OCT.27/2019 -

“From Vienna with Love!” A chamber music concert highlighting the multi-faceted, lively artistic approach and unique sound of the award-winning Stratos Piano Quartet. 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

CONCERT PARTNERS

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. BRAHMS
(1833 – 1897) Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
Allegro
Intermezzo
Andante con moto
Rondo all Zingareze

Stratos Quartet

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.

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.

Jan Ryska (Cello)

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 (Piano)

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.

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.

Kei Shirai (Violin)

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.

Magdalena Eber (Viola)

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.