Franz Schubert : Octuor en fa majeur, D. 803

SECOND ALBUM BY THE OSM CHAMBER SOLOISTS

The second album in the series of recordings by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Chamber Soloists, under the artistic direction of Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the OSM since 2008, is devoted to the Octet in F major, D. 803 by Franz Schubert. This ambitious and appealing composition is one of the most iconic chamber music works in Western art music.

The high-level musicianship and osmosis of the OSM Chamber Soloists make this luminous work ever more impressive and the result is an exceptional album.

” Full of fantasy and nostalgia, Schubert’s majestic octet easily highlights the innumerable, unparalleled qualities of the OSM players that I have the privilege of working with on a daily basis. For this project, we welcome two new fantastic colleagues, Olivier Thouin and Victor Fournelle-Blain.”

– Andrew Wan

For the OSM Chamber Soloists, recording Franz Schubert’s Octet in F major, D. 803, was the logical next step after Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20, their first album released in January 2018, because of the fact that Beethoven’s work was Schubert’s reference for his Octet.

For this new album, the OSM Chamber Soloists consist of Andrew Wan on violin, Olivier Thouin on violin, Victor Fournelle-Blain on viola, Brian Manker on cello, Ali Kian Yazdanfar on double bass, Todd Cope on clarinet, Stéphane Lévesque on bassoon and John Zirbel on horn.

About Andrew Wan

Concertmaster of the OSM since 2008, Andrew Wan is also Assistant Professor of Violin at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Artistic Partner with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, member of the New Orford String Quartet, and Artistic Director of the Soloists of the OSM for three upcoming album releases on the Analekta label. As a soloist, he has toured the world from Brazil to China and has performed chamber music with Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Vadim Repin, Menahem Pressler, and the Juilliard String Quartet. Albums in his discography have been awarded a Grammy,  two Juno nominations, and an Opus Prize for his recording of Saint-Saëns’s three violin concertos with the OSM and Kent Nagano. Mr. Wan was First Prize Winner of the OSM Standard Life Competition in 2007. He obtained three degrees from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Masao Kawasaki and Ron Copes. He performs on a 1744 Michel’Angelo Bergonzi violin, generously loaned by philanthropist David B. Sela.

About Analekta

Founded in 1987 by François Mario Labbé, Analekta is the largest independent classical music record company in Canada. It has produced more than 500 albums and recorded more than 200 of the country’s most prominent musicians, winning multiple awards in the process. In early 2017, Analekta achieved the impressive feat of having the works in its catalogue streamed 100 million times on international streaming platforms.