SillyGilly

Review: duo provides a worthwhile rendezvous

March 23, 2017 by SillyGilly, posted in Review

By Jim Leonard

Some well-played Chopin from Vernon pianist Alex MacArthur was a good start to NOCCA’s final concert of the season Saturday at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre.

The piece, Scherzo in B-flat, was played brilliantly by MacArthur, who recently joined the faculty at the Vernon Community Music School. He has also played with the Okanagan and Kamloops symphony orchestras as guest soloist.

Duo Rendezvous, with Jasper Wood on violin and Daniel Bolshoy on guitar, began their program with the Suite in E minor by J.S. Bach. The music was very intricate and at times I sensed a little uneasiness in the ensemble between the two players. This lasted for only a short time in this very demanding and complex work.

In the Suite Populaire Espagnole by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) the duo showed their skills. There were various instrumental effects: harmonics produced by touching the string(s) lightly at strategic spots on the fingerboard and pizzicato on the violin, etc.

Wood’s violin tone was extraordinarily beautiful at all times. He proved himself to be a true master of the violin.

The last piece of the first half, Introduction and Tarentelle by violin virtuoso Pablo de Saraste (1844-1908), explored the outer limits of the violin’s range. It resorted to harmonics to go beyond the usual notes of the fingerboard. Wood’s intonation was always perfect as he played in the piece’s gypsy style.

Bolshoy was up to the task of keeping the rhythm constant while providing all the harmony on the six strings of his guitar – no mean feat indeed.

The second half of the concert began with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Luiza. Jobim (1927-1994) was a Latin style composer/pianist famous for his bossa nova pieces. That’s not what we heard in Luiza. The piece was modern and emotional with complex harmonies and free rhythmic movement. Apparently Jobim had several love affairs throughout his life and Luiza is said to be one of them.

Histoire du Tango and Seasons of Buenos Aires by Italian composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) had percussion effects added by both the violin and the guitar. Wood bowed his violin close to the bridge next to the chin rest, producing a raspy imitation of maracas. Bolshoy tapped on his guitar giving a bongo effect. Each piece represented scenes from various places in Latin America. In spite of the brilliant playing of these pieces, I must admit they were beginning to sound a little similar to each other.

Csardas by Vittorio Monti (1868-1922) was a refreshing antidote to the previous set of pieces, with its lively pace and virtuosic playing of the violin. The technique of both players was flawless and exciting to witness.

A brief whimsical encore called Cafe Espresso 1930 (I didn’t catch the composer) sent the enthusiastic audience home satisfied.

I would like to thank the NOCCA organization for a wonderful season of diverse and delightful entertainment.

Review By Jim Leonard For The Vernon Morning Star

Duo Rendezvous – Saturday March 18, 2017

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 by SillyGilly, posted in Concert

Duo Rendezvous
Saturday March 18, 2017 7:30 pm
BUY TICKETS

Duo Rendezvous—violinist Jasper Wood and guitarist Daniel Bolshoy join forces in a perfect synergy of intimate and virtuosic performance, gifting us with a presentation of humour and passionate musicianship.

This duo was formed as a response to great demand for a refreshing and passionate chamber ensemble with a strong dedication to outreach and education. Their unique programming enriches the existing guitar and violin repertoire with transcriptions of masterpieces from around the world and newly commissioned pieces by leading Canadian composers.

Jasper Wood has established himself as a major talent of his generation. He made his first public appearance at the age of five, and has since captured the hearts of music lovers everywhere. An acclaimed competition winner, Wood has developed a flourishing reputation as a sought-after soloist with major orchestras and as a recital/chamber musician throughout North America and Europe. He has been awarded both the coveted Sylva Gelber Prize (1996) and the prestigious Virginia Parker Award (2004) from the Canada Council for the Arts. Mr. Wood has eight solo and violin/piano CD recordings on the Endeavor Classics, Analekta, Centrediscs, Disques Pelleas and Naxos labels. Jasper Wood is professor of violin at the University of British Columbia.

