The Afiara Quartet appearance last fall in the first concert of the Music in the Afternoon 118th season, turns out to have been one of its last. An article in Musical Toronto says the quartet members are going separate ways this summer. In a review of that concert for the WMCT, Robin Elliott wrote “The Afiara String Quartet is celebrated for its performances of the Beethoven quartets, and so it is no surprise that on this occasion the players turned in a nuanced and beautifully realized interpretation….providing the richest musical experience right at the beginning” of the program.
The article describes the young ensemble’s view of the challenges and opportunities in the current musical environment which have led to their changes in direction.
WMCT Performers Nominated for 2016 Juno Awards The nominees for the 2016 Juno Awards have been announced, and, once again, the lists are packed with artists who have performed for Music in the Afternoon. In the category of Instrumental Album of the Year, two of the five nominees are WMCT alumni.
Jens Lindemann and Tommy Banks are nominated for “Legacy Live” – Jens played for Music in the Afternoon March 12, 2015. Also nominated is the Afiara Quartet, with Skratch Bastid, for the album “Spin Cycle” – the Afiara Quartet along with Caroline Léonardelli opened the 118th season last October. Three of the five nominees for Classical Album of the Year have played for the WMCT. Frequent performer and WMCT Career Development Award Winner (1991) James Ehnes is nominated for his album “Franck & Strauss: Violin Sonatas”. James has performed for the WMCT four times – on November 19, 1992; at the Centennial Celebration Concert on May 24, 1998; on December 6, 2007; and at the 115th Anniversary performance at Koerner Hall on May 2, 2013.
Nominated for a recording of “Liszt: Piano Sonatas & Sonnets” is Angela Hewitt who appeared on the WMCT stage first on December 5, 1985, and again at the WMCT Centennial Celebration Concert on May 24, 1998. Also nominated in this category is the Cecilia String Quartet, for their album “Mendelssohn, Op. 44, Nos. 1 & 2”. That group played for the WMCT on March 29, 2012, after winning the Banff International String Quartet Competition.
Carolyn Maule, Russell Braun, James Ehnes 115th Anniversary Concert
In the category of Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble, two of the five nominees have played for the WMCT. James Ehnes is nominated for the album “Vivaldi: Four Seasons” which he recorded with the Sydney Symphony. In addition, Stewart Goodyear is nominated for the album “Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3” which he recorded with the Czech National Symphony. Stewart appeared on the WMCT stage with James Ehnes on December 6, 2007.
Finally, in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance, Suzie Leblanc is among the performers on the nominated album “Peter-Anthony Togni: Responsio” recorded with Jeff Reilly, Andrea Ludwig, Charles Daniels and John Potter. Suzie sang for Music in the Afternoon on November 21, 2013 with Les Voix Humaines consort of viols. You can listen to their award-winning albums – but you can hear them live, first, on the WMCT stage – still, chamber music at its finest.
The Afiari String Quartet and Caroline Léonardelli concert recorded in Walter Hall on Thursday Oct. 15 will be broadcast on CBC Radio 2 (94.1 FM) *In Concert* this Sunday, Nov. 29 at approximately 12:45 pm.
“The Afiara String Quartet is celebrated for its performances of the Beethoven quartets, and so it is no surprise that on this occasion the players turned in a nuanced and beautifully realized interpretation.”
“…Léonardelli’s performance of both works was outstanding; she has made a fine recording of El Dorado in the chamber version and certainly makes a strong case for its merits.”
Timothy Kantor, Eric Wong, Caroline Léonardelli, Valerie Li, Adrian Fung
If you were in the audience for their participation in the Music in the Afternoon opening concert of the 118th season, you may have noticed a few missing page turns. If you were sitting close enough, you may have noticed the iPads on their music stands and the click pedals at their feet, as they read their parts from pdfs rather than paper for some of the pieces they performed – a première of a different sort for the WMCT.
The conveniences of this system for the touring musician are clear – your whole repertoire on one device whose battery you have remembered to charge, with copies in the hands of your fellow performers, and as many backups on thumbdrives as necessary for your peace of mind. So expect to see more e-ensembles in future.
In the recent Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Borromeo Quartet, a pioneer in this approach, performed their signature concert, the complete Bartok Quartet cycle in one evening, from electronically scanned full scores, with Apple computers on purpose-built stands! The Afiara, according to violist Eric Wong, are still flexible, using e-scores to advantage in rehearsal or performance, but relying on paper on occasion.
For harpists however, this future may be a long time coming. As explained by Erica Goodman, our Tuning Your Mind speaker, and in John Mayo’s notes, changing accidentals on their instrument requires constant footwork on seven pedals, each with three positions, leaving no toe free to tap the automatic page turner. So while the Afiara gazed at screens, Caroline Léonardelli played Grandjany’sRhapsodie from the original 1922 French publication, a fragile, yellowing print.
Afiara String Quartet cellist, Adrian Fung has just been named Vice-President of Innovation with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a new role in the TSO’s management team. Mr. Fung is a founding member of the Afiara String Quartet. The group, and CarolineLéonardelli will open Music in the Afternoon’s 118th season this Thursday, October 15.
The Afiara Quartet appearance last fall in the first concert of the Music in the Afternoon 118th season, turns out to have been one of its last. An article in Musical Toronto says the quartet members are going separate ways this summer. In a review of that concert for the WMCT, Robin Elliott wrote “The Afiara String Quartet is celebrated for its performances of the Beethoven quartets, and so it is no surprise that on this occasion the players turned in a nuanced and beautifully realized interpretation….providing the richest musical experience right at the beginning” of the program.
