Cowichan Classical Concerts

Tag: Chopin

  • Songs of Consolation for our Distracted Time

    Bruce Vogt, piano

    Sunday, November 2 at 2:30 pm

    Please note that this concert starts at 2:30

    “Now, as we find ourselves in a time of confusion, chaos and bitter enmity throughout the world, it seems all the more important to listen to music together.” ~ Bruce Vogt. It can be consoling to remind ourselves of our civilization’s many great cultural achievements – in music and in all the arts. 
    The music for this program was written in past ages of great turmoil –  the mid-17th century English Civil War period, the mid-19th century revolutionary period in Paris, the period of great political oppression in early 19th century Vienna. For Bruce, it is profoundly consoling to live among these works, and to have this opportunity to share them with others.

     

    Programme

    Two Early English Keyboard Works

    Goe From My Window — John Munday (c. 1560-1630)

    A sad pavan for these distracted times (1649)   — Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)

    Three French Keyboard Works

    L’Enharmonique. (c. 1728) — Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

    Les Cyclopes – Rondeau (c. 1731)  — Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

    Feuilles mortes (1911) — Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

    Three Works by Chopin

    Nocturne in G Major, opus 37 no. 2 (1839) — Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

    Mazurka in c# minor, opus 50 no. 3 (1842) — Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

    Nocturne in B Major, opus 62 no. 1 (1846) — Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)


    Sonata in Bb Major, Opus post. D960 (1828) — Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

    i. Molto moderato

    ii. Andante sostenuto

    iii. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza

    iv. Allegro, ma non troppo

    Background information

    Canadian pianist Bruce Vogt was born in southern Ontario but for the past 45 years has lived and worked in Victoria, BC where he has taught at the University of Victoria as Professor of Piano. As a soloist, he has appeared regularly in concerts within Canada and he tours yearly in many countries throughout Europe and Asia. His repertoire encompasses music from the sixteenth century to the present. In addition to having a special affinity for the music of Franz Liszt, he has performed on period instruments, and commissioned and premièred a number of new works.

    Because he sees teaching and working with young pianists and with piano teachers as an important commitment, he makes himself available as much as possible for master classes, workshops, festival adjudications, and lectures.

    In recent years, he has received many invitations in Canada and abroad to indulge another of his passions: improvising accompaniments to great films of the silent era. He has played for and lectured about films by Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Griffith, Murnau and others.

    “TECHNICAL PERFECTION PAIRED WITH EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVENESS … Compositions from Mozart, Chopin, Liszt resounded with seldom-heard perfection… What is apparent in his playing is the joy he takes in giving to others what he has so dazzlingly mastered…” – Usinger Anzeiger, ALTWEILNAU, GERMANY

    “RARE GRANDEUR … I have never heard [Liszt’s] Norma Fantasy played with such consummate largesse … I was mesmerized by Vogt’s sheer control. In Liszt’s Dante Sonata the structure of the work was never exposed and the final triumph of the piece rang from the piano with spine chilling inevitability.” – The Times, LONDON, ENGLAND

    “CONCERT OF THE YEAR … Splendidly subtle readings. Vogt made us listen to music that we might have missed, and some familiar items which we heard anew.” – Monday Magazine, VICTORIA, CANADA

    “A VIRTUOSO … the audience was literally enraptured.” – Le Républicain, PARIS, FRANCE

    ” … THOUGHTFUL AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING … The sophisticated yet ungimmicky presentation left the dry didacticism of lecture-recitals in the dust.” – The Globe and Mail, TORONTO, CANADA

    “MELANCHOLY MAGIC … Vogt’s concentrated pianistic command is to be respected along with his great empathy for poetic mood; he was able to draw from a great reserve of power without placing this power in the foreground.” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, FRANKFURT, GERMANY

  • A Sunday of Sonatas

    Kevin Ayesh, piano

    Sunday, March 9 at 2pm

    Not many pianists can say that they’ve performed in all 50 states of the USA, playing as many as 50 recitals per season! Dr. Kevin Ayesh maintains a busy schedule as performer, clinician, and adjudicator, and is the recipient of a long list of prizes and awards. He is well-known for presenting lecture-recitals on the music of American composer Robert Starer. His program will include a sonata by Starer, in addition to Beethoven and Chopin sonatas.
     

