Robert Schumann was not only one of the greatest composers of the 19th century, but his wife Clara was one of that century’s greatest pianists.
And Kai Gleusteen is not only a brilliant violinist but his wife Catherine Ordronneau is one of the most remarkable pianists ever to perform in the Comox Valley. Ordronneau has been responsible for preparing a massive amount of music for this year’s festival and organizers are looking forward to hearing her amazing performances in all the works except when she is allowed a much-needed break for the string quartet.
This year’s 10th Kaimerata Festival features some of Schumann’s greatest chamber music masterpieces, as well as two brilliant solo piano works that Schumann composed for his wife Clara. In addition to concerts on Denman Island and in Parksville, Kaimerata will also host two concerts at Comox United Church.
The first concert on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. will include Kinderszen – Scenes From Childhood - a set of pieces for solo piano that are not children’s pieces but rather an adult’s reflections on childhood. Many pieces in this set will be familiar to audiences. Also in this program are the second Sonata for Violin and Piano and the first Piano Trio.
The second concert on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 7:00 will feature excerpts from works that can be heard in their entirety at the concerts on Denman Island on the following weekend. These include the Piano Quartet and Quintet which are arguably two of the greatest chamber music works of the 19th century as well as the second String Quartet and the exquisite Fantasiestüke for violin, cello and piano.
Gleusteen hails originally from Calgary and Ordronneau is from Paris but for the past two decades they have been based in Barcelona, Spain spending their summers on Denman Island with Kai’s parents. The Kaimerata Festivals are held every year in Barcelona before being brought to Vancouver Island. Gleusteen and Ordronneau will be joined this year by Kaimerata veterans Dan Scholz and Beth Root Sandvoos on viola and cello respectively. A welcome newcomer to Kaimerata this ear is Quebec violinist Paule Prefontaine.
Comox United Church (now air-conditioned) is located at 250 Beech Drive in Comox. Both concerts begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online at Kaimerata.com or (cash only) at the door. Ticket prices are $25 for a single concert or $45 for both concerts.
