Saturday, Oct 6, 2012 at 7:30 PM

Magee Theatre

“This was amazing playing: the accuracy of his fingerwork, the sparkle of his arpeggios, the unbelievable lightness and celerity that he gave to his runs and, above all, his ability to make the piano sing”. - Lloyd Dykk, Vancouver Sun

When Polish pianist, Wojciech Switala made his Vancouver debut in 2007, Lloyd Dykk wrote in the Vancouver Sun: “He especially shone in the Chopin half, beginning with two nocturnes,…. Switala put the slightest clues of menace into his languorous, sensuous beginning and then the keyboard suddenly erupted into tigerish, racing octaves”. His recital here was a true revelation for those who attended, but it came as no surprise as he belongs to the international elite of outstanding Chopin interpreters, so we welcome his return to this special season celebrating the 15th anniversary of our Society.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_oVJ_ENFHM

Wojciech Switala’s 2 CDs: Waltzes and Other Works and Rondos, Allegro de Concert, recorded for the National Edition, won the Grand Prix du Disque Frederic Chopin award in 2000 and 2005 respectively. The only other pianist who won this award twice was Murray Perahia.

Few people know that he was close to winning the 12th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1990, having highest scores on the board but he walked out of the semi-final round. He won the prize for best performance of a Polonaise.

Wojciech Świtała has given concerts in most European countries, Argentina, the United States and Canada.

Programme:

Schumann – Arabeske Op. 18
Schumann – Fantasiestücke Op. 12
Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6

Intermission

Chopin – Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62
+++++4 Mazurkas Op. 67
+++++Ballade No. 4 in F minor
Debussy – 6 Preludes

A reception for all will follow the concert.

Individual ticket price: $40 Adults, $30 Seniors/Students

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 8pm

Chan Centre

( Click for directions )

Buy your tickets today

Daniil Trifonov’s Website

“…The 20-year-old Daniil Trifonov, fresh from his victory at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, showed astonishing skills in works by Scriabin, Chopin and Liszt… this young man is a formidable virtuoso.” - Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, August 2011

Born in Nizhniy Novgorod in 1991, Daniil Trifonov is emerging as one of the brightest new names of the next generation of pianists. When we presented Trifonov for the first time in Vancouver when he was just 16, we already knew that he has exceptional talent.
During the 2010/11 season he won medals at three of the most prestigious competitions in the music world: the Chopin Competition in Warsaw (Bronze Medal), the Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv (First Prize) and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (Gold Medal).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca29AZsVsQA

Trifonov has been invited to perform worldwide during the 2011/12 season. Highlights include debuts with the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony and Mariinsky Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra. He also gives performances at the Salle Pleyel Paris, Carnegie Hall New York, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Wigmore Hall London, Musikverein Vienna; and venues across Europe, North and South America, Middle and Far East. In summer 2012 Trifonov will perform at festivals including Verbier, Montreux, Tivoli, Kremerata Festival, Lockenhaus, Grafenegg, La Roque d’Anthéron, Klavier Festival Ruhr, as well as Blossom Festival and Chautauqua Festival in the USA.

Future engagements include New York Philharmonic with Alan Gilbert, Chicago Symphony with Charles Dutoit, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as recitals at Lucerne Piano Festival, London Queen Elizabeth Hall, Paris Auditorium du Louvre, Zurich Tonhalle, Washington Kennedy Center, New York Carnegie Hall (Stern auditorium), Berlin Philharmonie and Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

Programme:

Scriabin Sonata No.2, Op.19
Liszt Sonata in B minor

Intermission

Rachmaninoff Variations on a Theme by Chopin, Op.22

Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 7:30 PM

Magee Theatre

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Denis Kozhukhin’s Website

“His Haydn was inspiring: Kozhukin measured the tone with such precision that the colours and contrasts were perfectly weighted, both in the lively opening movement and the austerely performed adagio.”
- Suddeutsche Zeitung, March 2011

Denis Kozhukhin was launched onto the international scene after winning First Prize in the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Previous awards include 1st Prize at the Vendome Prize in Lisbon in 2009, and 3rd Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PJzylKvwH0

Kozhukhin has appeared at many of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls where he impressed with his brilliance and natural musical gifts. After his performance in 2011 at Chopin festival in Duszniki-Zdroj , Michael Moran wrote: ”Kozhukhin’s interpretation of Harmonies du Soir (11) was one of the great musical experiences of my life. He understood so well the harmonic avant-garde forward looking nature of this piece. It was a desperately moving moment as the central melody resolved itself and soared carrying one’s heart and soul. This was Liszt the poet, the true Romantic spirit and Kozhukhin took us on a flight the like of which is rarely experienced in the concert hall.”

Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, in 1986 into a family of musicians, Denis Kozhukhin began his piano studies at the age of four with his mother. From 2000 to 2007, Kozhukhin was a pupil at the Reine Sofia School of Music in Madrid learning with Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martinez-Mehner.

Programme:

Chopin: Sonata No. 2
Liszt: Benediction du Dieu dans la solitude
Wagner-Liszt: Overture from Tannhauser

Intermission

Schubert: 4 Impromptus op.90
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 6

A reception for all will follow the concert

15th Anniversary Gala Performance

Sunday, May 12, 2013 at 3 PM

Chan Centre

( Click for directions )

Buy your tickets today

Rafal Blechacz’s Website

„…A multitude of figures, powerful basses, cascades of octaves, foaming arpeggios are ”tamed” by the pianist with impressive clarity. In a fascinating way he reveals the contrasting character of little bells’ clear peals in the Scherzo and the gloomy motifs of ”the funeral march” in the finale.”- Berlin, Der Tagesspiegel

We still remember Polish pianist, Blechacz’s unforgettable performance in the sold out concert in the Chan Centre in May 2008. He is truly a charismatic pianist. Winning the first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2005 opened the door for him to grand concert halls and assured a contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Since then Blechacz has been developing an impressive career, playing in the most famous concert halls and releasing four CDs under the ‘yellow label’ of DG. The most renowned music festivals, such as Salzburg in Austria, Verbier in Switzerland, La Roque-d’Anthéron in France, Klavier Festival Ruhr in Germany and the Gilmore Festival in the United States keep inviting Rafał Blechacz to revisit.  His appearances have evoked enthusiasm and acclaim from music critics and concert goers around the world.  He has also performed with symphony orchestras under the direction of such noted conductors as Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev, Charles Dutoit, David Zinman, Marek Janowski and Jerzy Maksymiuk.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVP4kSCKCc4

His third recording, Chopin Concerti with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Jerzy Semkow, honoring the Chopin anniversary year of 2010, received a “Best of the Year” honor from Gramophone magazine, and the Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik, a prestigious recognition from Germany’s music critics.  His latest CD, Szymanowski and Debussy was chosen as a Disc of The Month in May 2012. Rafał Blechacz is one of DG’s best-selling young artists – his stunning albums have sold more than 160,000 units worldwide.

Programme:

JS Bach -- Partita No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827
Beethoven -- Sonata in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3

Intermission

Chopin -- Two Polonaises, Op. 40
++++++Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Szymanowski -- Sonata No. 11 in c minor, Op. 8

Details of the reception following the gala concert will be announced later.

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Last fall, he won 3rd prize at the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious musical contests, in Warsaw, Poland.

He played recently at the Vancouver Playhouse where he demonstrated his brilliant technique and great musical sensitivity.

Yesterday in the Vancouver Sun, there was an announcement in the Westcoast Life section that we were sponsoring a concert of Chopin Piano Competition laureate Daniil Trifonov with Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire on May 1 at the Playhouse.
This is a major error.

Our Daniil Trifonov Concert is on May 8@ 7.30pm at The Playhouse, as we announced some time ago.

Somehow, the editors at The Sun took an old brochure of ours and added to this an announcement on the Internet from months ago that Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire would play piano duets
to open the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
This indeed happened in early October 2010!!
The tickets you have for the May 1 cancelled event are usable for the May 8 concert, same seats.

There are still tickets left for our fundraising event ; A Liszt Soiree at Aberthau Mansion May 7 at 7pm. Tickets are $125.00 each. Please call 604 871 4450 for information.
Celebrated Liszt specialist Adam Neiman will perform an all Liszt recital and Daniil Trifonov will be a Guest of Honour.

Note: Due to contractual obligations, none of Mr. Wunder’s performance can be presented here: The music heard in this video is performed by Claudio Arrau.

Look for Ingolf Wunder’s first solo CD to be released on Deutsche Grammophon in the spring of 2011.