Les Violons du Roy is a magnificent chamber orchestra based in Quebec City. While playing on modern instruments, they use Baroque bows and bowing techniques. There is an energy to this group's playing that makes all of its performances transport the audience back in time. As the music critic for the Toronto Star said after their presentation of Messiah in Toronto it was convincingly authentic sounding. I was there and can only agree.
One of their most recent recordings has them paired with Vivica Genaux, the American mezzo soprano who is staking out a great international career in baroque repertoire. The CD presents Handel and Hasse arias. The discipline of the singer and the orchestra is perfectly matched with enthusiastic and joyful energy they have discovered in the arias.
The aria from Alcina is peerlessly performed. I last heard Jennifer Laramour sing this in the Chicago production of Alcina, and thought that was the finest baroque singing I had ever heard. This rendition at least matches that evening.
Next up from Les Violons du Roi is a new CD of Handel's Water Music in early November. I am looking forward to grabbing it as soon as it is available, not least because the work is the first piece of classical repertoire that I remember actually liking.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Shooting Stars
October 20, 2007. The Liberty Lounge at Mount Royal College. Justin Nozuka and Nathan Wiley. Enough said? I think not.
Nathan Wiley opened and it was the first time I had caught his act. You know it's a good night when you want the opener to play for another hour, at least. Where does he get the inspiration for these songs that explore the dark alleys of the urban soul? His repertoire reminded me of Fado, the European Urban music genre which only appears late at night in Lisbon to sing of human frailty and celebrate, in a backhanded way, that it is fundamental to the human condition to push back against what fate deals us. May it please the music gods to bring Nathan Wiley back for a full evening.
Justin Nozuka appeared with his small but tight band. Great musicians all, particularly the bass guitar. I have been listening to Justin's CD, Holly, for weeks, but was still unprepared for the magnetic intensity of his live performance. He held the crowd spellbound with is guitar playing and that soulful voice, that ripples along the melodies. Again, what great lyrics, exposing what it means to be haunted by Psyche, who was the lover of Eros before Freud used the term to describe the complexities of the human mind and soul interaction. When he and his bass guitar player started playing riffs at each other it was music making at its most magical. I doubt if we will ever have the opportunity to see him again in such a small venue; he seems destined for super stardom.
Nathan Wiley opened and it was the first time I had caught his act. You know it's a good night when you want the opener to play for another hour, at least. Where does he get the inspiration for these songs that explore the dark alleys of the urban soul? His repertoire reminded me of Fado, the European Urban music genre which only appears late at night in Lisbon to sing of human frailty and celebrate, in a backhanded way, that it is fundamental to the human condition to push back against what fate deals us. May it please the music gods to bring Nathan Wiley back for a full evening.
Justin Nozuka appeared with his small but tight band. Great musicians all, particularly the bass guitar. I have been listening to Justin's CD, Holly, for weeks, but was still unprepared for the magnetic intensity of his live performance. He held the crowd spellbound with is guitar playing and that soulful voice, that ripples along the melodies. Again, what great lyrics, exposing what it means to be haunted by Psyche, who was the lover of Eros before Freud used the term to describe the complexities of the human mind and soul interaction. When he and his bass guitar player started playing riffs at each other it was music making at its most magical. I doubt if we will ever have the opportunity to see him again in such a small venue; he seems destined for super stardom.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Two for Two
The good news is that Ground Zero Theatre and Hit and Myth Productions scored again with "The Full Monty." It is also great that Calgary audiences rewarded the show with sell outs.
These guys have the true formula for presenting magical theatre. Find an interesting show; hire half a dozen superb musicians to play the score; recruit great comic actors who can also sing and put the show on in what feels like the best tradition of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney musicals of the 1940's.
The Grand Theatre itself is a wonderful space, allowing an intimacy between the characters and audience that can not occur in larger venues. This really played a key role in this show as the music and lyrics are very much akin to Haiku Poetry - an illumination of the characters being portrayed. I doubt if there has been a better rendition of the the second act love anthem "You Walk with Me" anywhere else, because the beauty of the voices and subtle intensity of the performances were allowed to shine in relatively intimate space.
What fun I will have this winter tracking down shows produced by all these independent Calgary companies and attending many. I love it that these guys seem to truly believe that it is possible to make a living working in the theatre in Calgary. I will buy tickets, and encourage friends to join me.
These guys have the true formula for presenting magical theatre. Find an interesting show; hire half a dozen superb musicians to play the score; recruit great comic actors who can also sing and put the show on in what feels like the best tradition of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney musicals of the 1940's.
The Grand Theatre itself is a wonderful space, allowing an intimacy between the characters and audience that can not occur in larger venues. This really played a key role in this show as the music and lyrics are very much akin to Haiku Poetry - an illumination of the characters being portrayed. I doubt if there has been a better rendition of the the second act love anthem "You Walk with Me" anywhere else, because the beauty of the voices and subtle intensity of the performances were allowed to shine in relatively intimate space.
