Early Music Vancouver (EMV) presents Goldberg Variations – Angela Hewitt, on March 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. GRAMMY Award-winning Angela Hewitt has captivated listeners around the world with her dazzling musicianship and stunning virtuosity. For this highly-anticipated concert, Hewitt will perform on a modern Fazioli grand piano as part of EMV's ongoing ‘Goldberg Experience’, in which artists from various traditions interpret the ‘Variations’ from their own unique perspectives and on different instruments.
“Angela Hewitt is a Canadian national treasure and considered to be among the world’s reigning interpreters of Bach’s repertoire for solo keyboard,” says Matthew White, Executive and Artistic Director of Early Music Vancouver. “It is an honour to include an artist of Angela’s stature as part of EMV’s ongoing ‘Goldberg Experience’. Our exploration of this work began with an exciting but controversial performance by American jazz pianist Dan Tepfer, who included his own improvisations before each of the original ‘Variations’. Our second guest in this series was Deutsche Grammophone recording artist, Mahan Esfahani, who played on a French double-manual harpsichord built in Vancouver by Craig Tomlinson. For our third guest, we thought it made sense to invite Angela Hewitt, one of Canada's most celebrated pianists, to perform these works on a modern grand piano.”
The ‘Goldberg Variations’ were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1741, and have since become some of the most recognizable works in the classical music repertoire. “In the ‘Goldberg Variations’, Bach developed a theme and stretched its infinite possibilities, manipulating it over and over, but in a new and clever way each time. It is, at times, deceptively simple and charming. There are also sections that are technically exceedingly difficult, requiring a flurry of notes performed with ease. This work continues to remain one of the pinnacle high points of Bach’s works and continues to fascinate pianists and scholars today,” says Angela Hewitt. She adds, “We might ask ourselves why this work has such an enormous effect on us, as I believe it does. It is certainly one of the most therapeutic pieces of music in that we always feel better for having listened to it. The beauty, joy and fulfillment that Bach shares with us are powerful healers and give us momentarily the sense of completeness we seek.”
In addition to sharing Hewitt’s performance of the ‘Goldberg Variations’, Early Music Vancouver also looks forward to announcing their captivating 2018-19 Season at the beginning of this concert at the Chan Centre.
Early Music Vancouver presents Goldberg Variations – Angela Hewitt
Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 7:30pm
Pre-Concert Talk: 6:45pm with Angela Hewitt and Ian Alexander, hosted by EMV’s
Executive & Artistic Director Matthew White
Address: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Ticket Prices: From $18
Box Office: earlymusic.bc.ca or 604-822-2697
Website: earlymusic.bc.ca
Image credit: Keith Saunders