquelles il démontre l’art d’improviser de la musique dans le style de la Renaissance.
“… smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery … the surging performance communicated richly at every turn.” – The Baltimore Sun
Named for the Greek god Aeolus, who governed the four winds, the Aeolus Quartet breezes into an exciting new season, with a busy schedule across the US, including several residencies, and a tour of South Korea. Their second and final season as Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School culminates in a concert called Death and Transfiguration featuring music by Schubert, Schoenberg and a world premiere by Douglas Boyce at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on May 4, 2015.
Since its inception, the all-American quartet, formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2008, has been a prizewinner at nearly every major competition in the United States and has performed across the globe with showings “worthy of a major-league quartet” (Dallas Morning News). “The Aeolus Quartet is a powerful and thoughtful group of young musicians who are plotting an ascending course,” says the Austin-American Statesman, “this vibrant group shows great promise.” Comprised of violinists Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro, violist Gregory Luce, and cellist Alan Richardson, these four young artists present masterworks and cutting-edge compositions with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor.
Back from Abu Dhabi where they completed a two week-long residency in affiliation with Khalifa University and Chamber Music Abu Dhabi, which was followed by concerts in New York, Washington, DC, and Denver, the Quartet continues their busy schedule here and abroad this season. In October, the Aeolus will undertake residencies in Detroit with the Juilliard Quartet and in Tulsa with the Miró Quartet – both of which they have studied with extensively. These concerts will feature Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 as well as (in Tulsa) Dan Welcher’s powerful 2012 work for double string quartet, Museon Polemos.
In their home base of New York City, the Aeolus Quartet will perform with AXIOM at Alice Tully Hall on November 24 for a concert including Conlon Nancarrow’s String Quartet No. 1 (1987); at Music Mondays (Advent Lutheran Church) for a free concert on December 8 in collaboration with the Aizuri Quartet which features the New York premiere of Welcher’s Octet; and at Merkin Hall for a concert with Robert Kapilow, part of his acclaimed What Makes It Great? series, featuring the Mendelssohn Octet.
The climax of the season and the culmination of the Quartet’s two-year residency at the Juilliard School will be Death and Transfiguration, the Lisa Arnhold Memorial Recital at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 8:00pm. The program will feature Shubert’s Death and the Maiden; Schoenberg’s string sextet Verklärte Nacht, with Juilliard String Quartet cellist Joel Krosnick and violist Samuel Rhodes; and the world premiere of Alcyone by Douglas Boyce. The Quartet has commissioned the new work by Boyce, which will include recitations of poetry and movement about the stage. The piece is inspired by the mythical figure of Alcyone – daughter of Aeolus – who transforms into a kingfisher, as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Additional upcoming highlights this season include a concert with legendary guitarist Angel Romero in Scottsdale, more Schoenberg for the Austin Chamber Music Society and Chausson’s Concerto for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond. In early 2015, the Quartet heads to South Korea for concerts at the Jeju Island Music Festival in Seoul and elsewhere in South Korea.
Widely recognized for their highly innovative and engaging outreach programs, the Aeolus Quartet was awarded the 2013 Educator Award by The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association. Their initiatives have resulted in large-scale community engagement work in Stanford, CA and various educational programs and performances throughout the state of Texas. This season they will be offering extensive outreach performances and masterclasses as part of residencies in Tulsa and Detroit – where they recently played for as many as 4,000 area children – and will offer a masterclass at Seattle University.
The Aeolus Quartet has released two critically acclaimed albumsof classical and contemporary works on the Longhorn/Naxos label which are available on iTunes. The Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Reinberger Recital Hall at Severance Hall, Merkin Hall, The Library of Congress, Renwick Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. They are Grand Prizewinners of the 2011 Plowman Chamber Music Competition and 2011 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. Other awards include First Prize at the 2009 Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, a Silver Medal at the 2011 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and a Bronze Medal at the 2010 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in New England.
Shaar Hashomayim hosts the superb vocal ensemble Profeti della Quinta, renowned around the world for their vivid and expressive performances of music from the 16th and early 17th centuries. Founded in the Galilee region of Israel by bass singer and harpsichordist Elam Rotem, Profeti della Quinta is now based in Basel, Switzerland, and regularly tours throughout Europe and Israel. In reviewing their American debut this year, New York Classical Review declared that “they conveyed the meaning of the poetry with their diction, intention, and phrasing, commanding constant attention with their passionate and emotional music-making,” with The Los Angeles Times calling their singing “indescribably beautiful.”
