Geoffrey Newman

Bramwell Tovey Takes on the Masterpieces in His Farewell Year

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CanadaCanada Elgar – The Dream of Gerontius: Anthony Dean Griffey (tenor), Susan Platts (mezzo-soprano), Nathan Berg (baritone), UBC University Singers & Choral Union (dir. Graeme Langager), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra / Bramwell Tovey (conductor), Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, 6.11.2017. (GN)

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Bramwell Tovey conducts The Dream of Gerontius © Matthew Baird

Shostakovich, Higdon: Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra / Bramwell Tovey (conductor), Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, 28.10.2017.

Shostakovich – Symphony No.10 in E minor Op.93
Higdon – Percussion Concerto

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A Charming Mix of Piano Competition Winners

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CanadaCanada Beethoven, Schubert, Granados, Liszt: Zhang Zuo (piano), Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver, 15.10.2017. (GN)

Beethoven – 32 Variations in C minor, WoO80
Schubert – Sonata in C minor D958
Granados – Goyesca No.1 ‘Los Requiebros’
Liszt – ‘Vallée d’Obermann’ from Années de pèlerinage: Suisse; Rhapsodie Espagnole

Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt: George Li (piano), Chan Centre, Vancouver, 22.10.2017.

Haydn – Sonata in B minor Hob.XVI:32 L.47
Chopin – Sonata No.2 in B flat minor Op.35
Rachmaninoff – Variations on a Theme of Corelli Op.42
Liszt – Consolation No.3 in D flat major S.172; Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 S.244/2

George-Li-photo-credit-SimonFowler
George Li (c) Simon Fowler

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Boston Early Music Explores the Bounty of Steffani

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CanadaCanada Steffani, Corbetta, Frescobaldi, Handel: BEMF Vocal Ensemble [Amanda Forsythe and Emőke Baráth (sopranos), Colin Balzer (tenor), Christian Immler (bass-baritone)]; BEMF Chamber Ensemble [Stephen Stubbs (theorbo/baroque guitar), Maxine Eilander (harp), Michael Sponseller (harpsichord), Erin Headley (viola da gamba)], Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, 29 September 2017. (GN)

Boston Early Music Festival Vocal and Chamber Ensemble © Jan Gates
Boston Early Music Festival Vocal and Chamber Ensemble © Jan Gates

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A Rich VSO Season Opener Awakens Fond Memories

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CanadaCanada Tovey, Adams, Tchaikovsky: Australian String Quartet [Dale Barltrop and Francesca Hiew (violins), Stephen King (viola), Sharon Grigoryan (cello)], Vancouver Symphony Orchestra / Bramwell Tovey (conductor), Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, 23.9.2017. (GN)

Australian String Quartet © Matthew Baird
Australian String Quartet © Matthew Baird

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JIŘÍ BĔLOHLÁVEK (1946-2017) AND THE CZECH CONDUCTING LEGACY

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Jiří Bělohlávek and the Czech Conducting Legacy

Jiří Bělohlávek (c) Petra Hajská

One mourns the recent passing of Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek (24 February 1946 – 31 May 2017) not only because he was a wonderfully discerning musician, but also because he perpetuated a conducting legacy that linked back to the great Czech composers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

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