Product Description

One cannot think of Strauss without bringing to mind the city of Vienna and elegant couples dancing the waltz. Popular imagery -- picturesque, although not fully accurate -- has handed down to us a vision of the Viennese as being by nature serene and simple people, gifted with an unshakeable love of life and all its pleasures. Music, of course, is at the very centre of their existence -- much more than a simple distraction, it is an integral part of their daily lives. Yet, ironically, the waltz did not originate in Vienna. It seems, rather, that the distinctive dance in three quarter time has its origins in the popular folk dances of the Black Forest and the Upper Rhine

About the Artist

LOUISE BESSETTE: January 1986 marked a turning point in the career of Louise Bessette. Since winning the First Prize at the Concours International de Musique Contemporaine in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France), she has gone on to become recognized as a leading light in the interpretation of twentieth-century music. Most notably, she has added to her list of accomplishments both the First Prize and the Special Prize for Piano at the Rotterdam 1989 International Gaudeamus Competition for Contemporary Music, and the 1991 Flandre-Québec Award in recognition of her contribution to contemporary music. The Conseil Québécois de la Musique awarded her the Prix Opus 1996-1997 in the category "conductor or soloist of the year" for her recital devoted to the Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus by Olivier Messiaen.