The concert on Monday, October 20 at 7:30pm at Shaar Hashomayim will feature the music of Salomone Rossi (c.1570-c.1630), known as “The Jew of Mantua.” The programme portrays Rossi’s many-faceted art as a court composer in the service of the Gonzaga family and as a unique innovator of devotional music for the synagogue, by presenting a selection of his Italian madrigals, instrumental pieces, and Hebrew prayers.
Profeti della Quinta was featured in the 2012 documentary Hebreo: The Search For Salomone Rossi, by Joseph Rochlitz, which will be screened as part of the evening’s program. Filmed in Mantua, the 45-minute documentary traces how, at the height of the Italian Renaissance and Mantua’s splendour, a young Jewish violinist named Salomone Rossi burst through the barriers of discrimination and became one of the most fashionable composers and performers at the court. Rossi brought about a revolution in Jewish culture when he published the first collection ever of originally-composed music for Hebrew prayers.
The ensemble’s recording of music by Rossi, Il Mantovano Hebreo for LINN Records, has been widely acclaimed. Early Music Today praised “the variety of vocal colours the ensemble finds: one’s revelling in the smooth sheen of its homophonic sound,” commenting that the recording “provides further evidence of both the quality and the variety of Rossi’s music.” International Record Review said: “Tantalizing as the music and the composer may be, the most tantalizing thing about this disc is, for me, the appearance of an entirely new and original Early Music ensemble … Profeti della Quinta.”
Profeti della Quinta is comprised of Doron Schleifer and David Feldman (countertenor); Lior Leibovici and Dan Dunkelblum (tenor); Elam Rotem (bass, harpsichord, and musical direction); and Ori Harmelin (chitarrone, a type of lute). Winners of the York Early Music Young Artists Competition in 2011, the ensemble has since performed regularly in prestigious music festivals and venues such as the Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht (the Netherlands), St. Michel en Thierarche Baroque music Festival (France), Musikfestpiele Potsdam (Germany) and many more. This season, Profeti della Quinta will be heard in Canada, the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands. The ensemble’s concerts have been broadcast live by radio channels including BBC3, France Musique, Switzerland DRS2, Israel’s Voice of Music and many others.
Congregation Shaar Hashomayim has released several new recordings including The High Holy Day Experience, a comprehensive and deeply beautiful new recording of traditional music for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, featuring renowned Cantor Gideon Zelermyer and male choir, directed by Stephen Glass.
Established in 1846 and the oldest and largest traditional Ashkenazic congregation in Canada, Shaar Hashomayim, now under the musical direction of Roï Azoulay, preserves a musical tradition that stretches back to the great synagogues of the major capitals of the Old World.
Featuring The Butterfly Lovers Concerto and violinist Lu Siqing & The Five Elements by Chen Qigang
China’s Most Prestigious Orchestra Makes Montreal the Final Stop on North American Debut Tour, following Chicago, Washington DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Ottawa & Toronto
The China NCPA Orchestra, based in Beijing, with Chief Conductor Lü Jia, bring a thrilling and colourful program to Montreal’s Maison Symphonique on Thursday, November 13, for what will be the closing concert of a whirlwind North American debut tour which includes Toronto (Koerner Hall), Ottawa (Canada’s National Arts Centre), Philadelphia (Kimmel Center), Washington DC (Kennedy Center), Chicago (Symphony Center) and Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City. Established in 2010, the resident orchestra of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China has quickly gained a reputation as one of that country’s most adventurous and dynamic orchestras. A highlight of the Montreal concert – a harmonious melding of Eastern and Western traditions – will be a performance of The Butterfly Lovers violin concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang with acclaimed violinist Lu Siqing. A legendary Chinese tragic love story in the vein of Romeo and Juliet, familiar to every Chinese household, the Butterfly Lovers concerto is widely considered one of the most important classical Chinese works of the 20th Century. Also on the program are The Five Elements (Wu Xing) by Chen Qigang, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major.
Canada’s National Arts Centre is honoured to present China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra on their debut Canadian tour in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, with the generous support of Manulife Financial, Presenting Sponsor of China’s NCPA Orchestra Canada Tour. This collaboration is the continuation of a partnership between these two National arts organizations which included an NAC Orchestra performance at the NCPA in Beijing this past October, part of the NAC Orchestra’s historic 21-day China tour, the first tour of China in the history of the NAC Orchestra.
