Pianist Natsuki Hiratsuka will take advantage of the circumstances to introduce us to two musical works. She will play a duet with her mother, who lives in Boston. She will also share with us a short moment from the concert she gave with her husband in September 2019.
Montreal duo Park Sounds will perform the musical piece Tagh to Crucifixion by Tigran Mansurian. Essentially an arrangement of a traditional Armenian sacred song, this work is a sincere encounter between contemporary art and popular tradition.
Natsuki Hiratsuka the pianist will share two pieces with us. She will play a duet with her mother, who lives in Boston. She will also share a short moment of the concert with her husband given in September 2019.
The Montreal duo Park Sounds will present the piece Tagh to Crucifixion by Tigran Mansurian. Essentially an arrangement of a traditional Armenian sacred song, this work is a sincere encounter between contemporary art and popular tradition. Written for the Armenian-American violinist Kim Kashkashian and the percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky, it is the first in the Mansurian collection of pieces for viola and percussion, entitled Lied und Gebilde, whose style varies from traditional transcriptions to contemporary compositions.
Dance Suite for 2 pianos
Composed by Roh Ogura (1916-1990)
Performed by Hisako Hiratsuka (piano) and Natsuki Hiratsuka (piano)
Kreuzigungstagh / Tagh to Crucifixion
Composed by Tigran Mansurian (Armenia, 1998)
Performed by Park Sounds (Jennifer Thiessen, viola / Ben Reimer, percussion)
Pianist Natsuki Hiratsuka has been described as “A pianist of great skills and sensitivity” by La Scena Musicale, while Fanfare Magazine writes “She evinces a special sensitivity to the haunting sonorities…” . She has performed in solo and chamber music recitals in Boston, San Francisco, England, Japan, Canada, France and Costa Rica. Her recording of Szymanowski and Shostakovich violin sonatas as well as Lekeu and Franck violin sonatas with violinist Frédéric Bednarz on Metis-Islands Record received rave reviews. Her most recent recording with the music of Giya Kancheli, « Sunny Night », was released in March 2019.
Park Sounds is a new duo comprised of Manitoba-raised, Montrealbased musicians Jennifer Thiessen (viola, viola d’amore) and Ben Reimer (percussion). Ben Reimer has been called a “genre-bending wiz” (PuSh) and a performer of “stunning virtuosity” (Ludwig-Van Mtl). He has spent the past fifteen years establishing himself as a leading figure in contemporary drumset performance. He holds a Doctor of Music and teaches percussion at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University. Multidisciplinary musician Jennifer Thiessen creates new music and interprets historical works. She is a member of the JUNO-nominated improvising duo Toninato/Thiessen, writes songs under the name Daily Alice, and performs with many baroque, classical, contemporary and improvising musicians and ensembles in Montreal.
Natsuki Hiratsuka – Pianist
Kim Kashkashian and Robyn Schulkowsky, Park Sounds – Musical Duo