The internationally lauded Borealis String Quartet will perform a very special Sunday matinée with The Bergmann Piano Duo featuring an exciting and energetic programme, “Bohemian Sounds,” at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on Sunday afternoon, March 25, starting at 2 p.m.
BSQ is made up of violinists Patricia Shih, Yuel Yawney and Nikita Pogrebnov and cellist Sungyong Lim. They will be performing a program with Marcel and Elizabeth Bergmann that will include Imant Raminsh’s lyrical and harmonious String Quartet No. 3, Antonin Dvorak’s romantic and spirited Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81, with pianist Marcel Bergmann, and Bergmann’s own fiery version of Astor Piazzolla’s tangos, Milonga del Angel and Libertango, for a piano duet and string quartet that will leave the audience invigorated.
“Raminsh’s String Quartet No. 3 was written especially for the Borealis String Quartet,” says BSQ’s violinist, Yuel Yawney. “It is inspiring to have the opportunity to discover the voice of the composer. We love the process of exploring the music together and experimenting in search of new sonorities and colours.”
Pianist and composer Marcel Bergmann adds, “Dvorak’s Piano Quintet Op. 81 is one of the great masterpieces of the romantic chamber literature and has been among my favourite personal music discoveries. Piazzolla’s tangos are also an unusual combination of string quartet and two pianos,” says Bergmann. “The beautiful, melancholic atmosphere of the Milongo del Angel is a contrast to the lively and driving ostinato-rhythms of the famous Libertango.”
The Borealis String Quartet is one of the most dynamic and exciting world-class ensembles of its generation. Founded in Vancouver in 2000, they have received international critical acclaim as an ensemble praised for its fiery performances, passionate style, and refined, musical interpretation. With multiple awards and rave critical acclaim, this innovative and coveted quartet have sold out performances around the world including New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Rome, Mainz, Shanghai, Taipei, Beijing, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.
Their stellar reputation has garnered invitations to perform at the Aboriginal Pavilion at the 2010 Winter Olympics, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as well as the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin.
They continue to tour North America, Europe and Asia extensively and are also frequently seen and heard on CBC and other stations across North America and Asia. www.borealisstringquartet.com
The Bergmann Piano Duo, described as artists who present “razzle-dazzle” and “electrifyingly rendered” recitals, have touched and inspired audiences with their uniquely eclectic programs for more than two decades. As international prize winners, including the Dranoff International Two Piano Competition and Provincia di Caltanisetta International Chamber Music Competition, they have performed in recital and with orchestras in North America and Europe including recent appearances at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and in Munich in 2013. In a recent performance at the Salkind Duo Piano Festival, the Bergmann Duo “opened with a lush reading of the Ravel reductions of Nuages and Fetes from the orchestral Nocturnes by Debussy. Rich with colors and textures, the glorious scene was presented with attention to the most minute and delicate details of the work.” (The San Francisco Classical Voice). www.bergmannduo.com
Tickets are $32, and are available at the Cowichan Ticket Centre, 2687 James St. or by phone 250-748-7529 or online at cowichanpac.ca.