    Programme

    Sonata no. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22 — Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

    I. Allegro con brio

    II. Adagio con molta espressione

    III. Menuetto

    IV. Rondo: Allegretto

    Sonata No. 1 (1950) — Robert Starer (1924-2001)

    I. Allegro

    II. Andante cantabile

    III. Allegro frivolo

    Sonata no. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 — Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

    I. Allegro maestoso

    II. Scherzo: Molto vivace

    III. Largo

    IV. Finale: Presto, non tanto

    Background information

    Pianist Kevin Ayesh has presented concerts and master classes throughout the United States (he has performed in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia), as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.  As a North Carolina Visiting Artist for four years, he appeared before thousands across that state, performing as many as 50 recitals in a season. He has appeared as featured guest artist and clinician at the Lindlar International Piano Festival in Germany, the Star Valley Junior Music Festival in Wyoming, the Gene Marcus Piano Festival at Purdue University-Fort Wayne, the USA Piano Camp at the University of South Alabama, and the Dr. Sharyn Edwards Piano Festival in North Carolina. 

    Recent solo recitals include the Steinway Piano Galleries of Charlotte, NC, Greensboro, NC, and Greenville, SC, Silk Purse Arts Centre in West Vancouver, BC, Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Music Society in Waterloo, ON, St. Paul’s Concert Series in Yuma, AZ, Epiphany Tuesday Concert Series in Washington, DC, St. Paul’s Concert Series in Walnut Creek, CA, Candlelight Concert Series in Port Townsend, WA, Village Concert Series in Mount Pleasant, SC, Sundays at Four Concert Series in McCormick, SC, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, and the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery Chamber Series in Lindsborg, KS.

    Ayesh has appeared three times as concerto soloist with the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, twice with the Brevard Philharmonic Orchestra, twice with the Asheville Chamber Players, and also with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the Blue Ridge Orchestra, the 4 Seasons Chamber Orchestra, the Wichita Community Orchestra, and the Maryland Youth Symphony Orchestra, performing such concertos as Mozart’s K. 466, K. 467, and K. 488, Beethoven’s 2nd, 3rd, and Choral Fantasy, Brahms’ 1st, Rachmaninoff’s 2nd, Clara Schumann’s Op. 7, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Ayesh has presented numerous lecture-recitals of the piano music of American composer Robert Starer, and was one of 25 pianists selected worldwide to perform on a video memorial tribute to the legendary pianist Leon Fleisher.

    Ayesh is the recipient of many prizes, including the Naftzger Piano Award, Baltimore Music Club Award, and Winner of both the JCC Baltimore Piano Competition and the Maryland State Music Teachers’ Elizabeth R. Davis Memorial Piano Competition.  He has been a finalist in several national and international competitions, was awarded Second Prize at the Wideman International Piano Competition, and captured both Third Prize and Composer’s Prize at the New Orleans International Piano Competition. Ayesh has adjudicated Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) auditions for the state conventions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and has been a featured clinician at both the Georgia and South Carolina Music Educators Association state conventions. For 29 years, Ayesh served as head of the music department and Artistic Director of the Concert Series at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC (an All-Steinway School).  He currently teaches applied piano at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina.  A native of Wichita, Kansas, Ayesh received his Bachelor of Music degree with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin; his master’s and doctorate degrees are from the University of Maryland.  His teachers were Elinor Aiken, William Race, and Nelita True.

  • Piano de colores

    Angélica López-Arzate, piano

    Sunday, January 21 at 2pm

    THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT!

    A graduate of the National University of Mexico, Angélica now makes the Cowichan Valley her home. She naturally demonstrates a deep understanding of Latin-American rhythm, colour, texture, and interpretation, and has performed as soloist in Mexico, Bolivia, Cuba, USA and Canada. Angélica warmly invites her audience to explore international horizons with her through the music of Liszt, Chopin, Albéniz and Piazzolla, amongst others.

    Programme

    Danza Cubana No.7: La Siete — Mario Ruiz Armengol (1914—2002)
    Intermezzo No. 1 – Manuel Ponce (1882—1948)
    La Comparsa – Ernesto Lecuona (1895—1963)

    Trois Études de Concert, S. 144. No. 3: Un Sospiro – Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

    Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 – Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)

    Salsa Creek (BWV 847 “Salsa”) – Michael Schütz (1963– )

    Asturias (Leyenda) – Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)

    Andalucía – Ernesto Lecuona (1895—1963)
    Ante el Escorial – Ernesto Lecuona (1895—1963
    Malagueña – Ernesto Lecuona (1895—1963)

    2 Konzertetüden, S.145. No. 1: Waldesrauschen – Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

    Pan con Timba – Aldo López-Gavilán (1979– )

         

    Biography

    Angélica López-Arzate received her Bachelor´s degree in Music with honors from Mexico´s National University (UNAM) and her Master´s in Music from Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she was awarded as a Fellow of the Graduate Studies.
    She has received multiple awards in piano performance throughout her career and different scholarships to continue with her music education.
    As a soloist she has performed in different venues in Mexico, Cuba, Bolivia, USA, and Canada. She also has collaborated as a musical arranger, soloist pianist and accompanist with music producers in radio and TV channels. Angélica has broadened her musical horizons through composition and musical arrangements.
    Nowadays she is learning music production, and she is passionate about teaching music and composition with the aim of motivating the love to the music.

