Rose Gellert Hall – Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 22, 2015

Mesmerizing Beethoven Performance Coming to LCMS’s Rose Gellert Concert Hall

Get ready to be enchanted by the raw power and emotion of Beethoven, performed by one of the world’s most important violin and piano duos: violinist Kai Gleusteen and pianist Catherine Ordronneau. All the way from Barcelona, Italy, this renowned duo will perform at Langley Community Music School’s Rose Gellert Concert Hall on Saturday evening, January 31, 2015, at 7:30 pm.

Even if you are not a fan of classical music, this performance will transform you. Violinist Kai Gleusteen says, “Audiences become hooked on the music and return to hear [more and more]. It’s quite the eye opening experience to see the power of Beethoven’s music on people.”

The duo will be performing four of the nine Beethoven sonatas. Gleusteen adds, “Every sonata is extremely rich in musical ideas, contrasts, beauty, and virtuosity. Beethoven was a genius and we are only there to share this with you in the best possible way!”

Having performed at hundreds of recitals in Europe, Canada and USA, the Gleusteen-Ordronneau duo are praised for their unique partnership, “playing under the control of a single intelligence”, and for the emotional power of their interpretations.

Featured on national television as well as on CBC radio, this violin-piano duo has received critical acclaim for their internationally-distributed CD recordings, the first of which includes a “standout performance of the Prokofiev sonata, one of the finest on records.”

The Chicago Tribune says, “The Canadian violinist [Gleusteen] proved himself fully the master […] playing combined crackling bravura and soaring lyricism in well-nigh ideal measure.” The publication The Scotsman also affirms, “As far as this audience was concerned, the most haunting music came from violinist Kai Gleusteen. His playing of Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending evoked such emotion the audience was spellbound.”

French pianist Catherine Ordronneau has received equal acclaim. The Times Colonist says, “Ordronneau played a mesmerising performance in which her ability to summon forth a myriad of colours from the keyboard was allied to a total concentration.”

The Calgary Herald adds, “Both performers are exceptional musicians. Elegant, they played with intensity and unmistakable commitment to the music, searching out the most exquisite ways to shape and phrase melodies and to gently underline expressive harmony.”

The duo has worked together for about 15 years, focusing for the last 4 years on Beethoven. Violinist Gleusteen spends half the season as concertmaster of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Opera Orchestra in Italy, and teaches at university level schools in Barcelona with Pianist Ordronneau. They also continue to perform on tour. Most recently, they completed a USA tour, performing with the St Louis Symphony, as well as in Chicago and the San Francisco area. They also recently performed at a gala concert in the prestigious Hotel de Ville of Paris in France. Learn more about the Gleusteen-Ordronneau duo at http://www.gleusteen.com/sub_en/bio_duo.htm

Tickets for the Rose Gellert Concert event are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, $16 for students, and $10 for LCMS students. Call the box office at 604-534-2848. The Rose Gellert Hall is located at 4899 207 Street, Langley, BC.

ABOUT LANGLEY COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL
Langley Community Music School (LCMS) is a non-profit organization and registered charity that is committed to providing the highest quality of musical education to students of all ages and levels, from early learning to pre-professional and adult programs. With the support of the community, LCMS has become one of the largest non-profit music schools in the province, earning both national and international acclaim for their comprehensive and innovative programs. Learn more about LCMS programs, scholarships and bursaries.

The Langley Community Music School hosts multiple musical concerts from October to May, including the Rose Gellert Hall Series, an evening concert series featuring renowned Canadian and international musicians, as well as the Concerts Café Classico Series, an afternoon concert series featuring stellar local and touring musicians playing classical, jazz or contemporary works.

Visit langleymusic.com or call 604-534-2848.

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