Lu Siqing, acknowledged one of the most outstanding Chinese violinists of his generation, is closely associated with The Butterfly Lovers – having made four recordings of the work which have together sold well over a million copies worldwide. Following a broadcast of Siqing’s performance of the work, Central China Television, declared the concerto “a national hit” with Lu Siqing’s performance showcasing the “expressive fire typical of his style.” Written in 1958 by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, the concerto is a synthesis of Eastern and Western traditions with melodies strongly influenced by traditional Chinese Opera. The solo violin part recalls the erhu, the Chinese two-string fiddle. Derived from Chinese folklore, The Butterfly Lovers tells the story of doomed lovers Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Denied their desired union by Yingtai’s father, the lovers die of despair, only to finally emerge together from their shared tomb as a pair of butterflies, never more to be parted.
A dynamic work by one of today’s leading Chinese composers, Chen Qigang, thesuite for orchestra, Wu Xing(The Five Elements) (1999) is an embodiment of Olivier Messiaen’s grand idea of “a perfect fusion of Eastern philosophical emotion and Western musical expression.” Commissioned by Radio France, the “five elements” – water, wood, fire, earth, and metal – are reflected through a variety of different modes and techniques of musical expression. The NCPA orchestra will close the concert with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, a lively and spontaneous work, replete with enchanting folk tunes.
The NCPA Orchestra, resident orchestra at Beijing’s landmark National Center for the Performing Arts, composed of distinguished musicians from around the world, performs more than a dozen operas and a full season of symphonic concerts each year. In February 2012, Lü Jia took on the role of Chief Conductor, succeeding Chen Zuohuang, a founding member of the orchestra and current Laureate Conductor. The NCPA orchestra prides itself on its long-term collaborations with the finest musicians of our day, including Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Valery Gergiev, Myung-Whun Chung, Gunter Herbig, Gilbert Varga, Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Stephen Kovacevich, Leo Nucci, Yuja Wang and Han-Na Chang. The late maestro Lorin Maazel praised the orchestra for its hard-working excellence and great passion. The orchestra has been acclaimed in numerous NCPA opera productions, including, in 2012, the Chinese premieres of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer and Lohengrin. The NCPA Orchestra also received widespread international praise when it was invited by Kissingen Summer Musik and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festivals and performed concerts across Germany under the batons of Christoph Eschenbach and Chen Zuohuang, followed by a successful concert at the Sydney Opera House. Last season, the NCPA orchestra commemorated the Wagner, Verdi and Britten year (2013) with several concerts, including The “Ring” Without Words under the baton of Lorin Maazel, the live recording of which was released by Sony Music. Highlights of the orchestra’s 2014 season include Verdi’s Requiem with Myung-Whun Chung, Mahler’s Symphony No.1 with Zubin Meta, and Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, Four Last Songs and Also Sprach Zarathustra with Antoni Witt, Gunter Herbig and Lü Jia.
L’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine, basé à Beijing, et son chef principal Lü Jia présentent un programme fascinant et haut en couleur à la Maison Symphonique de Montréal le jeudi 13 novembre, pour conclure la toute première tournée de l’ensemble en Amérique du Nord après des escales à Toronto (Koerner Hall), Ottawa (Centre national des Arts du Canada), Philadelphie (Kimmel Center), Washington DC (Kennedy Center), Chicago (Symphony Center) et l’Alice Tully Hall du Lincoln Center de New York. Mis sur pied en 2010, l’orchestre résident du Centre national des arts de la scène (CNAS) de Chine s’est vite taillé une place de choix parmi les orchestres les plus énergiques et aventureux du pays. Le concert de Montréal offrira un mélange harmonieux de traditions orientales et occidentales, avec un programme qui comprend notamment le concerto pour violon Les amants papillons de He Zhanhao et Chen Gang interprété par le brillant violoniste Lu Siqing. Basé sur une histoire d’amour tragique dans la veine de Roméo et Juliette que toutes les familles chinoises connaissent, le concerto Les amants papillons est largement reconnu comme l’une des œuvres de musique classique chinoises les plus importantes du 20e siècle. Au même programme, on entendra aussi Wu Xing (Cinq éléments) deChen Qigang, et la Symphonie no 8 en sol majeur de Dvořák.
Le Centre national des Arts du Canada est heureux de présenter la première tournée canadienne de l’Orchestre du Centre national des arts de la scène de Chine à Ottawa, Toronto et Montréal, avec le généreux appui de la Financière Manuvie, Commanditaire présentateur de la tournée au Canada de l’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine. Cette collaboration est le prolongement du partenariat établi entre les deux organisations artistiques nationales, à la suite de la tournée de 18 jours de l’Orchestre du CNA en Chine, la toute première de l’histoire de l’orchestre canadien dans ce pays, qui l’a amené à se produire au CNAS de Beijing en octobre dernier.