  • Ebony and Ivory

    Luke Welch – Sunday, June 11th at 2pm

    Toronto-based pianist Luke Welch returns to our concert series, presenting an exciting collection of works by Chopin and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Since his first public performance at age 7, Luke has performed extensively on the international stage, and in addition is highly sought after as both interdisciplinary collaborative pianist and pedagogue. We are pleased to welcome him back to our stage.

    Programme

    Scenes From An Imaginary Ballet, Op. 74 — Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 — 1912)

                      1. Molto vivace

                      2. Tempo di Minuetto

                      3. Andantino

                      4. Andantino

                      5. Vivacissimo

    Three Humoresques, Op. 31 — Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 — 1912)

    1. Presto

    2. Molto vivace

    3. Allegro assai

    Three-Fours Valse Suite, Op. 71 — Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 — 1912)

      1. Allegro molto

    2. Andante

    6. Allegro assai

    Mazurkas Op. 24 — Frédéric Chopin (1810—1849)

      1. Lento

    2. Allegro non troppo

    3. Moderato, con anima

    4. Moderato

    Nocturnes, Op. 27 — Frédéric Chopin (1810—1849)

      1. Larghetto

    2. Lento sostenuto

    Bolero, Op. 19 — Frédéric Chopin (1810—1849)

    Biography

    Award-winning Canadian pianist Luke Welch was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and grew up nearby in Mississauga.  He played his first public performance at age seven, and his early private piano teachers include Kyzysztof Jedrysik, Catherine Kuzeljevich, and John-Paul Bracey.  He later graduated from Western University in Canada with Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and completed additional graduate studies in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

    Welch has also participated in the classes of Jean-Bernard Pommier, Cecile Ousset, Dang Thai Son, Stephane Lemelin, André Laplante.  He has performed extensively on the international stage including appearances in Canada, United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and New Zealand.

    Highlight performances include recitals at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and Castletown House in Ireland.  He has also appeared at Music Mondays in Toronto, Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany, St. Andrew’s-on-the-Terrace in Wellington (New Zealand), the American Cathedral in Paris, and Waalse Kerk in Breda (Netherlands).

    Welch made his debut as soloist with Durham Chamber Orchestra in Toronto and has since collaborated with a number of orchestras including the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Mumbles Symphony Orchestra, Winchmore String Orchestra, Greenway Strings, York Chamber Ensemble, and Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra.

    In addition to his performance commitments, he has also been highly sought after as an interdisciplinary collaborative pianist.  He has worked closely with a number of renowned international academies and companies including Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dans Ateliers, Holland Dance Festival, Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory, Royal Conservatory of the Hague, Dutch National Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada.

    Welch’s recordings have received critical acclaim, and his performances have been broadcast on WQXR-FM in New York, KING-FM in Seattle, CBC Radio in Montreal, and Radio Classique.  In addition to his published writing in the Globe and Mail (including ‘Life as  Black Classical Pianist’, and ‘Black sopranos Othalie Graham, Audrey Dubois Harris and Measha Brueggergosman on inclusion and Black Lives Matter‘), La Scena Musicale Magazine, and WholeNote Magazine, he was named the 2018 recipient of the Harry Jerome Arts Award – distinguished with national recognition by the Black Business and Professional Association.

    Welch has taught in both Canada and Europe, and was appointed to the Faculty of Piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music Oscar Peterson Program in 2022.

  • The Meeks Duo: February 19th

    Be our Valentine – Sunday, February 19th at 2pm

    Married Vancouver-based pianists Scott Meek and Clare Yuan are The Meeks Duo, an acclaimed four-hands piano duo whose aim is to make every performance a uniquely enjoyable experience. Already well-established performers in Canada, Scott and Clare recently made their Asian debut with concerts in Japan and Taiwan, including at the prestigious Taiwan National Concert Hall. During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, they performed 22 weekly online concerts from their home from March to August 2020. Currently, they are very active as YouTubers, uploading new recordings every week since April 2021. 

