2013-2014 Season - Amati Quartet

Reaching for new heights of creative achievement, the Amati Quartet
embarks on the Olympian challenge of performing the complete
Beethoven cycle – 16 string quartets in 6 concerts. Beethoven
composed music that strained the sonic boundaries and pushed
form beyond the recognized limits of the times. The string quartets of
Beethoven inspire musicians to surpass even their own expectations of
themselves. The ultimate goal of every string quartet is to complete the
cycle – a celebration of the composer, the music, and the musicians.
The six concert cycle begins in 2014 on January 11 and March 22.
January 11, 2014
Third Avenue United Church at 2pm and 7:30pm
October 14, 2013
Third Avenue United Church at 2pm and 7:30pm
March 1, 2014
Knox Metropolitan Church, 2340 Victoria Avenue, Regina
at 7:30pm. Tickets sold at the door
GUEST ARTISTS:
Arthur Boan – violin, William Boan – violin, Heather Wilson - viola,
Hans Deason – cello, Joel MacDonald - cello, Renée de Moissac –
harpsichord
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major
The Six Brandenburg concertos, composed by Johann Sebastian
Bach, reflect the unfortunate musical realities of the time – that
composers were at the mercy of the aristocracy. These concertos
were written as a musical résumé or job application to the Margrave
of Brandenburg even though Bach was in the service of Prince
Leopold of Anhalt-Cohen at the time. Bach was not rewarded with
a job, a fee, or even a performance of the works. It appears that the
score was never used, and at the time of the Margrave’s death was
sold for a pittance. Thankfully, the music survives as some of the
most unique concertos in the string repertoire.
Vivaldi - Concerto for Four Violins in B minor
Vivaldi’s Op. 3 “L’estro Armonico”, published in 1711, was reprinted
many times and performed throughout Europe. It was the most
popular and perhaps the most influential music publication of
the 18th century. Bach was so impressed with this work that he
arranged it as a concerto for four solo harpsichords so that he and
his sons could play it at their Leipzig coffee-house concerts. Four
dueling violins exchange scintillating conversation in the Concerto
for Four Violins.
Mendelssohn - Octet in E flat Major, Op. 20
Mendelssohn’s Octet was composed in 1825, at the age of 16, as
a birthday present to a close friend. Each of the eight voices is
distinct and important, preserving the independent voices of true
chamber music. The quick tempos are a dazzling specimen of
Mendelssohn’s ‘elfin’ scherzo style, which was a forerunner to his “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” composed one year later.
Beethoven - String Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 127
Beethoven - String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1
Beethoven - String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3
February 15, 2014
Third Avenue United Church at 2pm and 7:30pm
Haydn - String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33, No. 1
The Amati Quartet continues their journey through all 83 of
Haydn’s string quartets by including Op. 33, No. 1 in this program.
Mozart - String Quartet No. 21 in D major, KV 575
Mozart’s last three quartets were composed during tough times
in the life of Mozart and his wife Constanza. Both were extremely
ill, mourning the death of his father, and in a desperate financial
situation. However, the joyful String Quartet in D major K.575
does not reflect Mozart’s personal circumstances at that time. The
uplifting music features the cello in a dominant role in order to
please the excellent cellist King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, who
commissioned Mozart’s final set of quartets.
Dvorak - String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, Op. 9
One of Dvorak’s rarely heard quartets, but one that should be on
everyone’s desert island list is the fifth quartet in F minor. Dvorak
thought so highly of this composition that he reused the slow
movement in his Romance for solo violin and orchestra– one of his
most elegant and hauntingly beautiful melodies.
March 22, 2014
Third Avenue United Church at 2pm and 7:30pm
THE BEETHOVEN CYCLE – CONCERT NO. 2
Beethoven - String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 74, ‘The Harp’
Beethoven - String Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2
Beethoven - String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Concert Location:
Third Avenue United Church is located across the street from City
Hall, at 304 Third Avenue North on the corner of 3rd Avenue North
and 24th Street.
