January 11, 2020 – Trio Saint-Laurent
Dear music-lover,
Wecome to the first Virtuosi Concert of 2020, with the exciting TRIO SAINT-LAURENT creating an inspired “Hommage à Schumann”.
This ensemble has an unusual combination of instruments, and their players have an unusual love of storytelling. As they will explain herein and at their concert, their programme has a strongly personal cast as well. When we asked how their “Hommage” came about, here is what they wrote:
“Interestingly, instead of being inspired by the chamber music works of Schumann (an obvious starting point), our programme “Hommage à Schumann” was built entirely out of Marina’s singular desire to perform a work by another composer, Gyorgy Kurtag’s Hommage à Robert Schumann! In fact, Trio Saint-Laurent practically exists for the same reason. Since hearing it many years ago, Marina had been focused on finding the right musicians that would be willing to put the work into bringing this music to life.
This piece is Schumann-distilled, concentrated then magnified — an almost-theatrical imagining of dialogue and movement, featuring recurring characters of Schumann’s music — as told through the fragmented, stark, unflinchingly raw and emotional voice of Kurtág. We are thrilled each time we have the opportunity to present this music to audiences for the first time; each performance is new and mysterious to us.
After having committed to this work, it seemed natural (something old, something new…) that we would include the very first trio for these instruments, Mozart’s Kegelstatt, and of course, to present Schumann’s own work for this grouping. Schumann’s Trio is directly inspired by fairy tales (which tales, he never revealed), and it’s telling that his only other work for viola was another collection of fairy-tale pieces.
We are also privileged to be presenting John Burge’s Dedication, a work commissioned by Phil specifically for this tour with Prairie Debut. John unabashedly draws its main theme and rhythmic energy from the famous Widmung, perhaps Schumann’s most popular lied. Phil had just finished recording a wonderful set of music written by John (Twenty-Four Preludes for Solo Piano), and when Phil approached him for this commission, John gladly accepted and offered the work as a thank-you. Trio Saint-Laurent is grateful for John’s generosity.” (Trio Saint-Laurent)
To get into the right frame of mind before the concert, CLICK HERE to listen to Schumann’s Op.132
Enjoy this Hommage to one of the greatest and most influential composers of the Romantic era.
Young Artist Program
Praised as a “sophisticated artist” with a “gorgeous voice” and “stratospheric vocals” (Winnipeg Free Press), soprano Katherine Mayba is an exciting artist in the opera scene. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, she has performed with Manitoba Underground Opera as Ilia (Idomeneo) and Amore (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Manitoba Opera (Carmen, Susannah, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Madama Butterfly), Opera NUOVA as Titania (The Fairy Queen), HSOF as Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) and has made regular appearances with Flipside Opera. She has also performed as a soloist with the WSO, joining them last season on their Holiday Tour, and through the Orville J. Derraugh Scholarship Competition. She has competed in the Winnipeg Music Festival winning several awards including the Rose Bowl. She has participated in the Ukrainian Art Song Project, and continues to promote these works in recital. Katherine studies at the University of Manitoba and is a student of Tracy Dahl. A multidisciplinary musician, she holds her ARCT Performance Diploma in Voice, Piano and Violin from The Royal Conservatory of Music.
LISTEN TO CLASSIC 107's DIAMOND LANE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AT 4:00 PM FOR CHRIS WOLF'S INTERVIEW WITH TRIO SAINT LAURENT.
