GREAT ROMANTICS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
2010 SCHEDULE
Alan Walker, Founder and Artistic Director of the Great Romantics Festival, has announced the schedule for this year's event, which takes place at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from Thursday, October 7 through Saturday, October 9. Titled "Ovations," this year's
GRF is dedicated to the bicentennial celebrations of two of the great romantic composers: Fryderyk Chopin (1810 - 1849) and Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856).
Here is the most recent schedule of the Festival's main events.
THURSDAY, October 7
9.30 Opening Session
Dr. Keith Kinder, Director of the School of the Arts, McMaster University
10.00 Lecture: Mark Ainley
"Schumann: The Poet of the Piano"
11.00 Piano Recital: Louis Nagel
All-Schumann program including Widmung (Schumann-Liszt), Papillons, and Fantasy in C major
14.00 Organ Recital: Ian Sadler
Reger: Toccata in D minor; Brahms: Chorale Prelude on "Herzlich tut mich verlangen"; Mendelssohn: Prelude & Fugue in C minor; Schumann: Sketch in D-flat Major; Liszt: Fantasia & Fugue on "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam" (from Meyerbeer's opera, Le Prophète)
15.00 Lieder Recital: Janet Obermeyer (soprano) and Leslie De'ath (piano)
Liszt: Im Rhein im schönen Strome (Heine), O quand je dors (Hugo), and Mignon's Lied (Goethe); Mendelssohn: Neue Liebe (Heine), Frühlingslied (Friederike Robert), and Auf Flügeln des Gesänges (Heine); Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben
20.00 Concert: National Academy Orchestra
Boris Brott (conductor) and Valerie Tryon (piano)
Liszt: Symphonic Poem "Les Préludes"; Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor;
Liszt: Totentanz; Schumann: "Manfred" Overture
FRIDAY, October 8
10:00 Piano Recital: by Miriam Gomez Moran
Chopin-Liszt: Two Polish Songs (Meine Freuden ["My Joys") and Mädchens Wünsch
["The Maiden's Wish"]); Liszt: Two Pieces from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses
("Andante lagrimoso" and "Cantique d'Amour"), and Grand Solo de Concert (1849)
11.00 Lieder Recital: Lenard Whiting (tenor) and Brett Kingsbury (piano)
Brahms: Die Mainacht and Botschaft; Schumann: Dein Angesicht, Lehn’ deine Wang’, Es leuchtet meine Liebe, and Mein Wagen rollet langsam; Mendelssohn: Four Songs (Der Tag, Reiterlied, Abschied, and Der Bettler); Schumann: Dichterliebe
14.00 Lecture-demonstration: William Aide (piano)
"Regarding Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen"
15.00 Chamber Music Concert: Stephen Pierre (clarinet), Mark Skazinetsky (violin I),
Jayne Maddison (violin II), Chau Luk (viola), and Jack Mendelssohn (cello)
Wagner (attributed): Adagio for Clarinet Quintet and Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor
20.00 Piano Recital: Lukas Vondracek (First Prize winner, 2010 Hilton Head International
Piano Competition)
Grieg: Four Lyric Pieces (Heimweh [Homesickness], Takk [Gratitude], Bekken [Brooklet], For dine føtter [At your feet]); Mendelssohn: Variations sérieuses; Smetana: Three Czech Dances; Chopin: Four Waltzes (C-sharp minor, A-flat Major, A minor, and F Major); Chopin: Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Rachmaninov: Five Etudes-Tableaux, op. 33 (F minor, E-flat minor, E-flat Major, G minor, and C-sharp minor)
SATURDAY, October 9
10.00 Violin and Piano Recital: José Cueto (violin) and Nancy Roldán (piano)
Strauss: Sonata in E-flat Major; Brahms: Sonata in D minor; Kreisler-Rachmaninov: Liebesleid ("Love's Sorrow") and Liebesfreud ("Love's Joy")
11.00 Lecture/demonstration: Donald Manildi (piano)
"Chopin: The Voice of the Piano)
14.30 Piano Gala: Homage to Fryderyk Chopin - "Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!" - Schumann
The Complete Etudes, Op. 10
Nos. 1-4 -- Matthew Cameron (USA)
Nos. 5-8 -- José Ramos Santana (Puerto Rico/USA)
Nos. 9-12 -- Valerie Tryon (Britain/Canada)
Trois nouvelles Etudes (Op. posth.) Miriam Gomez Moran (Spain)
The Complete Etudes, Op. 25
Nos. 1-4 -- William Aide (Canada)
Nos. 5-8 -- Steven Spooner (USA)
Nos. 9-12 -- Alexei Gulenko (Canada/Moldova)
19.30 Festival Banquet
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Alan Walker, Founder and Artistic Director
Jacqueline, Templeton-Muir Festival Coordinator
Dominique Caplier, Programme notes editor
Peggy Findlay, Liaison Officer
Ken Gee, Webmaster
Larisa Gulenko, Liaison Officer
Cole Holland, Transportation Officer
Elaine Rusk, Publishing and Advertising
Colleen Vanderelst, MacNab Church representative
Graham Young, Festival ambassador
Carla Zabek, Festival ambassador
Mark Zurowski, Toronto representative
Please check the GRF website for details as they develop.