Chauvet

David Braid and the Epoque String Quartet

Mar 29
St. Paul's Church

Epoque String Quartet

Braid’s fusion of art music combines harmonies fundamental to European classical music and the spontaneity of American jazz. He is a multi-JUNO award winner and Steinway Piano Artist.

Members of Epoque String Quartet are David Pokorný, violin, Vladimír Klánský, violin, Vladimír Kroupa, viola, and Vít Petrášek, cello. The group prides itself on infusing the “old world” beauty of the string quartet with “new world” elements of jazz, funk and rock. They have toured internationally. They appear regularly in the concert series of the Czech Broadcasting Symphonic Orchestra, the Czech Nonet and the Association for Chamber Music, perform on Czech National Television and Radio and at festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival (Germany), Concentus Moraviae, the Music Festival of České Krumlov, the chamber music series of the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Metamorphoses (Switzerland), the Ludwig van Beethoven Music Festival and Moravský podzim (Moravian Autumn). David Braid is the pianist-composer for the Chauvet tour.

Chauvet features five parts. Joya uses a filmic template of surprise to mould and develop its musical ideas. The piece deconstructs traditional notions of the Theme and Variations form. Chauvet is the central second piece. Semi unfolds with a nostalgic sense of landscape and shifts between images of hope and tragedy. Spirit Dance is a joyful, witty celebration of Canadian cultural and ethnic diversity, full of sharp contrasts, from a whirling dervish to the rhythms of Brazilian dance and Métis folk music. Epilogue is a highly enigmatic, contemplative piece about Time. Strings provide a haunting, edgy quality that evokes a sense of ancient time whilst piano improvisations conjure up the spirit of Glenn Gould. For David Braid’s description of Chauvet and the inspiration for the work visit davidbraid.com/downloads/ About_Chauvet-English_Version.pdf.

The concert will also include a composition from Braid’s recent film score, Born To Be Blue. The film stars Ethan Hawke and will be released in cinemas in March.

Available at the performance are pre-release copies of the Braid and Epoque String Quartet collaboration, the anticipated 2016 recording, FLOW, on the Steinway & Sons Record Label. 

Tickets are available at the door or in advance at Long and McQuade Music, Capital Drive, Charlottetown and at Kettle Black, Queen Street, Charlottetown. 

Source: BUZZon.com