Autumn 1997 Instrumental Music Highlights

by Philip Anson

These are just some of this fall's instrumental highlights, grouped thematically according to instrument or ensemble. For complete listings, locations and phone numbers, consult our calendar in this issue or our Web page atwww.scena.org

PIANO: No shortage of great pianists in Montreal this fall. Of course the highlight will be Martha Argerich's return to the OSM: she'll tackle Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 on Oct. 20 and his Concerto No. 1 plus Bartók's Concerto No. 3 the following night. Also with the OSM: Cecile Licad plays Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 Sept. 23 &24. Horacio Gutiérrez plays Beethoven's fourth concerto Dec. 5 &6. Éva Csarnay plays Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition Sept. 23 and Canadian Janina Fialkowska plays a program of popular classics Sept. 30 &Oct. 2. Jean-Yves Thibaudet makes a single stop to play the Khachaturian Concerto Oct. 12 at 14H30. Canadian Angela Cheng joins the Orchestre Métropolitain for Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 Oct. 13. Vladimir Feltsman joins the Ladies' Morning Musical Club Nov. 2 at Pollack Hall. Van Cliburn finalist Nadia Cole plays at Centre Pierre-Péladeau Sept. 4. Lucille Chung joins l'Orchestre Symphonique de la Montérégie Oct. 2 for Brahms Concerto No. 1 (646-3890). At Old Montreal's Château Ramezay pianist Philippe Doss plays Sept. 28 and harpsichordist Martin Robidoux plays Nov. 30. The very special ambience of Laval's Maison des Jardins welcomes James Parker Oct. 18, Marc-André Hamelin Dec. 29 &31, and André Laplante Jan. 10. McGill Music Faculty inaugurates their brand new Steinway at Pollack Hall with more of the "Pour le piano" series: a recital by Louis-Philippe Pelletier, Michael McMahon and Eugene Plawutsky Sept. 24 (free); an all-Beethoven recital by Louis Lortie (his only solo recital in Montreal this year) Sept. 26 ($25/$15 students &seniors); and French contemporary music played by Bruce Mather Oct. 10 ($5). Tom Plaunt continues his splendid Schubert sonata cycle Oct. 28 at 20H at Pollack Hall ($5). The Debut Series presents pianist Angela Kim Jan. 25.

VIOLIN: Fall violin line-up at the MSO is headed by Joshua Bell's return for the Mendelssohn Concerto Oct. 14 &15.;Irresistible Siberian virtuoso Maxim Vengerov delivers the Beethoven Concerto Oct. 28 &29. Canadian Martin Beaver plays the Beethoven Concerto with the Orchestre Métropolitain Nov. 3. Beaver teams up with Scott St. John for Bach and Mozart duo string concertos with the McGill Chamber Orchestra Sept. 22 (487-5190). Venerable violinist Ida Haendel is joined by pianist Jonathan Feldman in a program of Brahms, Bach and Enescu Dec. 1 (Pro Musica: 845-0532). To preview a rising star, take in CBC Competition winner Judy Kang's Debut Series recital with pianist Corey Hamm Oct. 26. Debut Series recitals are free and start at 15H30 at the Chapelle du Bon Pasteur (872-5338).

CELLO: Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey is a Montreal favourite. On Dec. 2, 4 &5 he'll play the Schumann Concerto with the Orchestre Métropolitain (598-0870), then give a very special solo recital for the Ladies Morning Musical Club Dec. 7 (487-2822). For Slavic fireworks try cello dynamo Yegor Dyachkov playing Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 with the University of Montreal Orchestra Nov. 15 &22. I Musici director Yuli Turovsky solos with his group Oct. 16 in Bartók's Cello Rhapsody and an arrangement of Schubert's Sonata D. 821. At the OSM Guy Fouquet plays the cello solos in Strauss' Don Quixote Nov. 25 &26. Steven Isserlis plays Dvorák's Concerto Dec. 9 &10.;Chinese prodigy Han Na Chang tackles the Saint-Saëns Concerto Nov. 18 &20.