Reconnu comme l’un des plus grands violonistes chinois de sa génération, Lu Siqing est associé de près aux Amants papillons, une oeuvre qu’il a enregistrée quatre fois – des enregistrements qui se sont écoulés, au total, à plus d’un million d’exemplaires dans le monde. À la suite d’une interprétation du concerto par Lu Siqing diffusée sur ses ondes, la Télévision centrale de Chine a déclaré que l’oeuvre était « un succès national », saluant le « jeu flamboyant » du violoniste. Écrit en 1958 par He Zhanhao et Chen Gang, le concerto fait la synthèse de l’Orient et de l’Occident, avec des mélodies fortement imprégnées des traditions de l’opéra chinois. La partie de violon solo évoque l’erhu, sorte de violon chinois à deux cordes. Issue du folklore chinois, l’histoire des Amants papillons est celle des amours contrariées de Liang Shanbo et Zhu Yingtai, deux jeunes amants qui meurent de désespoir après que le père de Zhu ait refusé de consentir à leur union. Placés ensemble dans la même tombe, ils en ressortent sous forme de papillons et prennent leur envol, unis à jamais.
Œuvre énergique de l’un des compositeurs chinois les plus en vue d’aujourd’hui, lasuite pour orchestre Wu Xing(Cinq éléments)(1999) de Chen Qigang illustre le grand rêve, cher à Olivier Messiaen, d’un « parfait mélange de l’émotion philosophique orientale et de l’expression musicale occidentale ». Commandée par Radio France, cette composition évoque les « cinq éléments » – l’eau, le bois, le feu, la terre et le métal – en ayant recours à différents modes et techniques d’expression musicale. L’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine conclura le concert avec l’allègre Symphonie no 8 en sol majeur de Dvořák, œuvre empreinte de spontanéité qui regorge de mélodies folkloriques envoûtantes.
Orchestre résident du prestigieux Centre national des arts de la scène, situé à Beijing, l’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine regroupe de distingués musiciens du monde entier. L’ensemble se produit dans plus d’une dizaine d’opéras chaque année, en plus de présenter une saison complète de concerts symphoniques. En février 2012, Lü Jia a succédé à Chen Zuohuang, membre fondateur et actuel chef lauréat de l’orchestre, au poste de chef principal. L’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine retire une grande fierté de ses collaborations établies avec bon nombre des plus grands musiciens de notre temps, dont Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Valery Gergiev, Myung-Whun Chung, Gunter Herbig, Gilbert Varga, Lang Lang, Vadim Repin, Stephen Kovacevich, Leo Nucci, Yuja Wang et Han-Na Chang. Le regretté maestro Lorin Maazel vantait la rigueur, la passion et le souci d’excellence de l’orchestre. L’ensemble s’est signalé dans de nombreuses productions lyriques du CNAS de Chine, en particulier dans les céations chinoises, en 2012, de Der Fliegende Holländer et Lohengrin de Wagner. L’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine a aussi reçu de nombreuses accolades sur la scène internationale quand il a été invité au festival Kissingen Sommer et au Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, se produisant en concert à travers l’Allemagne sous les baguettes de Christoph Eschenbach et Chen Zuohuang, avant de donner un concert triomphal à l’Opéra de Sydney. La saison dernière, l’Orchestre du CNAS de Chine a commémoré l’année Wagner, Verdi et Britten (2013) à la faveur de plusieurs concerts, notamment Le « Ring » sans paroles, sous la direction de Lorin Maazel, dont la captation sur le vif a été publiée par Sony Music. Parmi les faits saillants de la saison 2014 de l’orchestre, mentionnons le Requiem de Verdi avec Myung-Whun Chung, la Symphonie no 1 de Mahler dirigée par Zubin Meta, ainsi que la Symphonie alpine, les Quatre derniers lieder et Also Sprach Zarathustra de Richard Strauss avec Antoni Witt, Gunter Herbig et Lü Jia, respectivement.
“Prégardien’s first and highly auspicious Lied album … a painstakingly researched and meticulously prepared recital focusing on the sort of unrequited love that flourished in the days of the Romantic poets … (five stars)”– BBC Music Magazine
The young tenor Julian Prégardien – the son of renowned lyric tenor Christoph Prégardien and a major discovery – takes us on a journey through the wellspring of song and poetry of the Romantic era that reflects the joys and heartbreak of unrequited love. In his first Lieder recording, Prégardien explores both the first song cycles of Beethoven and Weber, and, the height of the genre, songs by Wolf and Strauss, in this finely honed album, which he calls, “my own very personal ‘circle of songs’: my Liederkreis.” The new recording from myrios classics, a hybrid SACD, is available from Allegro Classical on September 9.
