“From Vienna with Love!” A chamber music concert highlighting the multi-faceted, lively artistic approach and unique sound of the international award-winning Stratos Piano Quartet, in a program featuring works by Austria’s iconic classical, romantic and contemporary composers.
JAN RYSKA | Cello
MARI SATO | Piano
KEI SHIRAI | Violin
MAGDALENA EBER | Viola
Baabdath | Maronite Parish Hall
8:00 pm | Free Entrance
PROGRAM
W. A. MOZART (1756 – 1791)
Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, K. 493 (1st Movement)
F. SCHUBERT (1797 – 1828)
String Trio in B-Flat Major, D. 471
Allegro
Andante Sostenuto
G. MAHLER (1860 – 1911)
Piano Quartet in A Minor
G. WOLFGANG (b. 1957)
‘From Vienna With Love’ for Piano Quartet
Intermission
A. LINDENBAUM (b. 1963)
Bei Kerzenschein (By the candlelight) for cello solo
J. BRHAMS (1833 – 1897)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
Allegro
Intermezzo
Andante con moto
Rondo all Zingareze
The award winning artists of Stratos Quartet, regular guests at world renowned venues internationally, depart from classical models to reach exciting new ways of musical expression. Alongside their concerts at venues including the Musikverein (Vienna), the Brucknerhaus (Linz), Wigmore Hall (London), Gulbenkian Center (Lisbon), Casa de Musica (Porto), at the Dvorak Festival in the Czech Republic and in diverse halls throughout Italy, Japan and the USA, Stratos Quartett has been awarded prizes at international competitions.
In 2013 the quartet won both first prize and a special award at the Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Pörtschach. In March 2016 they have been awarded the first prize as well as the special award for the best interpretation of a composition by Schumann and Brahms at the „Città di Pinerolo e Turino“ International Chamber Music Competition in Italy (WFIMC member), competing alongside 42 ensembles from 27 countries. At the second Beethoven Chamber Music Competition in Poland in November 2017, Stratos Quartett took first prize and the „Grand Prix“ award, which includes a CD recording contract.
Furthermore, the Stratos Quartett was honored to be selected for the program, The New Austrian Sound of Music“ in 2018 and 2019, a cultural sponsorship program of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This program generously supports artists in performances abroad using resources of the embassy network, consulate general and the Austrian Cultural Forum.
Cellist Jan Ryska (1984) started his musical studies at the age of five. He graduated in cello performance majorcum laude from the Prague Conservatory, the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and at the Universität für Musik unddarstellende Kunst in Vienna.
Since his childhood Jan Ryska has become a laureate of many international cello and chamber music competitions – among some of the recent achievements we could name the 1st price in the Brahms International Chamber Music Competition in Austria, the 1st and the special prices in the Pinerollo Chamber Music Competition in Italy (member of the WFIMC) or the 1st and Grand Prix of the Beethoven Competition. His other activities include solo and chamber music concerts (with the Stratos Quartett) in different European countries as well as in Japan or USA and recordings for the Czech Radio.
Since January 2012 is Jan Ryska engaged by the Vienna State Opera and performs intensively with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in all major world venues and festivals with the most distinguished conductors. In 2016 and 2017 he served as a Solo-cellist of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, too.
Jan Ryska plays on a Francesco Barbieri cello made in Mantova, Italy, in 1740.
Mari Sato is born in Japan in 1987. After studying with Atsuko Okada at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, she moved to Vienna to study under Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the University of Music and Performing Arts, where she received the highest mark and was an Honoree for obtaining the Magistra Diploma (M.Mus) in 2015.
Mari’s major awards include: 1st Prize, 19th International Brahms Competition in 2012, piano category, Austria;
Honor Prize, 15th International Piano Competition Premio Schumann in Italy in 2008; 2nd prize(no first prize awarded), International Music Competition in Yokohama Duo category in 2010; 1st Prize, 6th International Interpretationscompetition Verfemte Musik in 2014, Germany and 1st Prize, International Chamber Music Competition in Pinerolo/Triono “Cittá di Pinerolo e Torino – Cittá Metropolitana” in Italy (WFIMC) in 2016, 3rd Prize, M-Preis in USA 2017, 1st Prize and Grand Prix, International Beethoven chamber music competition in Poland 2017.
Her mesmerising musical talent, and her enduring love of both chamber music and contemporary music, has lead her to perform in Austria, Germany, Italy and Japan. She was invited to perform with many major orchestras, including Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo New City Orchestra, Chubu-Pilharmonic Orchestra and Hiroshima Symphonie Orchestra, with Maestro Mr.Kazuyoshi Akiyama and Maestro Mr.Junichi Hirokami and Mr.Yu Sugimoto.
Mari is a scholar of the Rohm Music Foundation since 2013-2014 and is currently based in Vienna where she is the Senior Lecturer for String Instrument Solo- and Class accompanist at the University of Music and Performing Art Vienna. Since 2018 Ms. Sato holds a position as an accompanist at the University of Music in Vienna.
Japanese violinist Kei Shirai was born in Trinidad and Tobago and began playing the violin at the age of three. As a child he was taught by Tsugio Tokunaga and, while studying at Geidai University of the Arts in Tokyo, by Chikashi Tanaka and Miyoko Yamane-Goldberg. Upon his graduation in 2007, Kei Shirai was awarded a Japanese Government Scholarship to continue his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Johannes Meissl. Among his awards at major international competitions are the second prize and the audience prize at the 2009 ARD Competition in Munich.
Kei enjoys a multi-faceted career as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. His concert engagements take him frequently to Japan’s biggest venues and festivals. In Europe he performs regularly with the Stefan Zweig Trio and the Ludwig Chamber Players: an acclaimed mixed instrumentation ensemble based in Stuttgart.
Since 2013 Kei Shirai served as the concert master of the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, recently he is a guest concert master of the NHK Radio Orchestra Tokio.
Born in Vienna, Magdalena Eber studied violin at the Conservatiorium Wiener Neustadt and later viola at the University of Music in Vienna, where she graduated with distinction. Apart of being a prizewinner of national and international competitions, she is since 2013 a member of the Wiener Volksoper where in 2018, she was promoted to the position of viola section leader.