Program :
Fr. Chopin - Nocturne no. 1 in b flat minor op. 9
Fr. Chopin - Nocturne no. 2 in E flat Major op. 9
Fr. Chopin - Nocturne no. 2 in F sharp Major op.15
Fr. Chopin - Nocturne no. 2 in D flat Major op. 27
Fr. Chopin - Nocturne no. 1 in c minor op. 48
Fr. Chopin - Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat Major op. 22
Fr. Chopin - Four Mazurkas op. 33 : no. 1 in g sharp minor, no. 2 in D Major, no. 3 in C Major, no. 4 in b minor
Fr. Chopin - Sonata no. 2 in b flat minor op. 35
Fr. Chopin - Polonaise in A flat Major “Heroic” op. 53
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He came, played and left. It was the coldest Chopin I've ever heard. He played two nocturnas, one polonaise and one sonata, almost without stopping. Just some short breaks to change the scores but nobody applauded. Some said he's a genius and he reinvented Chopin. Well, sorry, but at some point he lost me. .
... Romanian Atheneum Series "Chamber Music" Recital ELISABETHA LEONSKAIA .. Program:
Maurice Ravel - « Valses nobles et sentimentales » George Enescu - Sonate for piano f sharp minor op. 24 no. 1 (1924) Claude Debussy - « Preludes » - « Le vent dans la plaine » - « La fille aux cheveux de lin » (I) - « Feux d’artifice » (II) Frederic Chopin - Scherzo no. 1 h minor op. 20 - Scherzo no. 2 b minor op. 31 - Scherzo no. 3 c sharp minor op. 39 - Scherzo no. 4 E Major op. 54 ... ......This was a really beautiful program. And difficult as well. Mrs Leonskaia won the piano competition of the "George Enescu" Festival 45 years ago. She came back for the Festival 2 years ago, with a concert at the Palace Hall. Then she was scheduled to sing with the Philharmonic here in Bucharest, during the season, but she had some sort of injury. She was here but couldn't play. So this was a great opportunity to see her again. I enjoyed every second.
......There were a lot of people in the hall. Many more than for other concerts. There were 2 encores. Then the Minister of Culture offered her the "Cultural Order". Instead of words, she played another song. ... ......For decades now, Elisabeth Leonskaja has been among the most celebrated pianists of our time. In a world dominated by the media, Elisabeth Leonskaja has remained true to herself and to her music, and in doing so, is following in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era, such as David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, who never wavered in their focus on the quintessence of music despite working in a very difficult political environment. Her almost legendary modesty still makes her somewhat media-shy today. Yet as soon as she walks out on the stage, audiences can sense the force behind the fact that music is and always has been her life’s work. ......Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, to a Russian family, she was regarded as a child prodigy and gave her first concerts as early as age 11. Her exceptional talent soon brought her to study at the Moscow Conservatory. While still a student at the Conservatory, she won prizes in the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long and Queen Elizabeth international piano competitions. ......Elisabeth Leonskaja’s musical development was shaped or influenced to a decisive degree by her collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter. The master recognized her exceptional talent and fostered her development not only through teaching and giving her advice, but also by inviting her to play numerous duets with him. A memorable musical event! The musical partnership and personal friendship between Sviatoslav Richter and Elisabeth Leonskaja endured until Richter’s death in the year 1997. In 1978 Elisabeth Leonskaja left the Soviet Union and made her new home in Vienna. Her sensational performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1979 marked the beginning of her steadily blossoming career as a concert pianist in the west. ......Elisabeth Leonskaja has appeared as a soloist with virtually all the leading orchestras in the world, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestr London, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and many others, under the baton of such leading conductors as: Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Sanderling, Maris Jansons, Yuri Temirkanov and many others.
......In her adopted home, the Republic of Austria, Elisabeth Leonskaja’s outstanding achievements have also gained her great recognition. She has been made an Honorary Member of the Konzerthaus of Vienna. In 2006, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor, First Class, for her services to the cultural life of the country – the highest award of its kind in Austria.
......Today the "Lioness of the Keyboard" has matured into an exceptional pianist, one who is above emphasizing her virtuosity and who enjoys the warmest of receptions wherever she appears. (festivalenescu.ro) ...