The program opens with Beethoven’s only song cycle – the first in this genre – An die ferne Geliebte op. 98. Prégardien describes how, while studying in Freiburg, he came across a score of Beethoven’s Distant Beloved: “I immediately went out and also bought his Letters to the Immortal Beloved, where I was flabbergasted to find him expressing himself in such impatient, enthusiastic, love besotted terms … those letters are probably the key element in helping us grasp what the song cycle is about.” Alongside the Beethoven, Prégardien placed a much lesser-known group of songs by Carl Maria von Weber, which he describes as “written practically in parallel with Beethoven’s cycle”: Die vier Temperamente beim Verluste der Geliebten, op. 46.
Also included are beloved songs by Richard Strauss – Mädchenblumen, most often heard sung by high sopranos – and a group of Hugo Wolf’s inspired Mörike settings. Prégardien purposely honed his selection down to six songs in order to set up a mirror image to the Beethoven. He notes that, like the first song in Beethoven’s cycle, the last Wolf song – another An die Geliebte – is also in E Flat Major, the “key of love”.
Born in 1984, Julian Prégardien is already enjoying success in opera, concert and Lied. A former company member of Frankfurt Opera, Prégardien possesses an extensive repertoire in the domain of sacred vocal music, most notably the works of J. S. Bach. As a chamber musician, Prégardien writes his own instrumental arrangements of art song piano accompaniments.
Christoph Schnackertz, also born in 1984, studied piano at Cologne Musikhochschule under the guidance of PierreLaurent Aimard where he now teaches Lied interpretation. He has made appearances in the concert series of Cologne Philharmonie, Schwetzingen Festival, Wigmore Hall and Zurich Tonhalle.
Enjoy this beautiful video featuring father and son:
The Complete RCA Album Collection ~ 71CDs & 2DVDs ~ To be Released September 16th by Sony Classical
Universally regarded as the supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertoire, Sir James Galway is a consummate entertainer who crosses all musical boundaries. Idolized by audiences around the world, “The Man with the Golden Flute” has performed continuously with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, while his recordings have sold over 30 million copies and won numerous awards.
Now, for the first time and in celebration of his 75th birthday (December 8, 2014) all of Sir James’ recordings for RCA Red Seal are issued together in a lavish Sony Classical box set of 71 partly remastered CDs, along with 2 DVDs. The CDs all feature the original LP covers – eight of which are available on CD for the first time in this edition. Sixty of the CDs, as well as both DVDs (Concerto for Flute and Harp; James Galway and the Chieftains in Ireland) had been unavailable until now. Featuring a hardcover book with notes and track listings, as well as an exclusive interview with Sir James,James Galway: The Complete RCA Album Collection will be released on September 16, 2014.
In conjunction with the box set, Sony Classical also releases, The Essential James Galway, a 2-CD collection of some of Sir James’ most enduring recordings.
Born in Belfast, James Galway studied in London and Paris, and enjoyed a prestigious orchestral career at Sadlers Wells, Covent Garden and the BBC, Royal Philharmonic and London Symphony orchestras before taking up the coveted position of principal flute with the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan. Always devoted to music of all kinds, Galway eventually left Berlin to pursue the solo career that has made him one of the iconic musical figures of modern times.
In the new and comprehensive Sony Classical collection, Sir James can be heard performing the whole spectrum of classics from Baroque to contemporary, including virtually every important concerto and other solo music composed for his instrument, plus flute transcriptions from every corner of the repertoire – and the globe. Here is James Galway in three centuries of great music from Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart to Prokofiev, Ibert, Nielsen, and John Corigliano. Traditional favorites include “Danny Boy” and “Amazing Grace,” with beautiful melodies from Japan and Australia, as well as Indian ragas and Christmas carols from all over the world. There are great hits from Broadway and Hollywood: music by Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Henry Mancini. There are songs by Paul Simon and, of course, John Denver’s “Annie’s Song.” As Sir James puts it, in his typically straightforward fashion, “I think I’ve probably recorded everything that’s worth recording.”
Sir James’ collaborators represent a musical Who’s Who in its own right: Martha Argerich, Cleo Laine, André Previn, Sir Neville Marriner, Lorin Maazel and Michael Tilson Thomas as well as Galway’s wife and fellow flautist Jeanne Galway, the Canadian Brass, Tokyo String Quartet and the Chieftains, among numerous others.
Sir James counts among his personal favorites recordings of three flute concertos by CPE Bach with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn and conductor Jörg Faerber. “To have the technique and stamina to do this felt quite amazing, because these pieces are really incredibly difficult!” The concertos by Johann Joachim Quantz are likewise close to his heart – Quantz having been one of the founding fathers of flute playing in the Baroque era. Galways also recalls with particular pleasure his classic recordings with Henry Mancini, and Cleo Laine and John Dankworth.
