March 4, 2019 – Janina Fialkowska High Note
Dear friends,
In partnership with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Second Polish Republic, led by pianist, Jan Paderewski.
We are proud to bring Janina Fialkowska back to our stage so soon after her stunning 2017 Virtuosi Concerts recital. One patron wrote, “At the end, everyone was smiling. I have never seen anything like it.”
Ms. Fialkowska has enchanted audiences for over forty years with her glorious lyrical sound. “There is something soulful about her artistry… her virtuosity is boggling… her musicianship transcends mere technical athleticism… the sound was always warm, generous and dazzlingly coloured… her playing is vibrant, daring, intellectually curious and continuously evolving… a dazzling display.” (Ottawa Citizen)
Here’s how Janina would describe tonight’s recital:
“The program I am playing tonight is, for me, pure nostalgia. Every piece in it is somehow connected to Paris, and Paris was the focal point of my musical life for my first 18 years. My first teachers (including my Mother) were all products of the French school and more specifically, they had all studied with Alfred Cortot, who dominated the Parisian piano-scene in the twenties and thirties.
When I was studying in Paris, Poulenc and Tailleferre were still very much alive and Fauré, Debussy and Ravel were still very much in the forefront of the Musical consciousness. Yvonne Lefébure , who was my teacher in Paris in the late sixties, had even worked the Ravel Sonatine with the composer himself .
The big changes came to Paris in the late sixties, but when I was living there, it was still in a sort of time warp and very much as it had been at the beginning of the century. The French works I am playing today are incredibly evocative of that special time in Parisian history.
The Mozart sonata was written in Paris; it is one of only two sonatas written in the minor key and is surely one of the most dramatic. The poor young man had just witnessed his mother’s death and had buried her in the French Capital.
I always include Chopin in my programs; I can’t help it. He fits in here beautifully because he was the principal influence of most of these composers, he was half French and lived in Paris for more than half of his adult life”.
Do not miss one of the world’s greatest pianists!
Young Artist Program
Emma Johnson
Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Emma Johnson holds an undergraduate degree in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, and is currently in the final year of her Masters of Music at the University of Manitoba. Throughout the past three years Emma has had the privilege to perform in productions throughout Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. As the recipient of the Rose Bowl trophy at the 2017 Winnipeg Music Festival, Emma performed as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for their 70th Anniversary Gala.
On Monday evening, Emma will open our concert with a rare treat– a beautiful and not often performed aria from Verdi’s Un giorno di Regno, “Ah! Non m’hanno ingannata… Grave a core innamorato.” Although this opera was written before what many would consider to be Verdi’s “French” period, this aria is a lovely way to jump into this fabulous evening of incredible music.
Megan Dufrat
Pianist Megan Dufrat is currently pursing her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at the Desautels Faculty of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Laura Loewen and Dr. Judy Kehler-Siebert, where she is the recipient of the prestigious Graduate Student Scholarship, and James B. Hartman Scholarship. Megan has been a featured performer in festivals across Canada including the Opera NUOVA Summer festival in Edmonton, Alberta and the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
See you on Monday Night!!