... Palace Small Hall Series "Classical music in jazz arrangements" SWINGLE SINGERS ... Program: Corelli - Concerto Grosso No.8 Op. 6; I. & II. Movement - Arr. R. Eteson Mozart - Ouverture to “The Magic Flute” - Arr. B. Parry Gershwin - Fascinating Rhythm - Arr. A. L’Estrange Porter - It’s All Right With Me - Arr. W. Swingle J.S. Bach - Organ Fuge in E Minor BWV 578 - Arr. W. Swingle Chopin - Prelude in E Minor Op.28 No. 4 - Arr. J. Forbes Sting / F. Chopin - Until - Arr. K. Fox Trad. - Amazing Grace - Arr. J. Forbes C. Corea / J. Rodrigo – Spain - Arr. S. Stroman Q. Jones - Soul Bossa Nova - Arr. A. L’Estrange A. Piazzolla – Libertango - Arr. K. Erez W. Murphy - A Fifth of Beethoven - Arr. T. Hug Lennon/McCartney - Lady Madonna - Arr. C. Canning J.S. Bach - Air on a G String - Arr. J. Rathbone Lennon/McCartney - Ticket to Ride - Arr. A. L’Estrange Lennon/McCartney - Eleanor Rigby - Arr. K. Fox J. Mitchell - Both Sides Now - Arr. C. Wheeler A.C. Jobim – Surfboard - Arr. W. Swingle E. Satie - Gymnopedie No. 1 - Arr. W. Swingle Lambert, Hendricks, Lewis - It’s Sand, Man ! - Arr. W. Swingle Jarreau / Omartian - Boogie Down - Arr. P. Churchill .. And 3 encores ... Soprano: SARA BRIMER and JOANNA GOLDSMITH Alto: LUCY BAILEY and CLARE WHEELER Tenor: RICHARD ETESON and CHRISTOPHER JAY Bass: KEVIN FOX and TOBIAS HUG ... Sound Engineer: HUGH WALKER Musical Director: JOANNA GOLDSMITH
... ......I heard them some time ago. Somebody sent me a link on YouTube. It was The Flight of the Bumble Bee". I listened to it several times, not believing it was a capella.... ......They're 8 young people that tour the world filling up concert halls and making people that come to listen to them applaud till they sing again and again. Besides the great voices trained to sing everything, from classical music to jazz and pop, they're very happy, funny, know how to entertain the audience. Kevin and Tobi teached us how to make a drum-like sound with the mouth. They split the audience in 3. One part had to say "boo", one "kaa" and the third "ch". They made us sing and laugh, allowing their colleagues to rest. Who would have believed that Bach matches Beatles and Beethoven matches Sting? Their voices replace the instruments. Not only they sing, but also move on stage or dance in order to make everything more interesting. ... Listen to them singing Adagio by Albinoni, in 2008
......In the end of the concert they went to the lobby to meet the people, sell CDs and sign autographs. They're very friendly. I asked them some questions. A sort of mini interview. ... 1. What do you have for breakfast that makes you sing so well? Just cereals, said Sara laughing. 2. How many hours do you practice every day? 3 to 5, said Lucy. Always together? No. Also by ourselves. 3. Do you have another job? No, no time for something else. This is our job, said Lucy. 4. What's your background speaking of singing? We sung in choires, most of us, said Tobi, but each of us is trained to sing classical music, pop, jazz, a little bit from everything. 5. Who makes the arrangements of the songs? A lot of people, said Christopher. A lot of them are signed by Ward Swingle, the one who established the Swingle Singers. He's now 83, but still working. 6. Is it everywhere like it was this evening? No, said Johanna. We liked Romanians. They're warm and kind. And this Festival is great. We performed twice. It's our first time here but we loved every minute. 7. Why have you stopped? People kept cheering. My feet are hurting, said Johanna, pointing to her high heel shoes. But we would have no problem with you singing without shoes. Yes, sure. I'll try this next time. 8. Who's the boss here? Tobi, said Sara pointing to him. No, he is, said Tobi pointing to Kevin. No, we are all bosses, said Johanna. 9. Where are you going next? Germany, said Tobi. ... ......If they come near you, buy a ticket! You won't regret it. ... Johanna
Lucy, Tobi and Christopher Lucy, Sara and Johanna Sara Kevin ...... At some point Tobi said that the basses never get to sing solos. The sopranos do this, the tenors do it, but never the basses. So he declared this song "his moment". Dear Tobi, what follows is your moment in pictures. Clare and Johanna Richard and Christopher Clare Johanna Sara The Swingle Singers Clare and Sara Lucy and Clare Johanna had a speech. In Romanian. The words were written on that piece of paper. She thanked us and to the sound engineer, Hugh. Talking to the people, in the lobby hi, Lucy :)
