CANDLER CONCERT SERIES
CAMILLE THOMAS, CELLO with JULIEN BROCAL, piano
Virtual Concert Friday, April 9, 2021 at 8 p.m. Eastern Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
This exclusive virtual concert is presented by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage Box Office/Audience Information 404.727.5050 • boxoffice@emory.edu
Photographs and Recordings Digital capture or recording of this concert is not permitted. Event and Program Information Available online at schwartz.emory.edu Cover Design By Nick Surbey Camille Thomas Cover Photo By Sonia Sieff Camille Thomas Photo (opposite) By Dan Carabas Julien Brocal Photo (opposite) By Michel Cooreman Acknowledgment Eternal thanks to Donna and Marvin Schwartz for their many contributions.
This program is made possible by a generous gift from the late Flora Glenn Candler, a friend and patron of music at Emory University.
2020–2021
CANDLER CONCERT SERIES
Camille Thomas, cello Julien Brocal, piano Friday, April 9, 2021, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Virtual Stage
Voice of Hope This concert was recorded from the private studio of artist and sculptor Isabelle de Borchgrave in Brussels, Belgium. Only the artists, production crew, and a member of the press were present during filming. Kaddish Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, op. 38 Allegro non troppo Allegretto quasi Menuetto Allegro
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787)
Dance of the Blessed Spirits Cello Sonata in A Major, M. 8 Allegretto ben moderato Allegro Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia Allegretto poco mosso
César Franck (1822–1890) arr. Jules Delsart
Program subject to change.
North American representation for Camille Thomas Frank Salomon Associates 16 W. 36th Street, Suite 1205 New York, NY 10018 franksalomon.com Camille Thomas records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon. Please visit Camille Thomas online at Facebook (@CamilleThomasCellist), Instagram (@camillethomascello), Twitter (@CamilleThomasOF), and her web site (camillethomas.com) for additional information about touring, recordings, and special projects. Julien Brocal records for Rubicon Follow Mr. Brocal online at Facebook (@julienbrocal), Instagram (@julienbrocal), and Twitter (@JulienBrocal). Visit his web site (julienbrocal.com) for additional information about touring recordings, and special projects. 4
“Music gives hope for the beauty and greatness of the human soul.“ —Camille Thomas
Photo by Dan Carabas
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Camille Thomas, cello Optimism, vitality, and joyful exuberance are elements of Camille Thomas’s rich and compelling personality. The young Franco-Belgian cellist, who signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG) in 2017, understands art’s power to bring people together, to unite individuals from diverse cultures, countries, and backgrounds. Her charismatic artistry is driven by a passion for life and a desire to inspire others to open their hearts to the wonder and emotion of classical music. “Music gives hope for the beauty and greatness of the human soul,” she says. Voice of Hope, her second DG album, released internationally in June 2020. At its heart is the world premiere recording of Fazil Say’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra Never Give Up, the composer’s response to terrorist attacks on Paris and Istanbul, written expressly for Thomas, who gave its world premiere performance in Paris in April 2018. It is the first classical album recorded in partnership with UNICEF, reflecting the cellist’s desire to help others through her music. Her remarkable series of videos, sharing music from empty museums in Paris during lockdown, have been transformative experiences for thousands of viewers. Thomas is conquering the world stage at a staggering pace. She has already worked with such conductors as Paavo Järvi, Mikko Franck, Darrell Ang, Kent Nagano, and Stéphane Denève, and with orchestras inlcuding the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Academia Santa Cecilia, Staatsorchester Hamburg in the Elbphilharmonie, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux, and Brussels Philharmonic. Thomas made her highly anticipated United States debut at the Brevard Music Festival in 2019, which was followed by a whirlwind of performances with many leading series and orchestras. Thomas studied in Frans Helmerson’s and Wolfgang-Emmanuel Schmidt’s classes at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, after working with Marcel Bardon and Philippe Muller in Paris and Stephan Forck in Berlin. Thomas plays the Stradivarius “Feuermann” (1730) thanks to the generosity of the Nippon Music Foundation and a bow by Eugène Sartory kindly on extended loan from the Fondation Roi Baudoin–Fonds Bollandsee. Photo by Sonia Sieff
