Here’s your classical Hot Ticket for the week of April 23rd, brought to you by CBC Radio 2’s In Concert.
Hot Ticket #1: A Musical Feast in Kelowna
Who: Dale Barltrop, violin; David Harding, viola; Lorna McGhee, flute; Joy Branagan, French horn; Ian Parker, piano
What: Chamber works by Beethoven, Bruch and Brahms
When: Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna, BC
Who will be there: Chamber music aficionados with eclectic tastes.
Why you should go: To hear outstanding musicians – all with a Vancouver connection – perform an eclectic program of chamber masterworks. Dale Barltrop is the dashing concert master of the Vancouver Symphony while the terrific Joy Branagan occupies a chair in the horn section. Violist David Harding and flutist Lorna McGhee, the former principal flute of the BBC Philharmonic, form two-thirds of the acclaimed Trio Verlaine while pianist Ian Parker of the famous piano-playing Parker clan is enjoying a busy international career. This group of musical friends and colleagues has chosen a rich program that includes Brahms’ mighty Trio for Violin, French horn and Piano, a Chopin Nocturne and charming miniatures by Max Bruch along with two lovely Serenades by Reger and Beethoven and a brand new work by Vancouver composer Marcus Goddard.
Hot Ticket #2: Garrick Ohlsson plays Mozart in Ottawa
Who: National Arts Centre Orchestra conducted by Pinchas Zukerman with Garrick Ohlsson, piano
What: Music by Mozart and Haydn with one of the supreme virtuosos of our day
When: Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday April 26, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Southam Hall, National Arts Centre, Ottawa
Who will be there: Fans of a powerhouse pianist with a poetic soul.
Why you should go: Garrick Ohlsson is a big presence on the international concert scene and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest interpreters of the music of Chopin. But this American-born pianist is also a dab hand at Mozart and for this concert he joins Canada’s pre-eminent Mozart ensemble, led by music director Pinchas Zukerman, for a performance of the beguiling Piano Concerto No. 9, known as the “Jeunehomme”. Also on the program are Mozart’s Symphony No. 36, (“Linz”) and Haydn’s Symphony No. 70.
Hot Ticket #3: Bax/Chung Piano Duo does Debut Atlantic
Who: Lucille Chung and Alessio Bax, pianos
What: Music by Schubert, Brahms, Heather Schmidt and Piazzolla
When: Friday, April 27 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: First Church of the Nazarene, Moncton, New Brunswick
Who will be there: Anyone who wants to double their pleasure and double their fun.
Why you should go: Both Lucille Chung and Alessio Bax enjoy sizzling solo careers, so expect fireworks when this husband-and-wife duo come together for a two-piano, four-hands program. They met at a competition in 1997, becoming on-stage partners at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival in 2003. Since then they’ve established a reputation as one of the leading piano duos of the day and collaborate whenever their busy solo schedules permit. And it’s a great program – a smart, engaging work by Canada’s own Heather Schmidt, alongside Schubert’s gorgeous Fantasia in F and Piazzolla’s cheeky tangos. They’ll also be appearing in Grand Bay and Dartmouth as part of this Debut Atlantic tour, so check local listings for details.
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