We are dedicating this performance of exquisite string music to the artistry of Geoff Nuttall, a brilliant internationally acclaimed musician, teacher and artist who grew up in London and sadly passed away all too soon last October.
As a co-founder of the world renowned St. Lawrence String Quartet, one of Canada's foremost performing ensembles, Geoff was an extraordinary string player who had an incredible impact on his colleagues and the next generation of classical musicians. Three musicians who worked with Geoff over the course of his career will share how he affected their lives in unique ways.
* * *
Matthias Maute, Guest Conductor
During a particularly turbulent period in his life, Piotr Tchaikovsky lived in Florence. The profound effect this time of personal discovery had on him can be heard in the intimate, elegant lines of the Serenade for Strings, completed upon his return to Russia.
Tchaikovsky’s graceful lines owe much to the influence of Mozart, about whom he wrote, “I love every sonata of his precisely because it is his–because this musical Christ has touched it with his radiant hand.” In an act of anachronistic reunion, we pair the Tchaikovsky Serenade with Mozart’s String Quartet No. 8 arranged for string orchestra.
As a counterpoint to the European urbanity of these two pieces, Western University professor Paul Frehner’s Mojave Dreaming invokes the solitude, mystery, and wildness of summer nights in the Mojave Desert.
Program:
Mojave Dreaming by Paul Frehner
String Quartet No. 8 in F Major, K. 168 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arranged for string orchestra)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Advance Tickets: Premium $68, Regular $50, Student $20 plus handling fees & HST
Door Tickets: Premium $85, Regular $60, Student $25 handling fees & HST included
Children under 12 accompanied by an Adult - FREE (ticket required)
Secondary & Post Secondary Students - use coupon code Student2223X to attend FREE (must show valid student card at door)