Concert series presents all-Mozart program

March 8, 2017 · 0 Comments

Caledon Chamber Concerts continues its 2016-17 season March 25 with a concert by the Lacroix-Vachon Duo.
Frédréric Lacroix on pianoforte and Christian Vachon on violin will present Mozart’s “Viennese” Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin.
Fortepiano is a generic term to signify any piano that predates the construction of the modern piano. The piano used by Lacroix is a copy of a piano by Anton Walter from around 1790, a Viennese maker who built pianos in the late 18th century. His pianos were recognized as being some of the best in the city and both Mozart and Beethoven owned Walter pianos. These early pianos were built within the case of the harpsichord which explains that visually, they are often mistaken as such. The most significant changes are in the actual action (which is much less complicated in the Viennese piano and the hammer hits the string inverse to that of the modern piano), the smaller size of the hammers and the strings which are strung straight (crossed-strung on moderns). Other notable differences are the pedals which are knee levers. There are two knee levers: the traditional damper pedal and the moderator, which is the equivalent of the soft pedal, and puts a piece of felt between the hammers and the strings.
Vachon will be using a period bow. Violin bows changed greatly between 1750 and the beginning of the 19th century, transitioning from the baroque bow to the modern design known today. The developments varied greatly from region to region. Mozart wrote different sets of sonatas most likely for different violin bows in mind. For this particular concert, Vachon will be using a copy of an early transitional bow from circa 1765-1770 made by Chinese bow maker Chris Zhang. This bow is probably similar to what Mozart might have used for the “Viennese” Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin. At its base, it is similar to a baroque long sonata bow, but with a higher tip and a screw mechanism in the frog. It is also made of pernambuco wood, instead of the traditional snakewood used in the baroque period. As such, it is lighter and more agile than bows from the baroque period or modern bows, as well as shorter than a modern bow. Its particular features give certain expressive characteristics in phrasing and articulations that are quite different from modern bows but well reflected in Mozart’s writing.
The concert takes place at St. James’ Anglican Church, Caledon East at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for students 16 years of age and younger and may be purchased in advance at Forster’s Book Garden, Howard the Butcher and BookLore. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the concert. For more information call 905-880-2445. For details about the other concerts in the 2016-2017 season go to www.caledonchamberconcerts.com