Stéphan Sylvestre

About

A single piano can evoke an astonishing world of colour, atmosphere and emotion. Musique Royale invites audiences to Cecilia’s Retreat on September 26 at 11 am to hear pianist Stéphan Sylvestre. For his program, Tableaux and Miniatures, the acclaimed Canadian pianist explores some of the most evocative short works in the piano repertoire, tracing a path from Beethoven to the height of Romanticism and Impressionism.

Beethoven’s final set of Bagatelles, Op. 126, opens the program with six miniature worlds—by turns playful, tender, restless and profound. Rachmaninoff transforms the piano into a canvas of sweeping gesture and rich colour in selections from his Études-Tableaux, while Debussy’s magnificent La cathédrale engloutie conjures the legendary image of a submerged cathedral slowly rising from the sea, its distant bells and ancient grandeur emerging through sound.

The program culminates in Brahms’s Fantasien, Op. 116, a deeply personal collection from the composer’s final years. Moving between passionate capriccios and intimate intermezzi, these seven pieces reveal a remarkable emotional landscape compressed into miniature form.

About Stéphan Sylvestre

Stéphan Sylvestre ranks among the most sought-after Canadian pianists. Compared by critics to Artur Rubinstein for his natural talent and flawless technique (La Presse, Montreal), he has given performances in numerous countries throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Russia. He performed five solo recitals in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, has appeared with top Canadian orchestras and in Canada’s leading international festivals, and has played live for the BBC. One of Canada’s most praised chamber musicians, he regularly collaborates with internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles such as James Campbell, James Sommerville, Ransom Wilson, Martin Beaver, Rivka Golani, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Penderecki, New Zealand and New Orford string quartets, as well as with principal players of the Israel Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony orchestras.

His recordings have been hailed by critics. His Brahms solo recordings were placed alongside Murray Perahia’s interpretations by The WholeNote, and the internationally renowned Strad Magazine in the UK gave a stunning review of his recording of works by Szymanowski for violin and piano with violinist Jerzy Kaplanek. He regularly gives masterclasses and sits on juries of competitions including the Montreal International Piano Competition, the Montreal Symphony Competition and the Canadian Music Competition. He also regularly adjudicates for institutions including the Glenn Gould School and the Conservatoire de Montréal, among others.

Stéphan Sylvestre has been Associate Professor and head of keyboard studies at Western University Canada since 2005. He is also a faculty member at the International Orford Music Academy, where he teaches during the summer. Stéphan Sylvestre is one of the most respected pedagogues of the new generation and is highly sought after by young pianists around the world. His teachers have included Leon Fleisher, John Perry, Marc Durand and Marek Jablonski.