Kaori Yamagami, who grew up and studied cello at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, has spent much of her adult life outside Canada. She offers a rare local concert Thursday, courtesy of Music Toronto’s Discovery recital series at the Jane Mallett Theatre.
The Japanese native is all grown up now, and has held the post of principal cello with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta since completing graduate studies in Germany two years ago.
In Canada, Yamagami is a past winner of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize and she was the lucky (and talented) recipient of the prize “Bonjour” Stradivadius cello for three years, thanks to the Canada Council’s instrument bank competition.
And she is brave and confident enough to present a real solo programme — without the help of a piano accompanist.
Bach is pretty much guaranteed under the circumstances. Also on Yamagami’s programme are solo suites by Gaspar Cassado and Max Reger — the last one, No. 1, an underappreciated gem.
You can find all the programme details here. Discovery series tickets are a cheap $21.50.
And there’s no risk here, as you can see from Yamagami’s performance of Bach’s Third Suite for unaccompanied cello. Here are the Prelude, Allemande, Sarabande and Gigue, courtesy of CBC Music:
And here is Guido Schiefen introducing us to Reger’s first suite, which dates from 1915, with the outer movements Prelude and Fugue:
John Terauds