23rd Kuressaare Chamber Music Days
August 1 - 5, 2017
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Tuesday, August 1st 2017 at 7 pm
Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St 6)
OPENING CONCERT
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Andres Paas (piano) & Quatuor Varèse: François Galichet (violin), Julie Gehan (violin), Sylvain Séailles (viola), Thomas Ravez (cello) France
Programme:
Ludvig van Beethoven - String Quartet No 13 op 130, Grosse fuge op 133
Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartet No 1 op 25 G Minor
Kuressaare Chamber Music Days have become an important national-cultural music event in Estonia that attracts many professional musicians as well as the audience.
"Thanks to the excellent taste in music, and the communication skills of Andres Paas - the artistic director of this old-established event - the festival hosts professional high-level musicians and artists each year." (E. Seegel, magazine Muusika 2016, nr 8/9).
Laureate of numerous cultural prizes, Andres Paas will continue this beautiful tradition also this year by performing in the opening concert of the festival. This time his partners on stage are the members of French quartet Quatuor Varèse together with whom they will perform the concert´s main piece of music - Brahms´ Piano Quartet No. 1. One of the late string quartets op. 130 with Große Fuge, op. 133 by Beethoven will be performed in the first part of the concert.
Having received several prizes in many renowned international music competitions, the Quatuor Varèse won the hearts of the festival audience already last year when their debut in Kuressaare created a touching and special musical ambience.
Wednesday, August 2nd 2017 at 9 pm
Kuressaare Castle (Lossihoov 1)
VISIONS
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Eos Guitar Quartet: David Sautter, Michael Winkler, Julio Azcano, Marcel Ege Switzerland
Programme:
Bizet. Kindle. Brouwer. de Falla. Sautter. Ege.
As "One of the world´s best guitar quartets" (Leo Brouwer, Cuban composer), the Eos Guitar Quartet has been casting a spell over their fans for over 25 years. The quartet was founded in 1985 by four music students who studied together at the Music Academy in Zurich. Three of the establishing members still play in the quartet. In 2013, they were joined by young Argentinian guitar player Julio Azcano.
The ensemble has released six CDs, they have had numerous concerts in many countries and they have performed in renowned music festivals, such as Yehudi Menuhin festival in Switzerland, Ludwigsburg festival in Germany, and they have also performed in television and radio.
Whether it´s classical, jazz, rock, modern avant-garde or flamenco - the Eos Guitar Quartet is comfortable playing in many styles. They have arranged music for four guitars, but also several composers have composed original works for the Eos Guitar Quartet.
Thanks to their high professional level of performing music, and their concert activity, the four guitarists from Switzerland have won the respect and enthusiasm of critics and audience alike.
Thursday, August 3rd 2017 at 7 pm
Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St 6)
FANTASIES
Zoltán Fejérvári´s piano recital
Zoltán Fejérvári (piano) Hungary
Kavas:
Johann Sebastian Bach - English Suite G Minor BWV 808
Bela Bartók - Dance suite
Clude Debussy - Suite Bergamasque
Zoltán Kodály - Dances of Marosszék
The tradition of piano concerts will this time be continued by a brilliant young Hungarian pianist Zoltán Fejérvári. This young musician has appeared in recitals throughout Europe and the United States in such prestigious venues as Carnegie´s Hall in New York, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Gasteig in Munich, the Palau de Música in Valencia, the Biblioteca Nacional de Buenos Aires, etc. He has performed as a soloist with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Hungarian National Orchestra, the Verbier Festival and Concerto Budapest Orchestras among others, under such conductors as Iván Fischer, Zoltán Kocsis, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi. Zoltán Fejérvári is the laureate of several music competitions: he was second prize winner both at the James Mottram International Piano Competition and the Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition and obtained first prize in Cantu at the International Competition for Piano and Orchestra. He has just won first prize in renowned Montreal International Piano Competition.
Zoltán Fejérvári is a passionate chamber musician. He has collaborated with both the Keller and Kodály Quartets and has worked with such musicians as Gary Hoffman, Cristoph Richter, Radovan Vlatkovic, Ivan Monighetti, Frans Helmerson, and others. He has also recorded both solo and chamber music.
In collaboration with the Hungarian Institute
Thursday, August 3rd 2017 at 10 pm
Kuressaare St. Laurence Church (Tallinna St 13)
CANTABILE
Vocal Ensemble - The London Quartet United Kingdom
Richard Bryan (countertenor)
Christopher O´Gorman (tenor)
Mark Fleming (tenor)
Michael Steffan (bass)
Programme:
Tallis. Batten. Byrd. Arbeau. Lennon. McCartney. Offenbach. Shanklin. Brahms. Newman etc.
"Our favourite group of a cappella virtuosi" (BBC Radio 4)
"One of the finest vocal groups in Europe" (Classic FM)
The only vocal music concert of this festival will be given by one of the finest vocal ensembles from England - The London Quartet. They have a very full and varied schedule which has taken them all over the world - from the United States to South Africa to Southeast Asia and the Far East. Their itinerary has taken them to such distant places as Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hawaii and Tahiti. They have sung in the most prestigious venues for the most prestigious clientèle, including Buckingham Palace for Her Majesty the Queen. The London Quartet has appeared in a huge variety of venues, singing programmes encompassing early polyphony through to jazz and contemporary music. They have released eighteen albums, all of which have been highly acclaimed by music critics. Their last CD Songs of Love and War, on the Champs Hill Records label, was nominated for a CARA award in the United States.
Friday, August 4th 2017 at 9 pm
Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St 6)
EXOTIC PROMENADES
Flamenco performance "Noches de Flamenco" Spain
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Cristina Rivero & Mariano Cruceta (dancers)
Josefa Gómez (vocal)
José Luis Montón (guitar)
Hot flamenco rhythms will pulsate again in the tender August night in Kuressaare. In the flamenco show Noches de Flamenco Spain´s best flamenco artists will perform a traditional repertoire that ranges from tientos-tangos to bulerias. It is a spontaneous, artistically free style show full of energy, brimming over with joy and passion and allowing for improvisation and veracity of the artists and performers. The audience´s imagination is captivated by the passion of the song, the intensity of the dance and the sound of the guitar being played to the beat of clapping hands. The best aspects of flamenco are displayed in this show, reflecting all the different feelings of human soul.
In collaboration with the Spanish Embassy
Saturday, August 5th 2017 at 7 pm
Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St 6)
FINALE: Balkan Soul
Estonian Sinfonietta Soloists
Programme:
Kazandjiev. Maistorovici. Skalkottas. Bartók. Gypsy music.
This year´s festival finale will see Estonian Sinfonietta playing Balkan music. It is an orchestra connecting creatively active musicians. They have played together for years and performed in the known European concert halls like Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Philharmonics of Cologne and St Petersburg, Flagey and Bozar of Brussels as well as at many festivals - Ars Musica in Belgium, Festival Internazionale Pianistico di Brescia e Bergamo, Mittelfest and Festival Emilia Romagna in Italy, Iitti Music Festival in Finland and Musikfest Kreuth am Tegernsee in Germany.
Performing together has taken the musicians to tours in Europe, South-America, Middle East and to many Estonian music festivals.
The concert program includes hot-tempered Balkan music - this unique concert tonality holds expressive music interpretation inspired by Balkan ethno music and the restless soul of the people of these countries. Come and find it out how convincingly can the musicians from Estonian Sinfonietta turn into passionate gypsy violin players!