Toronto’s North Wind Concerts will kick the 2024-25 season with Acquiescent: The French Baroque in China. Through music and projections, the event looks to illuminate a unique moment of cultural exchange in history.
The concert takes place September 21 at Heliconian Hall.
China & The European Baroque: Unexpected Connections
The Qianlong Emperor, born the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, reigned officially over all of China from October 11, 1735 to 8 February 1796. He was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and became known for fostering literature, architecture, and the arts during his time on the throne.
The Emperor had close ties to French missionaries and others who influenced him and his artistic tastes. A British visitor of the day noted the resemblance to European music of the Baroque on his arrival — and conversely, French thinkers like composer and theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau often studied Chinese musical forms and language.
A Multimedia Event
The concert, curated and performed by harpsichordist Louise Hung, with colleagues Jin Cho on traverso, violist Matt Antal, and cellist Margaret Jordan-Gay, builds on those connections.
The program offers music that is known to have been performed for the Chinese Imperial Court by the emperor’s favourite Jesuit missionary Jean-Joseph Amiot, including works by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Michel Blavet.
Audio visual elements include projected visuals by Louise Hung, and soundscapes by Matt Antal, incorporating first-hand accounts of how Emperor Qianlong and his courtiers first reacted to the music.
European Culture Encounters China
The court of Imperial China during the Qing dynasty saw itself as a dominant culture. The concert offers a different lens than the usual in its exploration of European culture during the Baroque period, and a look at the power dynamics behind the perception of Western classical music.
The concert juxtaposes visuals that recall an 18th century salon on the outskirts of Paris with those that evoke the court of Imperial China during the Qing dynasty. The audience will experience the music in a French salon, and then as a guest at an Imperial banquet.
For Qianling, Rameau was delightful exotica.
It’s a chance to gain more insight into this moment of historical cross-cultural exchanges while enjoying the music of the era.
The Musicians
The concert features music for harpsichord solo and chamber ensemble by Jean-Philippe Rameau, and sonatas for flute and basso continuo by Michel Blavet.
Harpsichordist Louise Hung was first introduced to Western classical music as a baby in Taiwan when she heard a garbage truck playing Für Elise on the radio. She went on to earn a B.Mus. in Piano Performance at the University of Victoria, and her M.Mus. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy program at the University of Toronto. She has performed at festivals throughout Ontario and beyond.
Flutist Jin Cho is a specialist in both historical and contemporary performance, and plays the baroque flute, modern flute and Korean daegeum, and for the concert, traverso. The native of South Korea was influenced to study the flute by hear father, and after studying in Korea, went on to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and an Artist Diploma at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. After his introduction to baroque flute, furthered his studies with a master’s degree in Historical Performance at the University of Toronto. Jin has performed with a variety of ensembles, along with his work as a soloist, all over the world.
As a musician, Matthew Antal will be performing on the viola. Toronto-based audio engineer and producer Matthew Antal specializes in classical music recording, including engineering, mixing, mastering, and producing. He’s worked on a projects for a who’s who of the music scene in Toronto and beyond, including Opera Atelier, the Toronto Bach Festival, UofT Faculty of Music, the Rolston String Quartet, and many others. He will be releasing his first immersive Dolby Atmos album in the fall of 2024 with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Cellist Margaret Gay is an active freelance performer on both modern and period instruments. She performs regularly with organizations such as Tafelmusik, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Opera Atelier, the Eybler Quartet, and Ensemble Polaris. The latter is a group that delves into traditional Nordic music. She is the Artistic and Managing Director of The Gallery Players of Niagara, a St. Catherines based chamber music ensemble., and performs on a cello made by Andrea Castagnieri in 1730.
- Find tickets (pay-what-you-can) and more details about the September 21 concert [HERE].
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