BAROQUE AND EARLY MUSIC FLOURISHES On Sept. 27 Quebec's premiere baroque ensemble Les Violons du Roy, fresh from their successful debut at New York's Mostly Mozart Festival, play a unique string transcription of Bach's Goldberg Variations at Salle Claude-Champagne, conducted by the transcriber, artistic director Bernard Labadie (see related article in this issue). On Nov. 29 they play excerpts from Vivaldi's L'estro armonico at Centre Pierre-Péladeau. Toronto-based Tafelmusik ensemble play Bach, Purcell and Handel Nov. 10 at Centre Pierre-Péladeau (987-6919). L'Ensemble Claude-Gervais sing and dance medieval tunes in costume for Hallowe'en at Laval's Maison des Jardins Oct. 31 (629-1572). The authentic instrument Arion Ensemble gives a Bach and Telemann Concert Oct. 31, Nov.1 &2; and a viola da gamba program Dec. 19 &21 (355-1825). The medieval music of L'Ensemble Anonymus will be heard Dec. 10 at the Maison de la culture Frontenac as they launch their new disc on the Analekta label, "Tempus Festorum - Musiques du temps des fętes au Moyen Age." Les Boréades, a period instrument ensemble founded in 1991, presents a concert of Dutch music Oct. 10, a German program Nov. 27, and an English program Jan. 30. All take place at the Chapelle St-Louis of l'Eglise St-Jean Baptiste at 20H15 (259-5114 or 281-6744). Concerts in the ninth Festival de Musique Ancienne du Domaine Cataraqui will take place Sept. 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21 &24 in Sillery, five minutes from Quebec City (418-681-3010). The viola da gamba duo Les Voix humaines gives a free Sons et Brioches concert at 11H Sept. 28.

CHAMBER MUSIC: I Musici continues its popular Rush Hour series (now with added matinees) with Mozart &Borodin Sept. 11 &12, Scandinavian music Oct. 9 &10, Concerti grossi by Handel and Corelli Nov. 27 &28, Elgar &Ysa˙e Jan. 22 &23, at Ogilvy's Tudor Hall, Thursdays at 11H and Thursdays and Fridays at 17H45. The Ladies' Morning Musical Club welcomes the Takacs Quartet Sept. 28, Wiener Klaviertrio Oct. 19, Trio Pennetier-Pasquier-Pidoux Nov. 23 at Pollack Hall 15H30. Musicamerata celebrates Brahms' centennial Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 29 & Dec. 13 at Redpath Hall, 20H (489-8713). Thanks to Pro Musica (845-0532), the Swiss Carmina Quartet appears Nov. 10 at Théâtre Maisonneuve. The CBC/McGill Series offers the Montreal Symphony's first chairs playing chamber music by Poulenc Sept. 25 at Pollack Hall ($12/$8. Tel: 398-4547). The brass quintet Impact opens the Place des Arts' Sons et Brioches series with a free concert Sept. 7 at 14H (n.b. no food served). In the same series 11H Dec. 7 the Arthur Leblanc Quartet. The Montreal Chamber Orchestra celebrates Canada Oct. 23 and Brazil Dec. 11 both 20H at Pollack Hall. Trios by Schumann, Haydn and Mendelssohn played by Marie Fabi, Anne Robert and Annie Gadebois Sept. 27; MSO flute wizard Tim Hutchins and pianist Janet Creaser Dec. 13, both at La Maison des Jardins. The Debut Series presents the McGill students' Quartet Euterpe Nov. 30.

MODERN: Twentieth century music buffs mark Nov. 14 on the calendar. The Nouvel Ensemble Moderne's Biennale '97 launches a two-week smorgasbord of concerts and lectures at the Université de Montréal and the Chapelle du Bon Pasteur, this year featuring the latest Scandinavian music, in the presence of composers Ivo Nilsson, Bengt Hambraeus, and Jukka Tiensu (343-5962). McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble Oct. 7 ($5) and Percussion Ensemble Oct. 31 at Pollack Hall (free). The MSO plays works by Blacher Dec. 9 &10 MacMillan Jan. 6 &7 Hetu Oct. 28 &29; Schulman Nov. 11 &12 Britten Jan. 13 &14; Liebermann Nov. 26; and Hovhaness Oct.12.

SYMPHONY: The Montreal Symphony plays Beethoven No. 4 Sept. 24, Beethoven No. 6 Sept. 23 &24; Dvorak 9 Sept. 28; Holst's Planets Oct. 14 &5; Sibelius 3 Oct. 28 &29; Prokofiev 7 Nov. 18 &20; Brahms 1 Dec. 5 &6; and Schubert 8 Dec.10. The MSO's Mahler cycle continues with No. 10 Dec. 9 &10 No. 5 Jan. 6 &7; No. 7 Jan. 27 &28; and No. 6 Feb. 3 &4. The Orchestre Métropolitain plays Brahms No. 2 Oct. 13; Mendelssohn and Elgar Nov. 3; Schubert 8 and Schumann 2 Dec.2. The McGill Symphony plays at the Theâtre St-Denis 19H30 Sept.16. At Pollack Hall under Tim Vernon, the McGill Symphony plays Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with violinist Yehonaton Berick and cellist Antonio Lysy Oct. 3 &4 at 20H. Tim Vernon conducts an all-American program Nov. 7 &8. McGill Wind Symphony plays Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms &Varese Oct. 24 and Strauss &Weill Dec. 2 (all non-student McGill concerts now $5). The University of Montreal Orchestra plays Gershwin Oct. 4 and Tiensu &Sibelius Nov. 15 &22. The U of M Grande Fanfare Classique plays Respighi's Pines of Rome, Prokofiev, and other modern works Oct. 14.