Paula Kiffner’s 2 cello & piano concert

by Paula Kiffner

So many people have said to me that the cello is their favorite instrument. Certainly it is my favorite instrument. But what draws people to the sound of the cello? I think it is the human quality of its range. The cello covers almost the entire range of the human voice, and possesses a warm singing quality.

This wide range from bass to soprano lends itself to the creation of works for multiple cellos – something that cellists (a naturally gregarious lot) greatly appreciate. You may be familiar with recordings by the world-famous Berlin Philharmonic cello section, or the performances by 100 cellists of Pablo Casals’ “Song of The Birds”.

On Sunday, May 6th, at 2:30 PM at Artspring, Pamela Highbaugh-Aloni, cellist of the Lafayette String Quartet, and I, along with pianist Jamie Syer, the former Dean of the Victoria Conservatory, will present a program of works for two cellos and piano. Some of the works to be performed are transcriptions and some were written originally for this combination. I’ve even included two arrangements I made of well-known opera arias.

Pamela, Jamie and I have known and worked with each other for several years, and this program has given us the opportunity to learn some unusual and very interesting repertoire spanning the Baroque to Modern eras, from Handel to Bartok, including ultra-romantic duets by the Russian composer Reinhold Glière.

Please join us at 2:30 PM at Artspring on Sunday, May 6th. The concert is preceded by a winetasting at 1:30 PM featuring wines of the Garry Oaks Vineyard.