Chamber music
PIANO 2024 – CHAMBER MUSIC
The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) marks a first in its history: the inclusion of a Chamber Music round as the first part of the Semifinal round of Piano 2024, taking place on Friday, May 10 at 7:30 pm at Salle Bourgie. This exciting new element of the competition requires the candidates to perform a Piano Quartet with three principal strings players of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
The addition of a Chamber Music round to the competition allows the pianists to demonstrate artistic qualities that complement those already demonstrated in the recital rounds, including their ability to collaborate with other musicians, their sense of musical dialogue, and their versatility and adaptability in an ensemble setting.
The CMIM competitors join a piano quartet featuring outstanding instrumentalists of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Three principal strings players join the semifinalists for this event: Andrew Wan (violin), Victor Fournelle-Blain (viola), and Brian Manker (cello).
“My colleagues and I are absolutely thrilled to take part in the initiative to have the candidates showcase yet another side of their artistry in this edition of the CMIM. The added test of chamber music will allow our public and the esteemed jury to witness some incredible moments of real-time dialogue, consensus, and spontaneity in a new setting.”
Andrew Wan, Concertmaster, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
The semifinalists perform the first movement of a work selected from the most beautiful piano quartets of the Classical and Romantic periods. Each pianist will demonstrate their artistry in performing music by Beethoven, Brahms, Fauré, Mozart or Schumann.
The first CMIM Chamber Music Prize includes a cash award of $2,500 offered by Dixi Lambert, as well as the winner’s return to Montreal for a concert engagement with the Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal, valued at $3,500. Denis Brott, Founder and Artistic Director of the FMCM, joins the CMIM International Jury to determine the special Chamber Music prize.
This special evening promises many thrilling and emotional musical moments.
the guest chamber musicians
ANDREW WAN
Andrew Wan was named concertmaster of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) in 2008. As soloist, he has performed worldwide under conductors such as Rafael Payare, Kent Nagano, Maxim Vengerov, Vasily Petrenko, Bernard Labadie, Carlo Rizzi, Peter Oundjian, Xian Zhang, Michael Stern and James DePreist. He has played chamber music with artists such as the Juilliard Quartet, Vadim Repin, Marc-André Hamelin, Daniil Trifonov, Menahem Pressler, Jörg Widmann, Emanuel Ax, Johannes Moser, Arabella Steinbacher, James Ehnes, and Gil Shaham as a frequent artist at the Seattle Chamber Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Ottawa Chamberfest, Toronto Summer Music, Orford Musique, St. Prex, Colorado College and Olympic festivals. Wan performs regularly as guest concertmaster for the Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis, National Arts Centre, Toronto and Vancouver Symphony orchestras.
Wan’s discography includes Grammy-nominated and Juno, Felix and Opus award-winning releases on the Analekta, Onyx, Bridge, and Naxos labels with the Seattle Chamber Music Society, New York’s Metropolis Ensemble, Charles Richard-Hamelin and the New Orford String Quartet. In the fall of 2015, he released a live recording of all three Saint-Saëns violin concerti with the OSM and Kent Nagano under the Analekta label to wide critical acclaim. His recent live album of works for violin and orchestra by Bernstein, Moussa and Ginastera with Nagano and the OSM won the 2021 Juno award for Best Classical Recording for Large Ensemble.
Wan enjoys a deep collaborative relationship with Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, silver medalist of the 17th Chopin International Piano Competition, with whom he has recorded all ten Beethoven sonatas for piano and violin. Their second album of Beethoven’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Sonatas garnered the 2022 Juno award for Best Classical Recording for Small Ensemble. Their next recording will feature the sonatas for violin and piano by Robert Schumann, to be released in the fall of 2022.
Wan graduated from The Juilliard School with Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees and is currently a member of the New Orford String Quartet, Associate Professor of Violin at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, Artistic Director of the Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival and for the 2017-18 season was Artistic Partner of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he won the Part-Time Teaching Award at the Schulich School of Music. (www.andrewviolin.com)
Andrew Wan performs on a 1744 Michel’Angelo Bergonzi violin, and gratefully acknowledges its loan from the David Sela Collection. He also enjoys the use of an 1860 Dominique Peccatte bow from Canimex.
Victor Fournelle-Blain
Violinist and violist Victor Fournelle-Blain is leading an active career of orchestral and chamber musician, soloist and teacher. Currently Principal Viola of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, where he previously held associate principal, 2nd assistant and section positions, he was also Principal Viola of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has taught viola at the University of Toronto and Université de Montréal, and now teaches at McGill’s Schulich School of Music. In the summer season he attends festivals such as Concerts aux Îles du Bic, Orford Academy, Camp Musical des Laurentides and Formandi Festival (Guadalajara, Mexico).
Victor first studied the violin at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal under Johanne Arel, then completed a Master of Music under Ani Kavafian at the Yale School of Music, after which he obtained an Artist Diploma at McGill’s Schulich School of Music, studying the viola with André Roy. Winner of the 2012 Prix d’Europe, of McGill’s 2014 Golden Violin Award, and second prize winner of the 2010 OSM Standard Life Competition, he has performed in solo with orchestras including Orchestre Métropolitain and Orchestre Symphonique de Drummondville. He currently plays a Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi viola, generously loaned by Canimex.
BRIAN MANKER
Solo Cellist of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) since 1999, Brian Manker enjoys a diverse and varied musical career as a performer and teacher. In addition to being a frequent concerto soloist with the OSM, Mr. Manker is a member of the highly acclaimed New Orford String Quartet, winners of multiple Opus awards and a Juno award. A Grand Prize winner as a member of the Harrington Quartet at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Mr. Manker also received a special commendation from Sir Yehudi Menuhin at the Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition. Formerly the co-director of Festival Alexandria, he currently is co-director of the Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival along with the rest of the New Orford String Quartet. He can be heard on his 2010 recording of the complete Bach Cello Suites on STORKCLASSICS, as well as numerous recordings, quartets with the New Orford String Quartet, various other chamber music ventures, and of course with the OSM. Mr. Manker served on the jury of the prestigious and historic Prague Spring International Cello Competition in 2006. In 2007, he launched the Beethoven Project, an initiative focused on performing all the quartets of Beethoven in their proper context, the private salon. Brian Manker is an Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.
the Chamber Music repertoire
Beethoven: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 16
Grave - Allegro ma non troppo
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
Allegro
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15
Allegro molto moderato
Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, KV 493
Allegro
Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 47
Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
