{"id":109787,"date":"2024-11-26T16:25:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=109787"},"modified":"2024-11-28T14:20:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T19:20:32","slug":"preview-soundstreams-music-toronto-present-invocations-lara-st-john-aviva-chernick-gryphon-trio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/11\/26\/preview-soundstreams-music-toronto-present-invocations-lara-st-john-aviva-chernick-gryphon-trio\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Soundstreams & Music Toronto Present INVOCATIONS With Lara St. John, Aviva Chernick & the Gryphon Trio"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L:
L: Violinist Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of the artist); R: vocalist Aviva Chernick (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Violinist Lara St. John, vocalist Aviva Chernick, and the Gryphon Trio will be performing INVOCATIONS, the final concert of 2024 for Toronto\u2019s Soundstreams. As the title suggests, the program includes music that is meant to take its listeners beyond the present, and beyond themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the latest global shift towards anger, xenophobia and disregard for the planet we all share, my only answer can be music, providing beauty and solace to those who are suffering. My own invocation for these times is to be strong enough to turn my worry for others into something that can heal and keep alight the flame of art and music within periods of darkness,\u201d Lara St. John<\/strong> comments in a statement.<\/p>\n

INVOCATIONS takes place at the Jane Mallett Theatre on December 5. Here\u2019s a closer look at what\u2019s in store.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Gryphon Trio (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soundstreams: INVOCATIONS<\/h3>\n

Vivian Fung\u2019s Prayer, inspired by Hildegard von Bingen, opens the concert, paired with Amy Beach\u2019s spiritual Invocation.<\/p>\n

The term nigun can refer to melody or music, based on the idea that it\u2019s an expression of the kind of emotions that can\u2019t be put into words. Originally, it was a kind of improvised prayer in Hasidic Judaism in the 18th century. Nigun forms the inspiration for many of the works on the program, including Avner Dorman\u2019s Nigunim, a work that won The Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor more than 40 years, Soundstreams has been reimagining musical forms that speak to age-old traditions and rituals. We\u2019ve commissioned new works that breathe new life into forms like the tango, the fanfare and the oratorio. The nigun has such a rich history as a form of prayer, and it\u2019s been a sheer delight to explore the ways in which for generations it has been an appeal to something or someone beyond ourselves,\u201d says Soundstreams founding Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Also on the program are a world premiere by James Rolfe titled Metzarim, and Aaron Copland\u2019s Vitebsk.<\/p>\n

Robert Schumann\u2019s Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 44, a work that was considered groundbreaking in its time, and epitomizes the emotional romantic style, closes the concert.<\/p>\n

The full list of performers includes Lara St. John, violin, Aviva Chernick, vocals, Noa Sarid, violin, and Sheila Jaffe, viola; and the Gryphon Trio: Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin, Roman Borys, cello, and Jamie Parker, piano.<\/p>\n