Rencontres Musicales Champéry | Souvenir de Florence

A romantic evening with two masterpieces of the repertoire! In the 19th century, Paris became the new cultural reference point. Italian composers became rarer, but foreign composers continued to be inspired by the splendors of the peninsula. In Florence, Tchaikovsky sketched out the themes for what was to become his masterly sextet "Souvenir de Florence". Schubert's sublime quintet for two cellos, "Music of the Angels", composed just two months before the composer's death, completes the program.

Pražák Quartet
The new Pražák Quartet is the generational evolution of the Pražák Quartet, which has performed around the world with immense success for almost 50 years. This evolution began in 2015 when Jana Vonášková joined the Quartet as first violin, bringing in new blood. Since her arrival, she has won over audiences and critics alike with her richly expressive interpretations, for example in the complete Beethoven Quartets. Quartet mainstays, violist and founding member Josef Klusoň and Jana Vonášková, continue the tradition. The new members, second violinist Marie Fuxová and cellist Jonáš Krejčí, have extensive chamber music and quartet experience, having previously played with the Pavel Haas, Škampa and Petersen Quartets, as well as in many renowned orchestras and chamber ensembles. They bring their own experience and energy, while remaining true to the tradition, character and quality of the Czech quartet. The new ensemble offers a wide range of repertoire from early classics to contemporary works, as well as the celebrated Czech quartet literature. Projects also include music by Czech Jewish composers who perished during the Holocaust - Schulhoff, Ullmann, Krasa, Klein and Haas. The Quartet's first two recordings for the Praga Digitals label (released in 2021 and 2022) include a CD devoted to Joseph Haydn's last three quartets, which has been praised by The Strad and Diapason among others. In forthcoming seasons marked by important anniversaries of Czech composers, the Quartet plans to record works by Josef Suk and Vitězslav Novák, both students of Dvořák.

Lyda Chen Argerich
Born in Geneva, Lyda Chen Argerich studied violin at the Geneva Conservatory, then followed the teaching of Professor Lin Yao Ji at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. On her return from China, she studied law and obtained her degree from the University of Geneva. After completing her studies, she turned to the viola and developed a great affinity with the instrument and its repertoire. Her first musical encounters with her mother Martha Argerich paved the way for numerous musical experiences, giving her the opportunity to work with renowned musicians. She has been invited to the Verbier Festival, La Roque d'Anthéron and the Folles Journées de Nantes and Tokyo, as well as the Salzburg Festspielen and the Progetto Argerich in Lugano.
She plays chamber music in venues such as Tokyo Triphony and Sumida Halls, Teatro Colon, Salle Pleyel, Salzburg Mozarteum and Shanghai Grand Theatre, and appears as soloist at Zurich Tonhalle. She has been invited to play in several orchestras, including the Japan New Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra della RSI, the China All Star Orchestra and the Western Eastern Divan Orchestra,
and gives viola and chamber music master classes in Spain, France, China and Latin America. In 2019, Lyda Chen Argerich founded the Arch Music Academy, whose projects in China, Europe and Latin America promote a multidisciplinary approach to music-making and instrumental practice. Recordings for EMI at the Lugano Festival include quartets by Beethoven, Dvorak, Schumann, Faure, as well as quintets by Franck, Shostakovich, Zarebsky, Granados, alongside Ivry Gitlis, Gabriela Montero, Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich.


Estelle Revaz
"Estelle Revaz is a sincere and profound musician, endowed with great musical curiosity."
Gautier Capuçon

"Estelle Revaz, an enlightened, lively and committed artist. To be discovered without delay!
Laurent Graulus, RTBF

Curieuse: "Estelle Revaz brings out the best in this unknown treasure with her highly technical playing. Her flawless sound is as convincing as the clarity of her phrasing." (Pizzicato). Always on the lookout for original programs, she is as interested in the great works of the repertoire as she is in new works, as demonstrated by her regular collaborations with contemporary composers. Her latest album, rediscovering Dall'Abaco's 11 Caprices, has caused quite a stir in the media. One of the best cello concepts of the moment. (Musik und Theater). His discography offers programs that are always the fruit of reflection. Whether by contrasting tradition and modernity (Bach & Friends), promoting the music of her native Switzerland (Cantique, Journey to Geneva), weaving links between composers (Fugato, Inspiration populaire) or highlighting little-played works (Dall'Abaco, Journey to Geneva). Lively: "Listen to her! Her playing is lively, committed, lyrical and fresh. Look at her! Her face is like a book that conveys emotion, sincerity, sensitivity and intelligence." (Le Temps). Charismatic to a fault, she is a delight to audiences and the international media alike, as demonstrated by her appearances on Radio France, Deutschlandfunk, SWR, WDR, Radio Télévision Suisse, RTBF and TV5 Monde.

Committed: "In this way, she not only brings a new style, but also music to the Federal Palace." (SRF). During the pandemic, she worked tirelessly to show how essential culture was, and to relay the concerns of cultural players to the political world. Her autobiographical book "La Saltimbanque" (Éd. Slatkine), in which she describes with sensitivity both the glitter of the stage and the darker backstage world in which she has lived since she was a child, was a great success. Her battle now continues more formally in the National Council (Swiss Parliament), where she has been elected in 2023.

Passionate: "Estelle Revaz's moving, vibrant performance is both expressive and electrifying. It leaves plenty of room for deep sonorities and refined balances. Fantasy and creativity are always at the forefront. (Theaterkompass). She performs regularly in many European, Asian and South American countries. Close to home, she is invited to festivals such as the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Verbier Festival, Septembre Musical, the Festival International de Colmar or the Festival Pablo Casals, with musical partners such as Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Andrey Baranov, Alexandra Conunova, Raphaëlle Moreau, Tedi Papavrami, Pierre Génisson, Damien Bachmann, Kevin Spagnolo, Leonora Armellini, Dana Ciocarlie, Finghin Collins, Christian Chamorel, Shani Diluka, François-Frédéric Guy, François Killian, Hannnes Minnaar and Cédric Pescia. She regularly gives concerts in prestigious venues such as Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the NCPA in Beijing, the Oriental Art Center in Shanghai, the CCK in Buenos Aires, the Auditorium del Sodre in Montevideo and the Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg. After starting out in Switzerland, she trained in France at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) and in Germany at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. She regularly and enthusiastically gives masterclasses/workshops in Europe, Asia and America. She has also written a research paper on "le développement de l'identité artistique dans l'enseignement instrumental supérieur", published in March 2019 by l'Harmattan (collection sciences de l'éducation musicale).

Estelle Revaz plays a cello by G. Grancino (1679) and a bow by J. Eury (1825) generously made available to her by a Swiss foundation.


Musicians:
Pražák Quartet:
- Jana Vonášková and Marie Magdalena Fuxová, violins
- Josef Klusoň, viola
- Pavel Jonáš Krejčí, cello
Lyda Chen Argerich, viola
Estelle Revaz, cello

Program:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
String Sextet, Op. 70
"Souvenir de Florence"

Franz Schubert
String quintet for two cellos, D. 956

Practical information:
- https://www.rencontres-musicales.ch/

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