With a staggering recording career spanning four decades, Sir Galway can be assured of a vital position in musical history for a long time to come.
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This fall, Sir James will be heard in London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto, tour several cities in Brazil, and make a return to Carnegie Hall for a holiday concert. For complete tour dates please see: Sir James On Tour
Beloved as a mentor and teacher, Sir James has made his expertise widely available with First Flute, an online interactive series of flute lessons. Please see: www.FirstFlute.com.
Dougan continues The Sixteen’s Polish series with a new recording devoted to the Italian maestri of the Polish Royal Court of the 16th & 17th centuries
“Sit back and relish this treasure trove which has clearly been prepared with passion.” – Gramophone (“Gramophone’s Choice” for Bartłomiej Pękiel)
The Sixteen and Associate Conductor, Eamonn Dougan, follow up the success of the first disc in the new Polish series for the CORO label with a new recording devoted to music from the Italian maestrodi cappelli from the court of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland from 1592-99. This second disc in the series explores a selection of fascinating music – all recorded for the first time – composed by the Italian maestri at the Polish Court of the 16th and early 17th centuries, including works by Asprilio Pacelli (1570–1623), Vincenzo Bertolusi (c.1550-1608), and Giovanni Francesco Anerio (c.1567–1630). The Blossoming Vine is now available from Allegro Classical.
While The Sixteen’s acclaimed first disc in the Polish series was devoted to one of the most eminent composers of the Polish 17th century, Bartłomiej Pękiel, The Blossoming Vine features Pękiel’s Italian predecessors. “The arrival of the Italian maestri heralded a new dawn for scared music in Poland,” says Eamonn Dougan, “In 1595 Zygmunt II sent an envoy to Rome to recruit Italian musicians to establish a musical court which would grow to be on the scale of those in Vienna and Graz.” Dougan calls the music, which is of superb quality with an ethereal beauty, “a huge voyage of discovery and tremendously exciting.”
The music in this collection is all connected to the Virgin Mary with many of the texts taken from the Song of Songs, the Old Testament’s collection of love poetry which has been applied metaphorically to the Virgin Mary.
New Song Cycle by Canadian Composer Haralabos Stafylakis Imagines the Internal Narrative of the Old Testament’s Queen of Persia
Sharon Azrieli Perez, whose rich spinto soprano has been heard to great acclaim across the globe, takes on the role of the iconic biblical figure Esther, Queen of Persia, in a powerful new song cycle for soprano, piano and orchestra by the young Canadian composer Haralabos Stafylakis, with a new libretto by Ellen Frankel. The Esther Diaries will be part of the McGill Chamber Orchestra’s Concert Klez-Kabaret, conducted by Boris Brott, taking place on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:30 pm at Maison Symphonique in Montreal. The concert also features the band Magillah and the world premiere of Henri Oppenheim’s Tur Malka. For further information on the concert programme please see: www.ocm-mco.org.
Azrieli Perez has commissioned the new work, drawn from the Old Testament’s Book of Esther (Magillat Esther) which is read aloud with great fanfare during the Jewish festival of Purim. The story tells the true tale of an orphaned girl who becomes Queen of Persia and uses her power to save her people from genocide. This first-person retelling shifts the narrative to explore the deeper psychology of Esther’s character. Interestingly, unlike most biblical tales, individuals are credited with saving the Jewish people, not God. “It is almost a psychological thriller,” comments Azrieli Perez, “with Esther as its powerful heroine. We hope that everyone hearing the work can experience a moment of personal power within themselves, finding their own Esther.”
Adding an exciting additional layer to the song cycle will be modern dancer Roger Sinha. Throughout the work, Sinha interprets the role of the scribe to whom Esther is dictating her diary.
The score by Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis, inflected with Eastern tonality and evocative instrumentation, transports the listener to Persia in the times of harems and Kings, using fragments of the modes from the traditional Magillah reading. Among the eight movements is the atmospheric Market Day, which trips along quickly in staccato rhythms, as Esther delighting in the spices that surround her. In Within the Heart of Persia, the music becomes brooding and majestic as Esther begins to understand her role among the Jewish people. The dramatic, instrumental Hour of Judgment features foreboding, militant pounding of the tambourine and pensive silences, leading ultimately to Deliverance—a miracle, as Esther reflects upon the cost of freedom— bringing both relief and remorse.
