January 29, 2004 -

Ottawa, Canada -- French pianist Pascal Rogé, who has received a number of awards for his performances of French repertoire, will be joined by musicians of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in chamber music by Poulenc, Ravel, Francaix and Fauré for the first concert of this season’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon series. This chamber music concert is on Sunday, February 8 at 14:00 in the Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada. Rogé performs in every piece on the programme.

Poulenc’s lighthearted Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano features Rogé with principal oboe Charles Hamann, and the Music for a Sunday Afternoon debut of new principal bassoon Stéphane Lévesque. This is followed by Rogé performing solo in Ravel’s Sonatine, the composer’s first truly individual composition of significance. Then it’s back to Poulenc for the popular Sonata for Flute and Piano with principal flute Joanna G’froerer joining Rogé.

Rogé, G’froerer, Hamann, and Lévesque are joined by principal clarinet Kimball Sykes and principal horn Lawrence Vine for Francaix’s L’Heure du Berger, which exemplifies a comment the composer once made: “My desire is to communicate joy rather than sorrow. Why be sad when you live in Paris?”

The second half of the concert is given to Fauré’s rarely heard Piano Quintet No. 1 in D minor, one of the composers largest works, featuring violinists Jessica Linnebach and Renée-Paule Gauthier, violist Jethro Marks and cellist Carole Sirois along with the pianist.

Pascal Rogé’s performance of Poulenc, Satie, Fauré, Saint-Saëns and Ravel is characterized by its elegance, beauty and stylistically perfect phrasing.  Born in Paris, Mr. Rogé has been an exclusive Decca artist since the age of seventeen; he has won many prestigious awards including two Gramophone Awards, a Grand Prix du Disque and an Edison Award for his interpretations of the concerti of Ravel and Saint-Saëns.

His Satie recording “Piano Dreams” has been transformed into a Platinum Disc.  Other recordings feature a Ravel cycle, a Debussy cycle, and for Decca’s 1999 Poulenc Edition: both piano concerti, “Aubade” and the “Concerto Champêtre” for harpischord and orchestra, all conducted by Charles Dutoit.  Pascal Rogé has performed in almost every major concert hall in the world. Orchestral appearances include the all the major London orchestras, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Vienna Symphony. He made his United States debut in 1974. Since then he has returned almost every season, appearing in both recital and concert.

This Music for a Sunday Afternoon series concert, presented in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, takes place on Sunday, February 8 at 14:00. Tickets at $27.00 (GST and facility fee included) are on sale now at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca. Student tickets at $14.25 are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Music for a Sunday Afternoon tickets may also be purchased one hour before the concert outside the Auditorium of the National Gallery.

For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca