Smaller Gems Shine at Elora Fest
By Stephen Preece
For The Record article source
July 21, 2008
ELORA
While some of the bigger, snazzier Elora Festival shows are grabbing much of the attention, this year's smaller classical music gems should not be overlooked.
Three afternoon concerts over the weekend each offered a wonderful, out-of-the-way musical offering of superlative quality.
Duo Affinite -- Guy Few on trumpet, corno and piano, and Nadina Mackie Jackson bassoon -- created that irresistible combination of extraordinary musicianship and engaging showboating.
Their loosely-knit theme -- prince and princess -- was appropriate, with the first half featuring music either written for royalty (Paganini sonatas), or had a courtly Baroque-inspired dance feel (Boismortier and St-Saens).
A highlight was the Beethoven variations on a theme from Mozart's Magic Flute. These seven variations ran the gamut from dreamy, milky-melodrama, to a mysteriously, misty-minor, culminating in a final blistering gallop to the finish.
Their playing showcased the deeply expressive talent of each solo performer while also exploring interconnecting musical tapestries as they wove together the various melodies, harmonies and accompaniments.
The second set took on a decidedly contemporary feel. Starting off was Canadian composer Bill Douglas' Partita for Bassoon and Piano -- a fantastically eclectic piece incorporating elements of bebop, new age, world, and blues traditions.
With the risk of too many ingredients, this piece worked on its own terms, generating a likable, accessible musical journey.
The final Dance for Trumpet, Bassoon and Piano (Shostakovich), had the audience in stitches as the pair crashed through a wild cancan, Few alternating between his trumpet and piano with comedic gusto.
On to the youthful, but highly talented Canadians Colin Ainsworth (tenor) and James Bourne (piano) in Schubert's song cycle Die sch?ne Mullerin.
This rambling 70 minute opus in 20 segments, careened through an emotional roller-coaster from the elated exuberance of new love, to the jaded, jealous scorn of betrayal, rejection and finally death.
The most immediate impression was Ainsworth's striking physical appearance -- with his long blond hair and broad smile -- though as the music began, it was all about his wonderfully engaging vocal talent.
The wildly expansive piece tested the full range of vocal expression, from the most tender, achingly-wistful sigh, to the full-throttle gesticulation of giddy glee; Ainsworth conquered all with confident technique, tone and temperament.
Bourne was likewise expressive and every-bit the partner to Ainsworth's able lead.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon it was all a cappella with an Elora Festival Singers program entitled Paradise Rediscovered.
Starting with two contrasting mass compositions, Joseph Rheinberger's take was a continuous flow of sound, aural blocks of harmony, always sustained but ever-evolving.
The Singers had a wonderfully relaxed intonation, unstressed and effortlessly floating.
In stark contrast, Poulenc's take was a study in restlessness with its jarring shifts, unexpected turns and jagged jumps. The choir was remarkably deft within this turbulence, as it navigated a wide series of difficult crunches and chromaticisms, amid ambiguous tonal centres.
A particular highlight of the program was the Kein deutscher Himmel of Mahler (from Adagietto, Symphony No. 5).
The piece featured the lush harmonies typical of the composer, rock solid in the hands of The Singers. What brought shivers was the layered-over, stratospheric ultra-soprano of Sheila Dietrich, physically positioned in the church loft -- sparkling, secure and ethereal.
The finisher was Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine (Whitacre) sounding simultaneously contemporary and centuries-old.
The Singers sang this piece with relish, ably managing the composer's signature dissonances along with some whish-whoosh sound effects and vocal drama.