Centrediscs / Centredisques
CD-CMCCD 17011
music by George Fiala and Heather Schmidt
Christina Petrowska Quilico, Piano
CHRISTINA PETROWSKA QUILICO'S FIFTH CD OF CANADIAN PIANO CONCERTI
Toronto
Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico performs concerti by Canadian composers George Fiala and Heather Schmidt on her latest recording, Tapestries, issued on the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label. The Fiala features the unusual concerto pairing of piano and choir.
This is her fifth CD of Canadian piano concerti, and the seventh and eighth Canadian piano concerti she has recorded. It is also her 26th recorded title. Physical copies of Tapestries are now available for pre-sale at The Canadian Music Centre.
"Concerto Cantata", by Montreal composer George Fiala, reflects the Ukrainian heritage of both the composer and the pianist. It was commissioned by the Edmonton-based Alberta Ukrainian Commemorative Society, and is dedicated to the 1988 Millennium of Christianity in the Ukraine. This recording on Tapestries is taken from its world premiere in 1987 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall. It features Petrowska Quilico at the piano, with the Canadian Ukrainian Opera Chorus under the late Ukrainian-born conductor Wolodymyr Kolesnyk.
"Piano Concerto No.2", by Calgary native, U.S. based composer Heather Schmidt, was recorded at its 2001 premiere at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, Ontario. Daniel Warren conducts the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. The work was written for Petrowska Quilico, and commissioned by CBC Radio Music through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Composed in the traditional three-movement form, it features a virtuosic third movement for both the soloist and orchestra.
Two of Petrowska Quilico's earlier Canadian piano concerti CDs have earned Juno nominations for best composition - Glenn Buhr's on Canadian Piano Concerti (CBC Records) and Larysa Kuzmenko's on 3 Concerti (Centrediscs). Her recording of David Mott's concerto Eclipse (Centrediscs), featuring Petrowska Quilico with a world music ensemble made its debut on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, as a choice of astronaut Steve MacLean.
In addition to contemporary piano concerti, Petrowska Quilico also performs traditional repertoire. She is featured soloist in the Grieg piano concerto with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra under the baton of Kristian Alexander, Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Markham Theatre
The Canadian Music Centre acts as a resource for Canadian composers and everyone interested in Canadian classical music being produced today. In addition to its nationwide programming, it sells more than 1,400 CD titles featuring the music of its Associate Composers on its label, Centrediscs and other Canadian independent recording labels. With five offices across Canada, it offers more than 20,000 scores of contemporary Canadian music to rent, purchase or borrow.
Centrediscs was created in 1981 as Canada's foremost label of Canadian contemporary concert music, recording the works of composers associated with the CMC. It is currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Visit
www.centrediscs.ca for more information.
The rich and romantic sound of the virtuoso piano inspires and unites these two very distinctive piano concerti. Both composers were trained primarily in traditional schools such as the Julliard School in New York and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine. My connection to them is my Ukrainian background and my many years at the Julliard School working with some of the world's foremost piano teachers. The composers are attracted to large forms - the symphony, the concerto, the sonata. These works have a logical structure. The melodic line, although frequently angular, is lyrical and expressive, and the rhythms are edgy. The instrumental writing is colourful with dramatic contrasts and although the works allow a tonal pattern, there are hints of dissonance and serialism. I had the opportunity to work with both composers for the world premieres of their concerti. Their vision and passion for the piano were an inspiration for me.
- Christina Petrowska Quilico