Having performed hundreds of concerts internationally, Daniel Bolshoy is internationally recognized as a leader amongst Canadian guitarists. He is regularly praised for his friendly and informative spoken introductions, and progressive programming of solo and chamber music. An ATMA recording artist, Daniel Bolshoy appears on seven CD recordings and two documentary films. His most recent CD features the solo guitar works of Eduardo Sainz de la Maza. A devoted music educator, Daniel Bolshoy is currently the head of the guitar division at the University of British Columbia and head of the guitar department at Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s newly created VSO School of Music, where he shares his passion for music with the next generation of guitar enthusiasts and tomorrow’s guitar heroes. duorendezvous.com

The concert will be opened by Vernon pianist Alex MacArthur. Alex began his music studies at the age of eight with Lucy Feldman in Vernon, completing his ARCT in 2003. After receiving his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Victoria in 2008, he studied for two years at le Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal. He has been teaching piano on and off for the past 10 years and recently joined the faculty at the Vernon Community Music School. In addition to performing and teaching, Alex is also an accomplished accompanist for local musicians and students.

*** Please note: NOCCA volunteers will be on hand at this concert for you to renew your subscription for the 2017/18 NOCCA season of concerts ***

Concert Program:

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)	Suite in E Minor, BWV 1034
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)	Suite Populaire Espagnole
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)	Introduction & Tarentelle
Intermission
Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994)	Luiza
Ástor Piazzolla (1921-1992)	Histoire du Tango Seasons of Buenos Aires
Vittorio Monti (1868-1922)	Csárdás

SINGLE CONCERT TICKETS
Adults – $40 Under 18 – $20
Students on the 8to12 program – $5

Purchase tickets at:

TICKET SELLER
Phone: (250) 549-SHOW (7469)
E-mail: boxoffice@ticketseller.ca

– or –

Visit The Performing Arts Centre Foyer
3800-34th Street, Vernon, BC.

Concert review: tenor-pianist delight with musical medley

March 2, 2017 by SillyGilly, posted in Review

By Natalia Polchenko
For The Morning Star

If I were to write a Twitter review of Sunday’s North Okanagan Community Concert Association concert by Benjamin Butterfield and Sarah Hagen, it would go something like this: “Lyrical. Whimsical. Intimate. Multicultural. Excellent!”

Thankfully, I have a little bit more space to share my impressions.

There were a couple of coughs heard before opening act Shae Fraser, a young local harpist, touched the strings of her beautiful instrument. The quiet sound of the harp – gentle and meditative – immediately put the audience into enchanted calm. All the worries and bustle left the Vernon Performing Arts Centre and the music took everyone on a delightful journey.

The headliners, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and pianist Sarah Hagen, both internationally acclaimed musicians, put together a fantastic program that gave the audience a taste of music from many cultures. There were only two people on the large stage, an unamplified voice and piano, but they were able to create the very intimate and warm atmosphere of a cozy house concert.

Traditional Songs from five Canadian Regions, arranged by Canadian composer John Beckwith, reflected the eclectic nature of Canadian culture. Five distinctly different musical traditions wrapped in four different languages (Gaelic, English, French, and Hungarian) created a festive mood, representative of the Canadian cultural mosaic.

Next, Butterfield and Hagen exposed the audience to German lieder. If you ever wondered whether lieder, a traditional setting of German poems to music, could be appreciated fully by non-German speakers, Butterfield and Hagen were a perfect team to make a believer out of you. The singing, playing, and body language of the musicians were so expressive that you could not help but feel the poetry.

The selection of pieces was very interesting. They featured composers from different musical eras — Mozart, Wolf, Reger, Mahler, and Schönberg – yet, the lyricism shared a distinct common thread. The lyrical and precise voice of Butterfield and the emotional but delicate playing of Hagen suited the music perfectly. My personal favourites were the exquisite Mozart’s Abendempfindung (Evening Sensations) and atonal, but oh-so expressive and flowy Waldsonne (Sun in the Forest) by Arnold Schönberg.

After intermission, the multicultural musical kaleidoscope kept turning. Hagen, who was instrumental in helping choose the NOCCA’s new grand piano (pun intended), played a Rachmaninoff Prelude with great sensitivity and heart. Russian romantic music seamlessly transitioned to a cycle of Five Greek Songs by French musical impressionist Maurice Ravel. Ravel wrote this song cycle in a mere 36 hours in French rather than Greek, which made for another charming touch of cultural variety in the program.

