Celebrated pianist Jacques Després takes the stage, Nov. 22
2006-11-16 16:15:54
SACKVILLE, NB — The Mount Allison Performing Arts Series welcomes music enthusiasts to Brunton Auditorium (134 Main Street) on Wednesday, November 22 at 8 p.m. for a performance by acclaimed pianist Jacques Després — a concert artist who has dazzled audiences for over two decades with his sensitive, yet powerful style and sympathetic interpretations of a broad range of composers.
A member of the faculty of music at the University of Alberta, Jacques Després has enjoyed a notable career as a leading lecture-performance artist on both period and modern instruments. Since his 1978 debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, he has performed throughout North America as a soloist and recitalist. A leading authority on piano performance and repertoire, he has been a frequent guest lecturer at music festivals and academic institutions world-wide. His impressive list of recordings include a widely praised release, on the Naxos label, of the complete keyboard works by Joseph Martin Kraus, and, on Arktos, a world première recording of The New Goldberg Variations, with cellist Tanya Prochazka.
The piano recital will open with two pieces from the Classical era: the playful Scherzo con Variazione, VB 189 (Kraus) and the easygoing and genial Sonata no. 15 in D major, Op. 28 (Beethoven), commonly known as the Pastorale. Two works by Romantic composer Robert Schumann — Papillons, Op. 2 and Fantasie, Op. 17 — conclude the concert program.
A piano masterclass led by Jacques Després, with students from the department of music, will take place in Brunton Auditorium on Tuesday, November 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. This presentation is free of charge, and members of the public are encouraged to attend.
The next event in the Performing Arts Series takes place on Friday, December 1, when Andrew Mah presents an evening of music for guitar in Brunton Auditorium. The Series continues in the New Year with the a cappella vocal band Cadence on February 10, and the Ballet Jörgen performance of Romeo & Juliet in Convocation Hall on March 3.
Single tickets for the Jacques Després piano recital are $25 for adults and $13 for students. Patrons can reserve their tickets in advance or simply come to the Brunton Auditorium box office on the evening of the performance. For more information, or to order tickets, please call 364-2662 (voice mail only), e-mail performarts@mta.ca, or visit the Performing Arts Series web site at www.mta.ca/departments/PerformingArts.
—30—