Ticket Information
$30 adult / $25 senior (65+) / $15 student
includes GST and service fee
Tickets are available at the door one hour before performances and
online through the Persephone Theatre box office under “Other Events”.
www.persephonetheatre.org
Credit card, debit card, cheque or cash accepted.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are available through the Persephone Theatre box office:
Address: Remai Arts Centre
100 Spadina Crescent East
Saskatoon SK S7K 0L3
Phone: 306-384-7727
Email: [email protected]
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm
Subscriber Benefits:
• Reserve your tickets for all four 2013-2014 performances
• Receive a discount of 10% (must purchase tickets for all four dates)
• Subscribers are given first priority and may purchase tickets before
they are offered to the general public
• Subscribers receive assigned seating for all concerts
• Includes ticket insurance: lost tickets will be replaced at no extra cost
Parking
Free parking at all downtown meters on Saturday evenings. Free
parking in the lot beside the church on Saturdays. When the funeral
chapel is not being used there is also free parking available at Park
Funeral Chapel, 311 - 3rd Avenue.
Concession
Hot, cold, and alcoholic beverages will be available in the basement of
the church hall during intermission.
2013-2014 Season
Fine Dining at The Ivy
Patrons who show their concert tickets on the same days as the
performance will receive a two-for-one discount for appetizers at
The Ivy Dining and Lounge located at 301 Ontario Avenue.
Call 306-384-4444 for reservations.
No refunds given. Tickets for afternoon and evening concerts can be exchanged
up to 24 hours in advance of concert times for the same performance date only.
Artists, repertoire and dates subject to change.
amatiquartet.usask.ca
Marla Cole I Violin
Rudolf Sternadel I Violin
Geoff Cole I Viola
Terence Sturge I Cello
The University of Saskatchewan Amati Quartet performs on seventeenth century instruments
This Season’s Guest Artists
crafted by the Amati family of Cremona, Italy, and collected by the late Stephen Kolbinson, one of
Saskatchewan’s first homesteaders. The quartet of instruments (two violins, a viola and a cello) is
unique to Canada, and one of only three sets in the world. In 1959, the collector sold the instruments
to the University of Saskatchewan with the deep desire that these rare gems be shared with the
The opening concert of the 2013 – 2014 season features brilliant
young local musicians as soloists: Arthur Boan (violin), William Boan
(violin), Hans Deason (cello), Joel MacDonald (cello), and Heather
Wilson (viola), as well as renowned harpsichordist Renée De Moissac.
This special holiday concert on Thanksgiving Monday, October 14th,
includes the famous Mendelssohn Octet, Brandenburg Concertos #3
and #6, and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins.
ARTHUR BOAN
HANS DEASON
people of Saskatchewan. Appointed by former U of S President Peter MacKinnon in August 2003, the
members of the Amati Quartet are honored to both represent the University of Saskatchewan and to
bring to fruition the dreams of the visionary collector, Stephen Kolbinson.
The Amati Quartet made its
international debut in 2005
with four concerts in Holland
during the Amati 500th Festival
celebrating the anniversary of the
birth of Andrea Amati. The quartet
delighted audiences in Rome and
Cremona, Italy in 2006: `Great
applause from a huge crowd for
the Canadian Amati Quartet’ (La
Provincia, Italy).
The Amati Quartet performed
for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
Philip in front of eleven thousand
spectators at the Lieutenant
Governor’s Celebration of the
Arts Gala held in honor of
Saskatchewan’s 100th anniversary,
and were honored to perform
as guest artists with the Saskatoon
Symphony Orchestra celebrating
the 75th anniversary of the
SSO. They have given premier
performances of commissioned
string quartets and have been
recorded and broadcast by
CBC radio.
Now in its eleventh season,
the Amati Quartet continues to
champion the music of Joseph
Haydn, the creator of the string
quartet genre, while rejoicing in all
of the vast and rich repertoire for
the string quartet, and indulging in
diverse chamber music repertoire
with guest performers.
violin
WILLIAM BOAN
violin
HEATHER WILSON
viola
cello
JOEL MACDONALD
cello
RENÉE DE MOISSAC
harpsichord