Butterfield and Hagen then switched gears from lyrical to whimsical. Two songs by Harry Nilsson, Puppy Song and Nobody Cares About the Railroads Anymore, and a four-song selection by M. Flanders and D. Swann, showcased the duo’s comedic talent. The images Butterfield painted with words, sounds, whistling, facial expressions and gestures were palpable. The piano was there every step of the way. Even the pauses were expressive.

The audience was thoroughly entertained even when the tenor forgot a few words. However, Butterfield was able to make comedy out of his mistake.

In the finale, we joyfully joined the musicians in one of the Queen’s favourite songs, The Hippopotamus, with “mud, mud, glorious mud…” Joy was a very distinct aftertaste of this delightful matinée and the audience carried it away with them.

The North Okanagan Community Concert Association presents as its last concert of the 2016-17 season “Duo Rendezvous” featuring violinist Jasper Wood and guitarist Daniel Bolshoy, 7:30 pm on March 18th at the Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are available at the Ticket Seller box office, 250-549-7469 or ticketseller.ca.

Pianist Sarah Hagen & Tenor Benjamin Butterfield

Benjamin Butterfield & Sarah Hagen – Sunday Feb 26, 2017

February 10, 2017February 10, 2017 by SillyGilly, posted in Concert

Benjamin Butterfield & Sarah Hagen
Sunday February 26, 2017 2:00 pm
BUY TICKETS

Tenor Benjamin Butterfield and pianist Sarah Hagen unite in a magical offering from the voice and piano repertoire, giving a musical expression of artistry and human emotion.

Praised by The New York Times as “clarion-voiced and vibrant”, Benjamin Butterfield is known for his performances throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Born in Halifax NS and raised in Victoria BC, Benjamin began singing in school choirs and at his local church (Christ Church Cathedral). After graduating from McGill University he received grants from the Canada Council to work with David Gordon in Philadelphia, Diane Forlano in London and Leopold Simoneau in Victoria. In a career spanning thirty years, highlights have included tours with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert as well as with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre. On the operatic stage he has toured with the Welsh National Opera, New York City Opera, Canterbury Opera in New Zealand and with Canada’s Opera Atelier. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic, Le Capitole in Toulouse, the Carmel Bach Festival in California as well as participating in the St. Matthew Passion at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan under Seiji Ozawa. A prolific recording artist, he has recorded for Analekta, Dorian, CBC Records, Koch International and Timpani (France). He has been featured in Messiah on ZDF at the Handel-Festspiele Halle with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert and on CBC Radio as a guest host twice for “This is my Music”. Recently Benjamin recorded the St. John Passion with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem (Analekta), the Rhien transcription of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for Yellow Barn, and a sixth CD of Ukrainian Art Song for the Ukrainian Art Song Project in Toronto. He is currently Associate Professor, head of voice and co-head of performance for the School of Music at the University of Victoria, and is the 2015 recipient of the UVic. Craigdarroch Award for Excellence in Artistic Expression. He has served as guest faculty for Opera Nuova, the Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy, The Victoria Conservatory Summer Vocal Academy, Vancouver International Song Institute, Yellow Barn, and Opera on the Avalon.

BC Touring Council’s 2015 Touring Artist of the Year, pianist Sarah Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves throughout North America and Europe. As a First Prize Winner in the 2013 Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, she was awarded the opportunity to perform solo at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. An avid collaborator, Sarah has performed with cellist Ariel Barnes, violinist Robert Uchida, Trio Accord, Ballet Victoria, the Emily Carr String Quartet, among many others, and has appeared as soloist with the Victoria Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the West Coast Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Pacific. She is Artistic Director for Pro’ject Sound, a performance project involving live piano with large-scale projected images. Sarah’s debut solo album, Glass House Dancing, was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards. Her second album, Devoted: Music of Robert & Clara Schumann, features solo piano works and Clara Schumann’s Romances, Opus 22 with violinist Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She currently resides in Toronto where she is putting the finishing touches on her one-woman musical comedy act, “Perk up, pianist!”. sarahhagen.com

This concert will be opened by another of our wonderful North Okanagan “Rising Stars” – harpist, Shae Fraser. Following a successful opening for the 2016 George Elliot Secondary School’s year end music recital, Shae was featured at a local open air concert in Lake Country. Shae has been playing for just 4 years, studying with local harpist Kate Oswald. She finds inspiration in Celtic folk songs and fantasy soundtracks, along with harpists from the internet that share a similar musical taste.

