Russian Soul 2.0

Russian Soul 2.0

January 31, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Shostakovich's starkly haunting cello sonata is paired with Rachmaninoff's lyrical sonata. Complementing these towering masterworks are two enduring favourites: a medley from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and an arrangement of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise for cello ensemble.
  • 1. Program

    Preludium for Two Cellos and Piano (1955)

    Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) (Arr. Lev Atovmyan)


    Rafael Hoekman, Cello

    Meran Currie-Roberts, Cello

    Patricia Tao, Piano


    Sonata in D minor for Cello and Piano, Opus 40 (1934)

    Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)


    I - Allegro non troppo

    II - Allegro

    III - Largo

    IV - Allegro


    Rafael Hoekman, Cello

    Patricia Tao, Piano


    Intermission


    Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 19 (1901)

    Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)


    Lento - Allegro moderato

    Allegro scherzando

    Andante

    Allegro mosso


    Rafael Hoekman, Cello

    Patricia Tao, Piano


    Vocalise, Opus 34 (1912)

    Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) (Arr. Orfeo Mandozzi)


    Julie Hereish, Solo Cello

    Cello Ensemble:

    Rafael Hoekman, Julie Hereish, Meran Currie-Roberts, Robie Szabo, Laura Wakeman, Gordon Giang, Edward Na, Conrad Sobieraj, Nicholas Yee, Jonah Hansen


    The Nutcracker Medley, Opus 71 (1892)

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), Arr. Nicholas Yee

    Miniature Overture, March, Dance Scene, A Pine Forest in Winter, The Kingdom of Sweets, Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Reed Flutes


    Cello Ensemble



    This concert is dedicated to the memory of Yuli Turovsky (1939-2013).


  • 2. Bios

    Originally from Newfoundland and known for his spirited and fiery performances, Rafael Hoekman is Principal Cellist of the Edmonton Symphony and on faculty at the University of Alberta. He has been a featured soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, I Musici de Montreal and Edmonton, Quebec, Newfoundland, Red Deer and Sudbury Symphonies. His principal teachers were Yuli Turovsky and Shauna Rolston.


    Pianist Patricia Tao leads an active career as performer, teacher, and concert organizer. As pianist of the prizewinning Guild Trio, Trio Voce, and as a soloist, she has performed throughout the United States and Europe. She has commissioned and premiered numerous works, has recorded on the Arktos, Centaur and Con Brio labels and holds degrees from Harvard, Indiana and Stony Brook Universities. She is Professor of Music at the University of Alberta, where she teaches piano and chamber music.


    Meran Currie-Roberts is a multi-talented artist who enjoys a successful career as a cellist, teacher and administrator across Canada. She is a member of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and is also Executive Director of the Health Arts Society of Alberta where she brings hundreds of professional concerts to elders in care each year. Former Dean of the Manitoba Conservatory, she has frequently appeared with the Calgary Philharmonic and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. She studied at the University of Toronto with Shauna Rolston and is on faculty at the University of Alberta.


    Born in Montreal, cellist Julie Hereish pursued her studies in her hometown and then in Vienna, Austria. In the Fall of 2019, Julie joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Cello. Previously, she held the same position in the Québec Symphony Orchestra. Her chamber music performances have taken her across Canada, where she's toured with Debut Atlantic and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.) Julie has performed extensively with the chamber orchestra Violons du Roy in Québec City and throughout Europe and North America. Together with actor Pierre Mayer, Julie created Charlot et Mlle Cello , a theatrical concert experience for children based on Charlie Chaplin's famous character.