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Julien Brocal, piano Winner of BBC Music Magazine’s 2018 Newcomer of the Year Award, Julien Brocal began learning piano at age five. His main piano teachers were Erik Berchot and Rena Shereshevskaya. In January 2013, he was spotted by Maria João Pires and they shared the stage in numerous concerts across the world, including with the Warsaw Philharmonic at the prestigious Chopin Festival, the Opera di Firenze in the Great Artists Series, the Sheldonian Theater in Oxford, Philharmonie de Paris, and many others. Brocal’s debut solo album was released in 2017 by Rubicon Classics and featured 24 Preludes, op. 28, and Sonata No. 2, op. 35 by Frédéric Chopin. The recording was received with critical acclaim by the international press, notably BBC Music Magazine which called it “Spellbinding Chopin,” gave it five stars and featured it as its “Instrumental Choice” album of the month. It was this album that also won him BBC Music Magazine’s Newcomer of the Year Award in 2018. Brocal’s second album, featuring works by Ravel and Mompou, was released in 2018 and was received with equal enthusiasm. It was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine and Patrick Rucker noted “I urge you not to miss the opportunity to hear this singular talent.” Brocal has performed many concerts across the globe including Wigmore Hall, Piano aux Jacobins, Nohant Festival and Tippet Rise Festival (United States), Cambridge Music Festival, Chopin Society (London) and NCPA (Beijing/China), and stepped in for Fazil Say and Nelson Goerner cancelled recitals. His regular chamber music partners are cellists Camille Thomas, Lidy Blijdorp, and violonist Rosanne Philippens, cocurating in 2018 with pianist Julien Libeer the Pause Festival in Spain at La Donaira, Andalusia. Along with the traditional concert venues, Brocal founded in his atelier the Jardin Musical, a creative ecosystem reflecting the principles of permaculture by providing a space to produce live performances, recordings, and residencies. He is also supporting local social initiatives as Equinox and Singing Molenbeek children’s choir in Brussels. Photo © Isabelle Françaix
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Schwartz Center Staff
Rachael Brightwell, Managing Director Terry Adams, Box Office Coordinator Lisa Baron, Communications Specialist Carrie Christie, Program Coordinator Kathryn Colegrove, Associate Director for Programming and Outreach Lewis Fuller, Associate Director for Production and Operations Jennifer Kimball, Assistant Stage Manager Jeff Lenhard, Operations Assistant Alan Strange, Box Office Manager Nicholas Surbey, Senior Graphic Designer Mark Teague, Stage Manager Nina Vestal, House Manager Matt Williamson, Multimedia Specialist The Schwartz Center gratefully acknowledges the generous ongoing support of Donna and Marvin Schwartz. To support this program, visit schwartz.emory.edu/give.
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More events coming soon to the Schwartz Center Virtual Stage schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage ECMSA 2 X 3 Friday, April 16 at noon Three members of the Vega String Quartet take a solo turn with pianist William Ransom: Jessica Wu, violin; Yinzi Kong, viola; and cellist Guang Wang, in music of Handel, Schubert, and Prokofiev.
Emory University Symphony Orchestra (EUSO) Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. This semester, the EUSO divides into two string chamber orchestras. In this livestream performance from Emerson Concert Hall, the orchestras present works by Bryce Dessner (guitarist of The National), Florence Price, Mozart, and others. Paul Bhasin conducts.
Emory Chamber Ensembles Sunday, April 18 at 4 p.m. Mentored by Emory’s artist faculty, student musicians perform chamber repertoire for strings, brass, winds, percussion, and piano. Works by Zoltan Kodaly, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johannes Brahms, among others, are programmed.
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CANDLER CONCERT SERIES The Flora Glenn Candler Concert Series brings internationally-renowned artists to Emory University's Schwartz Center for Performing Arts—to the Emerson Concert Hall or the online virtual stage. The artists come from a variety of musical genres including traditional classical ensembles, such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and contemporary artists, like Kronos Quartet. The series is made possible by a generous gift from the late Flora Glenn Candler, a friend and patron of music at Emory University. 10