Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op.30
I. Allegro assai II. Tempo di Minuetto III. Allegro vivace

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is not only famous for composing his 9 symphonies for full orchestra (the most well-known being the 5th Symphony and the “Ode to Joy”from the 9th symphony), but also for writing a large number of small ensemble works (chamber music) such as solo and duo sonatas, as well as string quartets. Among the most celebrated sonatas are his 10 for violin and piano. His 8th sonata, performed tonight, is set in a typical sonata form of 3 movements of fast-slow-fast, published in May 1803, and dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

J.S. Bach (1685-1750) arr. Fritz Kreisler Prelude in E Major

This originally unaccompanied solo violin work is often performed as a single movement show-piece, although it is the first movement from Bach’s Unaccompanied Partita No. 3 in E major. Tonight’s version was arranged for violin and piano by violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962).

Jocelyn Morlock (1969- 2023) Petrichor, Duo for Violin and Piano

JUNO award winner and Vancouver Symphony composer in residence, Jocelyn Morlock (1969-2023) tragically left us recently. Born in Manitoba, she furthered her studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where she and pianist Erika Crinò met. Deeply curious and fascinated by words and sounds, she translates her world with nature, humour, lyricism, acute sensitivity, and intelligence.
Petrichor is the scent of rain on dry earth. The word is Greek in origin, and is created from the combination of “Petra” (Greek for stone) and “ichor” (according to Greek mythology , ichor flows in the veins of gods, rather than blood) It is defined more precisely as the distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell.” Morlock writes in her notes: “ Petrichor, explores an emotional landscape of anticipation, joy, and release, such as a person might feel upon experiencing the first rain after a long drought. The music is built from small motivic fragments gleaned from the first movement of Bach’s Sonata VI. The contrasting moods of the piece vary somewhat from whimsical and a bit restrained to overtly ecstatic, becoming quite calm and serene again at the end.” Petrichor was commissioned by Duo Concertante and the Canada Council for the Arts. The premiere took place on April 26, 2013 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Festival.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) Violin Sonata No. 1 in E minor
II. Lento quasi récit, Allegro moderato e marcato II. Adagio III. Allegro molto

Composed in 1916 in Toronto, and revised in 1955, Healey Willan’s Sonata No.1 is deeply rooted in the composer’s European cultural background. Rich harmonies are interspersed with both English style folk tunes, Elgar- like themes, as well as moments of wispy and ethereal French Impressionist textures. Willan, born in London, England, studied and initially worked there for the first 33 years of his life before moving to Canada in 1913. He then became an icon organist, choral master, and a professor at the University of Toronto, and Vice-Principal of the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he was a mentor to a number of composition students who went on to become a prominent part of the fabric that makes up the Canadian classical music scene. For his influence and work, Willan received the Order of Canada in 1967, and was the first Canadian musician to appear on a Canadian postage stamp!

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Chinese-Canadian violinist JOYCE LAI was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1977 with her musician parents via Vienna, Austria, where they were students at the conservatory. Currently concertmaster and Artistic Director of the Canadian Sinfonietta, she has been featured as a guest soloist with orchestras around the world, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Szeged Symphony Orchestra of Hungary, the Canadian Chamber Academy, and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Joyce has also been guest soloist with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, Etobicoke Philharmonic, Scarborough Philharmonic, as well as the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, Joyce has played under the baton of a number of prominent conductors, among them Kurt Masur, Sixten Erhling, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Christopher Warren-Green.

As an avid chamber musician, Joyce has been featured at various festivals in Canada, including the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival in Manitoba, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Festival in Ontario, and the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival in British Columbia. In 2017, Joyce, along with pianist Erika Crino, presented a series of duo recitals featuring all Canadian works in Croatia, Serbia and Italy. Some of these concerts were hosted by the Canadian Embassies in celebration of Canada’s 150th. In addition to traditional classical music, each year, Joyce performs a number of new Canadian works, many of them composed for her. This year, Joyce premiered a violin concerto dedicated to her by Canadian composer and choral master, Stuart Beaudoin. She has been featured on a number of CDs among them, Riverdale Ensemble’s Twelve by the Moon-dial, released in 2008, and Night Star, featuring the music of Canadian composer Ronald Royer, released just this year 2023.

In addition to her performing career, Joyce is also an enthusiastic educator as well as a pianist and has a private studio in Toronto. She has taught at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Baptist University, in addition to giving violin clinics in Canada. Joyce holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Masters of Music Degree and Performer Diploma from Indiana University.

Italian pianist ERIKA CRINO is very active both as a chamber musician and a soloist. Several of her performances have been featured on CBC Radio both as a soloist and in chamber music settings, collaborating with percussionist Salvador Ferreras, clarinetist Francois Houle, pianist Brett Kingsbury, and with soprano Vania Chan. Since her move to Toronto, Erika has been regularly heard in several important venues, among which, several times at the Glenn Gould Studio, where she performed Bach’s Triple Concerto with pianists Robert Silverman and Brett Kingsbury, and the Koffler Chamber Orchestra directed by Jacques Israelievitch. At the Glenn Gould Studio she also premiered Canadian composer Michael Pepa’s TREMA with the Canadian Sinfonietta as well as his VARIAZIONI for piano and orchestra with the Croatian Cantus Ensemble.

Erika’s most recent solo performances include several appearances at Teatro Marcello and Palazzo Sacchetti in Rome, La Chapelle in Montreal, George Enescu Hall in Bucharest, Guarnerius Hall in Belgrade, FUGA Series in Budapest, New Music Festival in Chisinau (Moldavia), Sala Tripcovich in Trieste, Istituto Mario Negri in Milano, Zagreb Biennale with the Penderecki String Quartet, as well as several performances of Bach’s Concerto in D Minor in Ukraine and Bulgaria and a performance of Michael Pepa’s Yakami Variations with the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova in Chisinau. Her recent solo and chamber performance in Zagreb was attended by the Croatian President Ivo Josipovic.

A former faculty at the Kingsway Conservatory and a chamber music instructor at the University of Toronto, Erika is currently teaching piano at the Conservatorio di Perugia in Italy. After obtaining the Diploma in Piano with top marks at the conservatory of her own town, Trieste, and the Diploma in Chamber Music with the Trio di Trieste, Erika studied with Maestro Bruno Canino in Milan. Shortly after, she moved to Canada where she completed her Bachelor in Piano Performance at the University of Victoria with Prof. Bruce Vogt, and her Master and Doctorate in Piano Performance with Dr. Robert Silverman at the University of British Columbia.