Art of Time Ensemble presents Take This Waltz

Jan. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- The acclaimed Art of Time Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Andrew Burashko, presents Take This Waltz, a diversely rich and compelling program that explores the waltz throughout the last 150 years, running Friday, February 4 and Saturday, February 5, 2011 at Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre, sponsored by BMO Financial. CBC Radio Two is recording the concert for future broadcast.

A stellar lineup of outstanding classical and jazz musicians along with celebrated singer Steven Page perform:

Les Allt - Flute/Sax            Rachel Mercer - Cello
Benjamin Bowman - Violin         Doug Perry - Viola
Andrew Burashko - Piano         Rob Piltch - Guitar
Jonathan Goldsmith - Piano         Stephen Sitarski - Violin
George Koller - Bass            Joaquin Valdepeñas - Clarinet
Peter Longworth - Piano

The evening is book-ended by two legendary waltzes: the late 19th century Emperor Waltz from Johann Strauss (1825-99), the "king of the waltz," in a version for string quartet (Bowman, Mercer, Perry, Sitarski), piano (Burashko), flute (Allt) and clarinet (Valdepeñas); and La Valse by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) for two pianos (Burashko and Longworth that marks the demise of the Strauss age.

Also on the varied program is:

- a movement from Alfred Schnittke's (1934-1998) Piano Quintet written in the 1970s in memory of his then recently deceased mother. This haunting, dissonant waltz is performed by Burashko and string quartet.

- a movement from Dmitri Shostakovich's (1906-75) Jazz Suite No. 1, a bluesy, playful piece (Bowman, Mercer, Burashko, Koller, Piltch and Allt).

- A short set of four waltzes by Chopin, Brahms and Pedro Saenz for solo piano, performed by Andrew Burashko.

- Mephisto Waltz, a pyrotechnical solo piano piece by Franz Liszt (1811-86), performed by Peter Longworth, full of devilish chords and dark sounds.

- The second movement from Erich Korngold's (1897-1957) densely lyrical and romantic Suite Op. 23 for piano (Burashko), cello and two violins.

- Waltz for Debby, a jazz standard composed by legend Bill Evans (1929-80), this musical portrait of Evans' niece is performed by Jonathan Goldsmith on piano and Rob Piltch on guitar.

- Steven Page sings four contemporary songs based on waltz rhythms, explored in different ways. Note that all of the songs have new arrangements, except for A Singer Must Die as Art of Time previously commissioned the arrangement for the Songbook 2 program in 2008 with Page when it debuted. The same combination of jazz and classical musicians from Jazz Suite No. 1 accompany him.

o   Innocent When you Dream, written by Tom Waits; arrangement by Dan Parr.
o   What the World Needs Now Is Love, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David; arrangement by Aaron Davis.
o   The title song from Art of Time's 2010 CD A Singer Must Die, written by Leonard Cohen; arrangement by Gavin Bryars.
o   Clifton Springs, written by Steven Page from his newest album Page One, released in 2010; arrangement by Robert Carli.

STEVEN PAGE
Steven Page was the lead singer and songwriter of the Barenaked Ladies from 1988-2009, one of Canada's most enduring success stories (15 million albums sold, numerous Juno awards, two Grammy nominations, two Gemini awards). Now on his own, his past projects include The Vanity Project (2005) with Stephen Duffy), A Singer Must Die (2010) for and with The Art of Time Ensemble, and his solo album, Page One, released this past fall. He has also composed music for three productions for the Stratford Festival, most recently Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair in 2009. Page and his band are touring North America in 2011.

ART OF TIME
The Art of Time Ensemble is one of Toronto's most innovative and artistically resonant music ensembles. The ensemble has attracted the interest and participation of some of Canada's best performers. Art of Time provides a unique musical experience that breaks down barriers between artistic and musical disciplines, and reveals the vibrancy of classical music as a contemporary artistic expression, appealing to a range of audiences.

Previous Art of Time productions have met with high praise. John Terauds of The Toronto Star calls the group in performance "a delicate balance between classical expression and modern sensibility," and said of the most recent show of this season, Shakespeare: If Music Be…, that "there was something in the…performance to enchant just about anyone who had walked through the doors." Paula Citron in The Globe and Mail notes of the same concert that Art of Time "fuses the arts in beautifully crafted, themed programs…. hard to overstate the stylishness…. a class act that attracts top talent."

Art of Time Ensemble presents
Take This Waltz
the waltz explored throughout the last 150 years
Friday, February 4 - Saturday, February 5, 2010 at 8 PM
Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West
Tickets: $25, $49, $59
Box Office: 416-973-4000 or online at www.artoftimeensemble.com

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Media Refer: Dianne Weinrib or Brendan Ross, DW Communications 416-703-5479 dw@dwcommunications.net

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