Thank you's

The 2016-17 season concluded on a high note with a recital by Sergei Babayan. Please click the first link in News section to read Patrick May's comments about this concert in his blog.

It is now time to extend our deepest thanks to those whose support has helped our concert series a success. A huge thank you to all our subscribers, donors and single ticket buyers. Without your support we would be not able to continue our series. Thank you to members of our Board of Directors, who have worked hard behind the scenes. Thank you to our sponsor Tom Lee Music, for providing wonderful pianos for our artists, to Bob Bjerke for his countless hours spent tuning and regulating the pianos, and to Daniel Le Chocolat Belge for providing delectable chocolates for our post-concert receptions.
We also want to acknowledge the continued support of the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs, the Province of British Columbia and the Polish Consul. Last but certainly not least, we express gratitude to our graphic artist, Barbara Tevarotto, who as has done so much to define our society's visual identity.

The 2017-18 Season

All tickets have been sent to our subscribers in the last two weeks. We said in our recent newsletter that we have blocked off a certain number of tickets for our subscribers for events taking place at the Chan Centre and Christ Church Cathedral. However due to an increased demand for subscriptions this year, we can not keep them blocked off longer than until the end of June. If you are planning to renew your subscription, please do so this month. Otherwise we will not be able to guarantee good seats for you in the aforementioned venues.

Our box office this season is at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. To renew, please call the VCS at 604.871.4450. New subscribers can either call the Chan Centre box office at 604.822.2697 or the VCS 604.871.4450.

Janusz Olejniczak's recital

In our previous newsletter, we presented thoughts on Maria Pomianowska's special event. In this newsletter we want to say a few words about Olejniczak's concert, our first collaboration with Early Music Vancouver.

Many of you had probably watched the Oscar-winning movie 'The Pianist', based on the autobiographical book The Pianist, a memoir of World War II by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman. It goes without saying  that music, especially  the music of Chopin, plays an essential component in the narrative. The intensity of emotions triggered by the movie's many tragic scenes  demanded the artistry of a truly inspired musician.

It was not a coincidence that director Roman Polanski invited Janusz Olejniczak to record the soundtrack. Although a prizewinner at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1970 when he was only 18, Olejniczak never sought great fame and have always kept a low profile. Even then he has, over the years, built a reputation as one of the most insightful and idiomatic Chopin interpreters. Listening to his Chopin recordings, the listener can palpably sense the musicality of his phrases, an innate feel for Chopin's elusive  rubato, especially in the mazurkas, and a kind of naturalness only achievable by the greatest of artists.

Chopin’s music fascinates Janusz Olejniczak with what he describes as its ethereal, elusive character:
‘It’s like a bird of paradise, which keeps slipping through your hands. Only occasionally do you succeed in grasping its essence, in getting close to it. It offers limitless possibilities for interpretation, allows you to pursue continual work on your own aesthetic, on shaping your tastes, and to arrive at a different perspective on the same work – an individual and continually new approach. In Chopin’s music, there is something that makes you want to play the same passage differently every time, to sculpt the same phrase over again. When performing Chopin’s works, you need an integral conception. But I forge the final creative vision while playing. My humility with regard to Chopin prevents me from adopting a single version, from stating that a particular passage is absolutely the best in that very form. So I continually have to try again.’

Janusz Olejniczak made many great recordings on both modern and period instruments. When we decided to present our first concert on a period instrument, he was our first and natural choice. In Vancouver we have access to two instruments - a 1870 Broadwood and 1890 Erard. Careful examination revealed the Broadwood to be in better shape for performance. As an experinment, Olejniczak will play the first half of his concert on the Broadwood piano, and the second half on a modern Steinway. Come and experience this truly unique event.