Concert 2 | Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 8 pm
sponsored by Evelyn and Aser Rothstein
Concert 3 | Monday, May 16, 2011 at 8 pm
sponsored by Gail and Gordon Lange
ROBERT SILVERMAN PLAYS BEETHOVEN SONATAS
Robert Silverman is simply one of the greatest Canadian pianists ever! Throughout his career, he has performed the big works, both solo and with orchestra, but after a lifetime of thought, he turned his attention to the monumental 32 Beethoven Pianos Sonatas, already recording the cycle once for OrpheumMasters, throwing in a recording of the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas more recently, and now embarking on another complete recording of the Beethoven cycle, and performing the sonatas throughout North America. We’re honoured to be able to present two recitals of Beethoven Sonatas at Guelph Musicfest. We will be treated to a level of pianism and musical insight that few achieve.
PROGRAMME ONE (Saturday)
Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”
Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28 “Pastorale”
Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54
Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”
PROGRAMME TWO (Monday)
Sonata No. 24 in F# Major, Op. 78
Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79
Sonata No. 26 in E flat Major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux"
Sonata No. 29 in B flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”
Robert Silverman Performs, Re-records Beethoven's Piano Sonatas... Stereophile magazine
Robert Silverman
In a career spanning more than five decades, Robert Silverman has climbed every peak of serious pianism: lauded performances of the complete sonata cycles by Beethoven and Mozart; concerts in prestigious halls across the globe; orchestral appearances with many of the world’s greatest conductors; and award-winning recordings distributed internationally.
Recognized as one of Canada’s premiere pianists, Robert Silverman has reached a level of musical and technical authority that can only be accomplished after years of deep commitment to the instrument and its vast literature. Many aspects of Silverman’s playing are frequently noted: a polished technique, an extraordinary range of tonal palette, an uncanny ability to sing his way into the heart of a phrase, and probing interpretations of the most complex works in the repertoire.
Following his eight-concert cycle of all thirty-two Beethoven sonatas, Robert Silverman embarked upon a four-concert series encompassing the complete sonatas of Mozart to commemorate the composer's 250 birthday in 2006. Performances of the cycles took place in numerous cities across North America, including Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Studio recordings of the complete Beethoven and Mozart sonatas have been preserved on multi-disc CD sets, and in the 2010-11 season, Mr. Silverman recorded a second album of the complete Beethoven sonatas. Mr. Silverman is one of only 6 pianists in history to record them more than once. He is also the only Canadian pianist to record both the Mozart and Beethoven sonata cycles.
The distinguished pianist has performed in concert halls throughout North America, Europe, the Far East and Australia. Under the batons of such renowned conductors as Seiji Ozawa, John Eliot Gardiner, Gerard Schwarz, Neeme Järvi, Sergiu Comissiona, Zdenek Macal, and the late Kiril Kondrashin, he has appeared with orchestras on three continents, including the Chicago Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, the BBC (London) Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, and every major orchestra in Canada.
Robert Silverman's discography includes over 30 CDs and a dozen LPs. His recording of Liszt's piano music received a Grand Prix du Disque from the Liszt Society of Budapest, while his widely- acclaimed 10-CD recording of all thirty-two Beethoven sonatas was short-listed for a Juno Award. An integral recording of all the Mozart Sonatas is scheduled for release in 2010. In 1998 Robert Silverman was named the first winner of the Paul de Hueck and Norman Wal ford Career Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry, administered by the Ontario Arts Council Foundation, in recognition of "his high level of artistry, his moving interpretations of a wide range of music...and his commitment and contribution to music in Canada."
Robert Silverman resides in Vancouver where he was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia for thirty years, served a 5-year term as Director of the School of Music in the 1990s, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2004. He now devotes himself full-time to concertizing and recording. He is frequently heard on the CBC English and French radio network; he plays Steinway pianos, and he has recorded for EMI, Stereophile, Marquis Classics, OrpheumMasters and CBC Records.
Silverman enjoys an enormous following on the internet, where the generous selection of his recordings has been heard by well over 30,000 listeners. Visit him online at www.robertsilverman.ca.
ORDER TICKETS NOW from Guelph Musicfest (payment by cheque only)
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NEW! Buy a Concert 1 or Beethoven Sonata Series E-ticket with your Visa or Mastercard (HST and service charge will be added, but single ticket prices are discounted by $2) |
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NEW! Buy a Concert 2 or Beethoven Sonata Series E-ticket with your Visa or Mastercard (HST and service charge will be added, but single ticket prices are discounted by $2) |
