2010-11 Friday Masters

2010-11 Friday Masters

The music at the foundation of the orchestral repertoire, the music of the titans, the heart and soul of classical music.

Stay after the show for Afterthoughts, our popular and casual post-concert reception where you can meet the conductors and soloists, and gain insight into the performance.

Subscriptions are no longer available for the Friday Masters series. If you are interested in attending several performances, check out our Sampler Pass.

Thank you to our Friday Masters series sponsor, Lexus of Edmonton. lexus of edmonton
  • October 15, 2010, 7:30 pm
  • Fialkowska plays Chopin
  • Estonian conductor Anu Tali conducts Arvo Pärt’s shimmering and contemplative Fourth Symphony. Janina Fialkowska, one of Canada’s most revered pianists, performs Chopin’s First Piano Concerto in celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth. The light-hearted overture to Hector Berlioz’ comic opera based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is pure musical delight.
  • November 12, 2010, 7:30 pm
  • Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
  • A feast of music spanning four centuries, from Handel’s regal suite celebrating the end of war, to Malcolm Forsyth’s moving musical response to 9/11, and John Estacio’s evocative and colorful musical depiction of Alberta’s northern lights. Violin virtuoso Elmar Oliveira, winner of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1978, performs two masterworks – one baroque and one romantic – in this, his long-overdue ESO debut.
  • February 25, 2011, 7:30 pm
  • Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony
  • This evening of orchestral masterworks brings together titans from the 17th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Henry Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary II is one of the most influential scores of its kind, and inspired generations of composers with its bold innovations. Originally dedicated to Napoleon, Beethoven’s great Third Symphony is one of the towering masterpieces of music, breathtaking even today for its breadth and power. Bill Eddins plays the notoriously challenging featured piano part in Leonard Bernstein’s fiery and dramatic Second Symphony “Age of Anxiety”.
  • March 25, 2011, 7:30 pm
  • Duruflé’s Requiem
  • The magic of the human voice is highlighted in one of the greatest French choral works. Duruflé’s tender and poignant Requiem, is brought to life in the rarely-heard version for full orchestra, organ, choir, and soloist. Mezzo-soprano Anita Krause is featured in Respighi's Il tramonto. Tenor Bonaventura Bottone performs Britten’s haunting setting of French texts.
  • April 29, 2011, 7:30 pm
  • Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto
  • He’s been astounding audiences since his 1995 win at the All Japan Blind Students Music Competition – at the age of seven. Nobuyuki Tsujii makes his Canadian debut with Rachmaninoff’s beloved Second Piano Concerto. Popular guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni leads the orchestra through Shostakovich’s triumphant Fifth Symphony, and a riveting new work by the young Canadian composer Nicolas Gilbert.
  • June 17, 2011, 7:30 pm
  • Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé
  • The Masters series closes with Maurice Ravel’s vivacious Rapsodie espagnole and his rapturous ballet Daphnis et Chloé, music that is unparalleled in orchestral wizardry and brilliance. Falla’s fragrant and sensuous work for piano and orchestra is highlighted by Bill Eddins performing as piano soloist.