What fun I will have this winter tracking down shows produced by all these independent Calgary companies and attending many. I love it that these guys seem to truly believe that it is possible to make a living working in the theatre in Calgary. I will buy tickets, and encourage friends to join me.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Stalked By Eros
I enjoy picking a theme and creating a playlist, selecting songs from my CD collection. The most recent theme is 'Stalked by Eros.' If you think about it, in literature and song Eros has two major aspects.
There is the 'driven by lust' theme. For example there is Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" or "Othello." In music there is Verdi's "Tosca," just to name one example. Of course, the lesson that we humans never learn is that signing on with this aspect of Eros never ends well. But we do seem to like to sing about the experience.
The second major aspect is the quest for the perfect romantic partner; think Valentine's Day. Much of the classic repertoire from Tin Pan Alley in the 1930's and1940's is the most familiar interpretation of this aspect. These "encounters" can end well, usually only in fairy tales but there is Beethoven's "Leonore." More frequently it ends badly as described in the medieval chansons of courtly love and Lerner and Lowe's "Camelot."
What I found most interesting in selecting the songs for this playlist is the number of current singers who are writing and performing songs, almost meditations, that contemplate the very human reaction to these two aspects of Eros. "Where is the bargain with this cruel god?" seems to be the quest. These artists are working in the best traditions of the traveling troubadours of centuries ago. A very lucky time to be listening, in my opinion.
Here is the list of performances I chose for "Stalked by Eros"
There is the 'driven by lust' theme. For example there is Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" or "Othello." In music there is Verdi's "Tosca," just to name one example. Of course, the lesson that we humans never learn is that signing on with this aspect of Eros never ends well. But we do seem to like to sing about the experience.
The second major aspect is the quest for the perfect romantic partner; think Valentine's Day. Much of the classic repertoire from Tin Pan Alley in the 1930's and1940's is the most familiar interpretation of this aspect. These "encounters" can end well, usually only in fairy tales but there is Beethoven's "Leonore." More frequently it ends badly as described in the medieval chansons of courtly love and Lerner and Lowe's "Camelot."
What I found most interesting in selecting the songs for this playlist is the number of current singers who are writing and performing songs, almost meditations, that contemplate the very human reaction to these two aspects of Eros. "Where is the bargain with this cruel god?" seems to be the quest. These artists are working in the best traditions of the traveling troubadours of centuries ago. A very lucky time to be listening, in my opinion.
Here is the list of performances I chose for "Stalked by Eros"
- Walking the Back Streets and Crying - Vargas Blues Band
- The Next Step - Kelley Hunt
- All Around Man - Bluff City Backsliders
- Back to the Ground - Jamie Cullum
- Nature Boy - Nate Birkey
- Couer de Parisienne - Rufus Wainwright
- La Vie en Rose - Sophie Milman
- Taking a Chance on Love - Ethel Waters
- Out of Nowhere - Ella Fitzgerald
- Heart and Soul - Mel Torme
- A Sunday Kind of Love - Ella Fitzgerald
- The Man I Love - Sophie Milman
- The Man that Got Away - Judy Garland
- Drunk on Your Tears - Jeremy Fisher
- Think Again - Teddy Thompson
- I Taught Myself How to Grow Old - Ryan Adams
- Loving You - Paolo Nutini
- Stay - Sophie Milman
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Opening the Season
The 2007 - 2008 theatre and concert season opened with a bang, literally. Theatre Calgary's production of The Wars was astonishingly good on virtually every level.
I approached this work with much trepidation. It is sheer delight to live in a city where the major and new companies nurture and produce new work. But after the disaster of last season's Frobisher from Calgary Opera, I had many questions about how this novel which uses World War I as a driver of the stories about how governmental and societal violent insanity impacts ordinary humans could be shrunk to the space of a stage. It turns out the answer was that one does not shrink it, but uses multi-media and brilliant stage design to suggest the full scope of the time and place.
I salute the playwright. Timothy Findlay's voice was ardently clear throughout.
There is not enough good that can be said about the cast. The work requires a true ensemble effort around a central character who is on stage virtually every minute of the production. They succeeded magnificently.
Findlay's strength is to engage one both intellectually and emotionally at the same time. This work succeeds in achieving this same magic. I shall not soon forget the final scene. Two words tie the final knot in the tapestry that has been woven through the evening. I was shaken to the core.
I approached this work with much trepidation. It is sheer delight to live in a city where the major and new companies nurture and produce new work. But after the disaster of last season's Frobisher from Calgary Opera, I had many questions about how this novel which uses World War I as a driver of the stories about how governmental and societal violent insanity impacts ordinary humans could be shrunk to the space of a stage. It turns out the answer was that one does not shrink it, but uses multi-media and brilliant stage design to suggest the full scope of the time and place.
I salute the playwright. Timothy Findlay's voice was ardently clear throughout.
There is not enough good that can be said about the cast. The work requires a true ensemble effort around a central character who is on stage virtually every minute of the production. They succeeded magnificently.
Findlay's strength is to engage one both intellectually and emotionally at the same time. This work succeeds in achieving this same magic. I shall not soon forget the final scene. Two words tie the final knot in the tapestry that has been woven through the evening. I was shaken to the core.
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