Concert Program:

John Beckwith (1927- )	Young Man From Canada
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)	Abendempfindung (“Evening sensations”)
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)	Fußreise (“Journey on foot”)
Max Reger (1873-1916)	Schwalbenmütterlein (“Little Mother Swallow”)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)	Ablösung im Sommer (“Change in Summer”)
Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)	Waldsonne (“Sun in the forest”)
Intermission
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)	Five Greek Songs
Harry Nilsson (1941-1994)	Puppy Song Nobody Cares About The Railroads Anymore
Michael Flanders (1922-1975) & Donald Swann (1923-1994)	The gas man cometh A G–nu The Warthog The Hippopotamus

SINGLE CONCERT TICKETS
Adults – $40 Under 18 – $20
Students on the 8to12 program – $5

Purchase tickets at:

TICKET SELLER
Phone: (250) 549-SHOW (7469)
E-mail: boxoffice@ticketseller.ca

– or –

Visit The Performing Arts Centre Foyer
3800-34th Street, Vernon
All concerts are held in the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.

Concert review: cool jazz at its finest

February 2, 2017 by SillyGilly, posted in Review

By Jim Leonard
For The Morning Star

The volunteers of the North Okanagan Community Concert Association’s music committee must be thanked for their hard work in bringing first-class entertainment to Vernon.

Saturday’s performance of the Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble was certainly up to the committee’s high standards. But if that wasn’t enough, we were treated to an up-and-coming jazz quartet led by W.L. Seaton Secondary’s jazz phenom Jacob Soucy to start the wonderful evening.

The members, Soucy (trumpet), Craig Matterson (piano), Isley Owens (upright bass), and pinch-hitter drummer Jason Martin, wowed the audience with their take on jazz standards and an original composition by Soucy called Chocolate Milk.

Soucy then joined Bolduc’s group to play There Will Never Be Another You and held his own quite nicely.

We were informed by an earlier article in The Morning Star that Bolduc’s ensemble would not be creating a carbon copy of Brubeck’s albums. The only similarity I noticed was Bolduc’s alto sax tone. It was very close to Paul Desmond’s lighter cool jazz tone.

Many of the arrangements featured long cadenzas at the end or exploratory and wistful piano intros. I was impressed by the group’s ensemble and by the intonation of Bolduc’s sax and the upright bass played by Fraser Hollins. As I am a gigging keyboardist, I know it is a challenge for such players to adjust to the intonation of the piano.

Two arrangements stood out: Take 5 had a unique intro by pianist extraordinaire François Bourassa. He reached into the piano and created a “prepared piano” sound with his left hand resulting in a muted percussive effect. Normally this effect is accomplished by placing various small objects on strategic parts of the piano’s strings, which produce harmonics and other effects. The piece was then played as Brubeck and his quartet would have done. It was there that all similarities ended. The harmony changed and so did the 5/4 meter. The quartet began to develop the familiar opening melody in a symphonic style, teasing the audience with little snippets of the theme passed around instrument to instrument while changing its characteristics ever so slightly. To top it all off was a brilliant drum solo by Dave Laing.

The other outstanding arrangement was the group’s take on Bluette, which started with Bourassa offering an intro not unlike the music of Russian composer/pianist Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915). The arrangement had many different tonal colours, complete with a soul-searching bass solo and frisky duet between the sax and piano to finish the piece.

Other honourable mentions offered were Blue Rondo a la Turk, where the group ignored the irregular note groupings outlined in Brubeck’s piece written in 9/8 time (2+2+2+3), to create a galloping infectious groove by using the usual 3+3+3 note groupings imposed on the melody.

The other piece was Charles Matthew Hallelujah in which many short Hallelujahs à la George Frederick Handel passed between the instruments.These were interrupted by a fast 4/4 swing that jazz players call a “burner.” Within this piece were altissimo sax notes (beyond normal range) and fast scales. This all settled down, prompted by a nice bass solo, to an excellent drum solo using brushes.

The standing ovation given by the audience was rewarded with a version of The Duke, featuring duets between sax and the other quartet members. I hope for this group’s return to Vernon in the near future.

The next NOCCA concert Feb. 26 will feature pianist Sarah Hagen with tenor Benjamin Butterfield. Tickets are still available at ticketseller.ca

– Jim Leonard is a Vernon-based musician who reviews the North Okanagan Community Concert Association series.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: