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- Musically Enchanting Evening at the Atrium
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- By Giorgio Migliavacca
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- Last Friday,s concert at the Atrium of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community
College was a trip through European
- classical music spanning some 250 years and offering the rare opportunity
of listening to different genres. Not only was the music from Europe, the
artists were too.
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- The Zurich-based Duo Armonïac - Hieronymus Schädler (flute)
and Christina Reburg (piano and voice) -
- offered a very captivating programme. Both know their music in great
detail and presented it in its historical
- perspective with a genuine sense of theatrical simplicity and convincing
virtuosity.
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- The first selection was Mozart's Sonata in B-flat major K. 15. This
item belongs to a set of six galant sonatas Mozart wrote at the age of
eight when he was in London. These sonatas were dedicated to Queen [Sophie]
Charlotte of Great Britain.
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- Duo Armonïac continued the musical journey through Europe with
Carl Reinecke,s Ballade op. 288 and Ernest Bloch's intrinsically demanding
Suite Modale. The scheduled Concertino written by a 19-year-old Donizetti
was replaced by Anton Diabelli's transcription of Gioachino Rossini's cavatina,
"Ecco ridente in cielo from "Il Barbiere di Siviglia. All these
items gave the flutist a first class opportunity to successfully and confidently
showcase his talent. His readings had shape, beauty of sound, and clarity
of communication.
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- The second part of the concert was even more endearing with Christina
Reburg showing that she is not only an accomplished accompanist but also
a talented mezzo soprano. The BVI audience seemed to slowly warm up to
vocal selections and the carefully nuanced poems by Joaquin Rodrigo (Verde,
verderol; and Pajaro del agua) should have attracted more applause. On
the other hand Gaetano Donizetti,s song "Me voglio fa na casa (I want
to build a home for my sweetheart) generated a true ovation. Reburg's low
register was firm, her passaggio was seamless and the high notes were tackled
without strain. She would benefit by working on her timbre and by adding
a tiny amount of vibrato. Indeed her Donizetti was a showstopper. Donizetti
wrote some 64 operas, 34 cantantas, and a long series of symphonic, religious
(including four Masses) and chamber pieces. During the composer,s sojourn
in Naples, and elsewhere, he was often asked to write songs for special
occasions ranging from birthdays to weddings, to christenings. So far
some 250 songs and ariette have been credited to him but the list is far
from complete.
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- "Me voglio da na casa is one of Donizetti most famous songs, rivalled
only by the evergreen "Io te voglio bene assaje. Hieronymus Schädler
played his well-phrased composition - "Once and Now - without the
planned
- pre-recorded accompaniment. Despite this minor drawback, due to unforseen
problems with the tape, Schädler composition stood the test and held
the public's attention. His composition is a personal meditation that
opens little windows on the past and compares them with the present. The
work has a nice musical shape, is well articulated and imaginative.
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- This was followed by one of Rossini's "sins of young age - a
charming Andante e Allegro; Lennox Berkeley's Sonatina; a Russian "Tzigan
Song; and Cecile Chaminade's Concertino op. 107.
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- In all the audience was delighted by two hours of beautiful music.
We wished other artists performing at the
- Atrium would also tailor their programmes to accommodate the public's
demand for widely known classical music.
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- Last Friday's (Feb. 19, 1999) concert was made possible through the
generous sponsorship of V P Bank
- (BVI) Ltd.
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