Bourgie Hall will be inaugurating its new concert grand piano—a Steinway Model D from Hamburg—with a series of four concerts at the start of November.
Montreal, October 16, 2023 – From Friday, November 3 to Sunday, November 5, enjoy a unique experience where pianists’ virtuosity reaches new heights with compositions created for this instrument of infinite possibilities! This must-attend event presents 8 recitals featuring the finest pianists in contemporary music, from both here and abroad: Moritz Ernst (Germany), Viktor Lazarov, Philippe Prud’homme, Erik Bertsch (Italy), Pamela Reimer, Daniel Áñez and Brigitte Poulin. At the heart of the programme is Sandeep Bhagwati’s Music of Crossings, a cycle of 36 short pieces presented in three recitals performed by internationally renowned pianist Moritz Ernst. The other 5 recitals…
Toronto, October 15, 2023 – Eric Guo, a fourth year BMus student at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School (GGS) was announced yesterday as the first prize winner of this competition held every five years in Warsaw by the prestigious Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Mr. Guo who studies with GGS faculty member David Louie and John Perry, performed Chopin’s Concerto in E minor on an 1842 Pleyel in the finals. In addition to his prize earnings, Mr. Guo, also an alumnus of The Royal Conservatory’s Taylor Academy studying with Li Wang and John O’Conor, will embark on a three-month, 10-concert tour…
Montreal, October 6, 2023 – The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is delighted to unveil the names of the eight outstanding members who will compose the international jury for Piano 2024, taking place from May 5 to 16, 2024. The First Round and Semifinal will be held at Salle Bourgie, and the Final will take place at the Maison symphonique on May 15 and 16, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Guest Conductor Xian Zhang. The internationally renowned jury members will bring a unique and invaluable expertise to our com-petition, attracting candidates of the highest…
Canadian Scenes: New Works for Oboe & Piano Charles Hamann, oboe; Frédéric Lacroix, piano Leaf Music, June 2023 Five works for oboe and piano were commissioned by oboist Charles Hamann for this album, which depicts various aspects of Canadian identity. In collaboration with pianist Frédéric Lacroix (who also wrote one of the pieces on the album), Hamann sought to capture various aspects of Canada’s landscapes, and asked each composer to write a piece using nature as an inspirational starting point. Over the course of the album’s genesis, changes in climate and environment impacted the way works panned out. In the…
Femmes de légende Élisabeth Pion, piano Atma Classique, May 2023 Quebec pianist Élisabeth Pion’s album opens with limpid, fluid and warm playing. A magnificent symbiosis between the pianist and the skilful writing of French composer Mélanie “Mel” Bonis (1858-1937), Femmes de légende reveals charm, colour and effervescence in both Pion’s playing and the repertoire itself. A pianist whose name has been on the Quebec and international music scene for some years now, Pion asserts her undeniable talent in this album. As its title suggests, Bonis’s work is inspired by literary and mythological heroines, and bears all the hallmarks of French…
Goldberg Variations Víkingur Ólafsson, piano Deutsche Grammophon, October 2023 This Icelandic pianist knows Johann Sebastian Bach like the back of his hand. In his latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, Víkingur Ólafsson tackles a work that is as revered as it is feared by young performers. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for almost 25 years, which is most of my life,” he confides at the launch. It took him 10 years to tame the Goldberg Variations and finally make this giant of the piano repertoire his own. For a long time, he aimed to find his own voice, his own…
Université de Montréal student Godwin Friesen was pleasantly surprised at the awards ceremony for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal’s Barbara Bronfman Prize. When the announcer revealed that Friesen was the first-prize winner, he said his “mouth dropped open.” This pianist’s genuine reaction stemmed from equally humble beginnings. Friesen grew up in an extremely musical household and was even part of a family band. From a young age, he was taught that music is about community, something he believes to this day. Indeed, he seeks “to be someone whose musical performances impact many people, inspiring change and hope.” A storyteller at…
Martha Argerich Live/ Volumes 13-17 Martha Argerich, piano DOREMI DHR-8201-12 For many years now, Jacob Harnoy has been producing a remarkable series of live Martha Argerich CDs on his label, DOREMI, and this latest batch includes one unforgettable performance after another. While Argerich has made dozens of recordings, mostly in-studio for Deutsche Grammophon, the Argentinian pianist is best appreciated live. Her electric live performances of the Chopin and Schumann concertos, conducted by Klaus Tennstedt (Volume 15), or the two-piano version of Ravel’s La Valse interpreted with the late Nelson Freire, recorded in Amsterdam in 1980, are a testament to this.…
Theme: Variation David Rogosin, piano Leaf Music, 2023 Released in March 2023 by Leaf Music, Theme: Variation features a selection of popular and lesser-known keyboard and piano variations performed by Mount Allison University professor David Rogosin. Beginning with works by late Renaissance/early baroque composers Orlando Gibbons and Jan Pieters Sweelinck, Rogosin moves through four centuries of music by composers such as Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Babbitt, rounding the album off with postmodern variations by Kevin Morse, a fellow Mount Allison professor. The opening chords reveal Rogosin to be a refined and articulate pianist, with a lovely touch and delicate…