SHARON AZRIELI PEREZ has been heard extensively around the world in opera and in concert, from New York to Tokyo, and from Paris to Tel Aviv. Praised for her “exceedingly beautiful voice, full of feeling” (Ha’aretz), Azrieli Perez is a specialist in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and is considered the next true Verdiana in her embodiment of such roles as Aida and Leonora in Il Trovatore. Possessing a rare instrument, suited to the stylistic demands of Cantorial music as well as operatic repertoire, Sharon is noted for her interpretations of music on Jewish themes. Please see:sharonazrieli.com.
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Dotée d’un riche soprano dramatique ayant séduit critique et public du monde entier, Sharon Azrieli Perez deviendra Esther, reine de Perse, personnage biblique emblématique, dans un puissant nouveau cycle de mélodies pour soprano, piano et orchestre du jeune compositeur canadien Haralabos Stafylakis, sur un livret original d’Ellen Frankel. The Esther Diaries fera partie du concert Klez-Kabaret, de l’Orchestre de chambre McGill dirigé par Boris Brott, qui se tiendra mardi, le 10 juin 19 h 30 à la Maison Symphonique de Montréal. Le concert met aussi en lumière le groupe Magillah et la création de Tur Malka d’Henri Oppenheim. Pour plus d’information sur le programme du concert, prière de visiter le www.ocm-mco.org.
Azrieli Perez a commandé cette nouvelle œuvre, tirée du Livre d’Esther de l’Ancien Testament (Magillat Esther), lu à voix haute en grande pompe lors du festival juif de Pourim. Elle raconte l’histoire vraie d’une orpheline devenue reine de Perse, ayant utilisé sa puissance pour sauver son peuple du génocide. Ce récit à la première personne déplace la narration afin d’explorer la psychologie profonde du personnage d’Esther. Il est intéressant de noter que, contrairement à la plupart des textes bibliques, des individus sont salués ici pour avoir sauvé le peuple juif et non Dieu. « C’est presque un thriller psychologique, commente Mme Azrieli Perez, avec Esther en puissante héroïne en son centre. Nous espérons que tous ceux qui entendront l’œuvre connaîtront pendant un instant en eux-mêmes un sentiment de pouvoir, trouveront leur propre Esther. »
Le danseur contemporain Roger Sinha ajoutera une dimension supplémentaire passionnante au propos. Tout au long de l’œuvre, il interprétera le rôle du scribe auquel Esther confie son journal.
Infléchie de tonalités orientales et portée par une instrumentation évocatrice, la partition de Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis transportera l’auditeur en Perse au temps des harems et des rois, à travers l’utilisation de modes des lectures traditionnelles du Magillah. Parmi les huit mouvements, on retrouve une « Journée au marché » atmosphérique, dans laquelle les rythmes staccatos rapides évoquent le ravissement d’Esther quand elle sent les épices autour d’elle. Dans « Au cœur de la Perse », la musique devient sombre et majestueuse, alors qu’Esther commence à comprendre son rôle au sein du peuple juif. La dramatique et instrumentale « Heure du Jugement » met en lumière un martèlement menaçant et militant du tambourin et des silences pensifs, menant le tout finalement à « Délivrance » – un miracle, alors qu’Esther réfléchit au coût de la liberté –, apportant aussi bien soulagement que remords.
SHARON AZRIELI PEREZ a chanté, aussi bien à l’opéra qu’au concert, un peu partout, de New York à Tokyo et de Paris à Tel-Aviv. Saluée pour « sa voix absolument ravissante, pleine d’émotion » (Ha’aretz), Mme Azrieli Perez est une spécialiste des opéras de Giuseppe Verdi et est considérée comme une vraie Verdiana lorsqu’elle incarne des rôles tels ceux d’Aida et de Leonora (dans Il trovatore). Disposant d’un instrument rare, qui peut rendre aussi bien les exigences stylistiques du chant sacré que du répertoire opératique, elle est reconnue pour ses interprétations de musique sur des thèmes juifs. Merci de visiter le site Internet sharonazrieli.com.
Passionate, provocative, and avant-garde with an extraordinary creative energy, Roman Mints is one of the most original violinists of his generation. The newest release bythe multi-award-winning Russian violinist isDance of Shadows, featuring aninnovative program of music by Ysaÿe, Piazzolla, Schnittke, Silverstrov and a world premiere by Dobrinka Tabakova. Critically-acclaimed for his previous recordings for the Quartz label and ECM Records, Mints has been praised for his “interpretative virtuosity in revealing diverse stylistic worlds” (The Strad) as well as the “deep feeling and glowing purity” in his playing (BBC Music Magazine). Dance of Shadows will be released in North America by Allegro Classical on June 10, 2014.
