Musica Intima, a chamber music series for classical aficionados in Campbell River, concludes on Sunday, March 20 with cellist Ariel Barnes and pianist Sarah Hagen.
Their programme includes sonatas of Rachmaninoff and Beethoven which display the breathtaking fusion of cello and piano. The concert takes place at 2 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Widely regarded as one of Canada’s finest cellists, Barnes enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician.
Over the past several years, he has performed to great acclaim in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, with critics raving about his “luscious tone” (Vancouver Sun) and “dazzling technique” (The Live Music Report, Toronto).
Along with colleagues Mary Sokol-Brown and Andrew Brown, Barnes is a member of Trio Accord, a Vancouver-based string trio which has been praised for its “enchanting,” “exhilarating,” and “extremely moving” performances.
Released in the fall of 2008, Trio Accord’s debut recording on Skylark Records of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Barnes is currently Principal Cello of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and a member of both The Turning Point Ensemble and the National Broadcast Orchestra.
His recordings can be heard on ATMA Classique, Skylark Records, Universal Music, 604 Records, Centrediscs, CBC Radio (including Espace Musique), CBC Television, Integrity Music, Za Discs, Disney Films, and Funktopus Records.
“A rarity of musical excellence, technical ease and tonal purity,” Hagen is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician, performing in concerts across Canada as well as in the United States, France, Italy, Germany and Sweden. Steadily rising on the Canadian classical music scene, her recent solo appearance with the Victoria Symphony garnered her a standing ovation.
Her interpretations have been described as “outstandingly inventive,” performed with “infinite skill.” Hagen has been heard on Swedish Radio 2, CBC Radio and numerous radio stations across the United States.
Her solo album, Glass House Dancing, was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards.
Tickets are $15 and can be reserved by email: info@sarahhagen.com, or will be available at the door. The concert takes place at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 145 Simms Road.
For more information on this concert and on the entire Musica Intima Series, call 1 (250) 941-5548, or visit www.sarahhagen.com