Tag: Lafayette String Quartet

Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets

Octet Gives Twice the Sonic Pleasure!

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets
Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets

Review by Jim Leonard

October 26th’s NOCCA concert began with Angela Zeng; a 14 year old grade 9 student at Kalamalka S.S. and a member of the OSYO since the age of 9. She showed confidence and skill as she produced a large bold tone on her cello for three unaccompanied Bach pieces – Prelude, Saraband and Gigue. Pianist Alex MacArthur joined her as piano accompanist for a lively Tarantella. She has come far after only 7 years of study.

The combination of the Lafayette and Saguenay String Quartets proved to be a very successful venture. Their sound was very rich and full, never harsh even in the loudest sections.

First on the programme was the octet by Danish composer Niels Gade (1817-1890). Gade was influenced by Danish folk tunes and an older contemporary, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). The four movement String Octet in F op.17 may have been a tribute to Gade’s friend and mentor Mendelssohn.It was played with great precision and energy. Incidentally, an Octet isn’t just an expansion of a quartet. It changes texture randomly from any number of parts up to and including eight different parts. There were solos which randomly appeared in any of the parts. They were all brilliantly played.

The String Octet in G minor “The Letter” by Airat Ichmouratov (1973- ) was a type of tone poem following the story of a woman of poor birth and exceptional beauty, who spent her childhood living close to a well off older man and eventually falling in love with him. After an encounter with him she conceived a son who died in childhood.The letter describing her unrequited love is delivered to the child’s father after her death.This piece was commissioned by the Saguenay Quartet and based on Stefan Zweig’s novella “Letter from an Unknown Woman”. It was full of anguished and rich harmonies appropriate to the story, but the long intro by one of the cellists before the piece disturbed the flow of the evening, and what he said was stated in the program anyways.

Actually at this point I would like to mention that there were too many announcements before and during the program- plus a presentation. All this added a half hour down time to the evening and detracted from the flow of the concert. After intermission, The String Octet in Eb major op.20, written by the 16 year old Felix Mendelssohn, was presented. The playing of this piece was excellent but this reviewer (through no fault of the performers) found the first movement overly long, maybe a young man trying to show off his skills? The next 3 movements were brilliantly played, bringing the evening to a sparkling ending.There was no encore, but the audience seemed satisfied with the bountiful musical offering from this stunning group.

The next NOCCA concert is on Sunday December 1, 2019 at 7:30 pm and will feature the Sords-Severn-Duvall Trio performing Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel and Severn. More information at nocca.ca.

Review by Jim Leonard for the Vernon Morning Star.

Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets

Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets – Saturday October 26, 2019

by SillyGilly, posted in Concert
Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets
Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets

Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets
Saturday October 26, 2019 7:30 pm
BUY TICKETS

Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets – These two internationally acclaimed quartets amalgamate to perform three sophisticated and sparkling string octets by Danish Niels Gade, Canadian Airat Ichmouratov, and Felix Mendelssohn’s masterful String Octet in E Flat Major. This is musical dialogue and communication at its most sensitive and compelling.

The Saguenay String Quartet (formerly known as the Alcan Quartet) -violinists Laura Andriani and Nathalie Camus, violist Luc Beauchemin, and cellist David Ellis. The Saguenay String Quartet has developed a reputation for excellence throughout Canada and internationally since its formation in 1989. The Quartet’s originality, contagious enthusiasm, unique sonority, and remarkable cohesion have all contributed to its long-term success. The ensemble’s list of accomplishments is impressive: 1,000 concerts; over 100 live radio broadcasts, numerous television appearances; tours throughout North America, Europe, Asia; and a number of commissioned pieces and first performances.

The Quartet’s recent tours have led the Quartet to Italy, France, the United States, Asia and all over Canada. Its last visit to the Lanaudière Festival, accompanied by pianist Alain Lefèvre, was hailed by more than 6,000 people and welcomed by enthusiastic critics. This concert was also awarded the Opus Prize for the concert of the year by the Conseil québécois de la musique, as well as a Félix (Adisq) prize for the recording of the same André Mathieu repertoire.

Another cornerstone in the Quartet’s history, is the release of its highly anticipated Complete cycle of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. In addition to its performing career, the Quartet is regularly invited to teach and conduct master classes at universities, conservatories, and summer chamber music institutes both in Quebec and abroad. The Saguenay String Quartet is based in Chicoutimi, Québec, where it receives the unconditional support of the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay.  Saguenay Quartet

The Lafayette String Quartet – violinists Ann Elliott-Goldschmidt and Sharon Stanis, violist Joanna Hood, and cellist Pamela Highbaugh Aloni. In July 1986, these four young musicians, based in Detroit and just beginning their professional careers, performed together for the first time as the Lafayette String Quartet. Today the LSQ continues to flourish with its original personnel. The members of the Lafayette String Quartet divide their time between entertaining audiences all over North America and Europe and teaching some of Canada’s finest young string players. Their residency at the University of Victoria is rich in local performances and community involvement. Their concerts in Canada and abroad are hailed as “Passionate, riveting, and with flawless ensemble.”

The LSQ’s extraordinary musicianship was recognized early on. Already in 1988, it was ranked among the magazine Musical America’s “Young Artists to Watch,” and in its first years it won the Grand prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and prizes at the Portsmouth (now City of London) International String Quartet Competition, and the Chicago Discovery Competition. As winners of the 1988 Cleveland String Quartet Competition, the LSQ had the opportunity to study for two years with the Cleveland Quartet at the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York.

In 1991, the four women became artists-in-residence at the University of Victoria’s School of Music, in British Columbia—positions they still hold today. They received honorary doctorates from University Canada West and were honored with the inaugural Craigdarroch Award for Excellence in Artistic Expression in 2010 from the University of Victoria.

The LSQ has performed across Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe, with concerts often allied with masterclasses and workshops. They often collaborate with other string quartets including the Saguenay (Alcan), the New Zealand, the Penderecki, the Molinari, the Emily Carr, and the Quarteto Latinoamericano. Lafayette String Quartet

The concert will be opened by cellist Angela Zeng, a student attending Kalamalka Secondary School. She has been playing cello for 7 years and studies with Morna Howie at the Vernon Community Music School. Angela has been playing with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra since she was 9 years old and has been playing lots of chamber music with family and friends at local senior centres. Angela earned runner-up in BC Provincial Festival String Junior A category in 2017, and first place in Junior B in 2018. Recently she was invited to audition for the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Concert Program:

Neils W. Gade (1817-1890) String Octet in F major Op. 17
Airat Ichmouratov (1973- ) Spring Octet in G minor “The Letter” Op. 56
Intermission
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) String Octet in E flat major Op. 20

Click on the image/link below to view a video of the Saguenay String Quartet (formerly known as the Alcan Quartet):

Click on the image/link below to view a video of the Lafayette String Quartet:

SINGLE CONCERT TICKETS
Adults – $40  Under 18 – $20
Students on the 8to12 program – $5

Purchase tickets at:

TICKET SELLER
Phone: (250) 549-SHOW (7469)
E-mail: boxoffice@ticketseller.ca

– or –

Visit The Performing Arts Centre Foyer
3800-34th Street, Vernon
All concerts are held in the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.