Dance of Shadows features the premiere of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Spinning a Yarn (2011), for violin and Russian Hurdy-Gurdy (kolesnaya lira), written especially by the composer for Roman as a gift to his then unborn twins, Eva and Ilya. Kolesnaya lira is a simple version of the western hurdy-gurdy; in Russia it was most often used to accompany the singing of spiritual poetry by beggars and vagrants. Mints’ kolesnaya lira was specially made for him by Moscow craftsman Alexandr Zhukovsky and on this recording he plays both instruments using multi-tracking. Spinning a Yarn is part of a continuing collaboration between these Conservatory colleagues. (Mints also plays on Tabakova’s 2014 Grammy-Nominated album, String Paths.)
The new recording premieres the use of Spatial Orchestration, a concept created by Roman Mints to give the listener a unique understanding of each track. To find the right sound for each piece of music, Roman has used different placings of the microphone, as well as moving his instrument around the studio, allowing his personal interpretation to enhance the final experience.
The use of spatial orchestration offered a solution to the puzzle of the YsaÿeSonata No 2 in A minor, op. 27 (1923), a work Mints had studied since his college days with Felix Andriyevsky. Over the years he would return to it, trying to pin down something he felt but could never manage to express on the violin. In the first movement, Obsession, Ysaÿe famously quotes Bach’s Preludio from the Partita No. 3; this is the soil from which the obsession grows and, at the end, Bach’s theme mingles with Ysaÿe’s own material. It was obvious to Mints that the appearances of the “delusion” – the Bach theme – should create the feeling of delirium or hallucinations in the mind of the protagonist. One day it came to Mints that, instead of fruitlessly trying to create the effect of sounds coming from somewhere far off, the source of the sounditself needed to move. He put his idea to sound engineer Maria Soboleva and finally achieved his desired result in October 2012 in Studio No. 1 of GDRZ in Moscow: “I moved around the studio, clambered up onto the balcony and the choir stalls, and managed to produce the exact effect I had heard in my mind’s ear for many years”.
For Roman, there were two starting-points in preparing Piazzolla’s Etude No. 2 (1987): the composer’s markings Anxieux et rubato, characterised by shifts between sustained notes and nervous, fluttering gestures; and the many recordings made by Piazzolla himself, in which he never exactly follows his own text. For this recording, the microphone was placed so as to produce a more “pop” than “classical” sound. Of Schnittke’s A Paganini (1982), Mints says, “I think this piece encapsulates the myth of Paganini much more effectively than the music of the ‘Devil’s violinist’ himself … it explodes at its climax with a collage from Paganini’s Caprices.” The use of spatial orchestration beautifully captures the work’s sense of delirium.
Postlude by Ukrainian composer ValentinSilvestrov (1981/82) closes the program. Through Silvestrov’s precise directions – every note carries a dynamic and rhythmic mark – Mints found it possible to attain a new level of rubato playing, achieving freedom through complete self-control. Since the composer himself characterises his music as an echo of something already written (“My music is a response to and an echo of what already exists”), Mints placed the violin as far away as possible for this recording.
ROMAN MINTSwas born in 1976 in Moscow and began playing the violin at the age of five. In 1994 he won a Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London and also studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, alongside contemporaries Dobrinka Tabakova, Maxim Rysanov and Kristina Blaumane. Mints has championed the work of Leonid Desyatnikov, a major figure in post-World War II Russian music. He has also given the Russian premieres of works by Tavener, MacMillan, Mozetich and world premieres of over fifty works including compositions from Tabakova, Bennett, Finnissy and Irvine. Since his Southbank debut in 2000, Mints has toured the UK extensively with his Trio ASCH (cellist Kristine Blaumane and violist Maxim Rysanov) with performances at the Wigmore and Purcell Room. Roman is also the founding member of Decibel, a group which combines electronic music with live instruments and visual installations. In 1998, Roman and his friend, oboist Dmitry Bulgakov, founded the Homecoming Chamber Music Festivalwhich takes place annually in Moscow. He plays a Francesco Ruggieri violin, circa 1685. His previous recordings include Game Over, Mozetich/ Langar/ Schnittke Concertos and Exodus with Paul Dunmall.
Hailed for his superior artistry as the maestro of Spanish guitar, Angel Romero is beloved by audiences across the world as a soloist, recitalist and conductor. Following acclaimed performances as conductor leading the Orquesta de Baja California in September, Maestro Romero offers several guitar concerto and recital performances this season, where audiences will once again have the chance to be entranced by this renowned “musician of rare quality” (Los Angeles times), showcasing his “lovely accuracy, sweet tone and elegance” (The New York Times).