    Programme

    Variations On Autumn Leaves (2020) — Joseph Kosma

    As Time Goes By — Herman Hupfeld/Ray Conniff

    The Way You Look Tonight — Jerome Kern/Ray Conniff

    Smoke Gets in Your Eyes — Jerome Kern/Igor Frolov

    Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree — L. R Brown/I. Levine

    Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso — Ennio Morricone

    The Man I Love — George Gershwin

    Fly Me To The Moon-light Sonata — Bart Howard/ Ludwig van Beethoven/Scott Meek

    Piano Concerto no. 1, 2nd mvt (Romance) — Frédéric Chopin

    Drinking Song from La Traviata — Giuseppe Verdi

    Romance from 2-piano Suite no. 2, op. 17 — Sergei Rachmaninov

    Coda from The Fairy’s Kiss — Igor Stravinsky

    The Lark — M. Glinka /M. Balakirev

    Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker — Pyotr Tchaikovsky

    Biographies

    The Meeks Duo

    Scott Meek maintains a busy schedule as an in-demand collaborative pianist and chamber musician. As a soloist, he has performed concertos with major orchestras in Canada, and is a top prizewinner in several national and international competitions in North America. Scott received a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University and also studied at the Oberlin Conservatory. His principal teachers were Menahem Pressler, Alvin Chow, and Carole Pollard.

    Clare Yuan runs a full studio of eager and talented students, who are inspired by her innovative teaching style and frequent performing opportunities. She has won scholarships and made her debut as a soloist in New York City, and as a conductor in Vancouver in 2013. Clare received a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She also studied at UBC and University of Victoria. Her principal teachers were Jane Coop, Arkady Aronov, Eva Solar-Kinderman, and Christine Eschman.

    Scott and Clare combined musical forces shortly after they got married in 2013. They love the unique closeness of two musicians sharing a single instrument, and are happy to share this love with you!

    The Meeks Duo is recognized for their groundbreaking inventiveness and uniquely diverse repertoire for piano duet. Their concert programs feature their own creative transformations of classical pieces into anything from Happy Birthday to Japanese pop, as well as standard duet repertoire and works by living composers. Scott and Clare entertain and inform with stories and anecdotes, and surprise with mid-performance antics, making each concert a memorable and unique experience for their audiences.

    The Meeks Duo has been publishing new videos every week on YouTube since March 2021. Using their home as a recording studio, Scott’s original new arrangements combined with Clare’s distinctive video editing make each video visually and aurally engaging. Their interview series The Meeks Talk features engaging conversations with musicians from across the world, and they have been featured as guests on several other YouTube channels. Their music has been played on CBC and Fairchild Radio, and their albums are available worldwide all streaming platforms. Keen on promoting living composers and arrangers, Clare and Scott have had several new works and arrangements written for them, and they often perform works by lesser-known and female composers.

    “A delightful, modest young couple with extraordinary talent!”
    — Frances Herzer, member of Halpern Committee for the Performing Arts at Brock House

  • May Ling Kwok: November 6th

    Grace Notes – Sunday, November 6th at 2pm

    May Ling Kwok teaches at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and the University of Victoria, and she is active as a teacher, adjudicator, and concert pianist. She has undertaken concert tours to many parts of the world and she is an audience favourite at Chemainus Classical Concerts.

    Programme

    Sonata in C major, K. 330 — W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)

    1. Allegro moderato

    2. Andante Cantabile

    3. Allegretto

    Sonata in F major, Op. 10 No. 2 — L. Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

    1. Allegro

    2. Allegretto

    3. Presto

    Barcarole Op.60 — F. Chopin (1810-1849)

    Sonata in A major, D. 664 — F. Schubert (1797-1828)

    1. Allegro moderato

    2. Andante

    3. Allegro

    Nocturne Op. 16, No. 41 — A. Paderewski (1860-1941)

    Ballade in G minor, Op. 23 — F. Chopin (1810-1849)

    Biography

    May Ling Kwok

    Graduating with distinction from the University of Victoria, May Ling Kwok first studied with Robin Wood at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and later continued her doctorate studies with the famed Hungarian pianist, György Sebők at Indiana University, USA, where she was awarded the distinguished Performer’s Certificate.

    She is very active as a performer, piano teacher and adjudicator. Concert tours have taken her to the United States, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia and Europe. She has appeared as soloist with the Victoria Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Moscow Philharmonic, Vladivostok Symphony Orchestra, the Slovakia Radio Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony.

    Also an accomplished chamber musician, she is a founding member of the McPherson Trio.

    May Ling Kwok’s discography to date are as follows:

    • Mozart Piano Concerti K. 466 and K. 595, Czech National Symphony Orchestra
    • Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
    • Schumann Piano Concerto, Slovakia Radio Symphony Orchestra
    • Mozart Piano Concerti K. 467 and K. 491, Czech National Symphony Orchestra
    • Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin: “Kreutzer” and “Spring”
    • Shostakovich and Arensky Piano Trio
    • Prokofiev Sonata for Violin and Piano