{"id":49068,"date":"2017-11-14T13:06:41","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T18:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=49068"},"modified":"2017-11-15T18:29:02","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T23:29:02","slug":"scrutiny-amicis-concertcd-launch-celebrates-a-musical-true-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2017\/11\/14\/scrutiny-amicis-concertcd-launch-celebrates-a-musical-true-north\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Amici\u2019s Concert\/CD Launch Celebrates A Musical True North"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Amici
Amici Inspired by Canada (Photo: Kaija Corlazzoli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mireille Asselin, soprano; Joaquin Valdepe\u00f1as, clarinet; David Hetherington, cello; Serouj Kradjian, piano. Mazzoleni Hall, Sunday.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In a year of celebrating all things Canadian, the Amici Chamber Ensemble<\/a> joins in the fun with the release of a new disc, <\/span>Inspired By Canada\/Notre Pays <\/em>on the Marquis Records label. It\u2019s an eclectic mix of pieces from the pop and folk genres that <\/span>captures the spirit of Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meticulous research was carried out by Amici, together with their guest soprano Mireille Asselin, to assemble the music that best defines Canada as a nation. Several of the pieces are very well known, such as the traditional \u201cRed River Valley\u201d and Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u201cHallelujah,\u201d while others are less familiar but totally worthy of inclusion. All received new arrangements by the superb pianist Serouj Kradjian of Amici.<\/p>\n

The launch concert took place last Sunday afternoon at Mazzoleni Hall, an intimate 237-seat space. While not sold out, it was very well attended by an enthusiastic audience, vocal fans, friends and supporters of Amici. In addition to performing the content of the CD, two other works were added. The concert opened with Inferno<\/em>, an interesting piece by Aidan Sheedy, a student composer from Amici\u2019s Young Composers Program at Earl Haig School. In the audience was the young Mr. Sheedy, who was given warm applause.<\/p>\n

The second work, Little Minuet and Sad Waltz,<\/em> was composed by the late George Crum (1926-2007), who was for many years the principal conductor of the National Ballet of Canada. He dedicated this work to the retired Canadian mezzo Joan Hall, who was also in the audience. Ms. Hall sang with the Canadian Opera Company as early as 1951, as Suzuki in the COC first production of Madama Butterfly<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 that\u2019s 66 years, folks! This marked the first public performance of this beautiful 4-minute piece, very bluesy and tinged with melancholy, wonderfully played by Kradjian.<\/p>\n

The rest of the concert was devoted to the 17 songs on the new disc, with introductions by the artist. Many recognizable tunes, with several from French Canada, such as Gilles Vigneault\u2019s \u201cMon Pays\u201d or Antoine G\u00e9rin-Lajoie\u2019s \u201cUn Canadien Errant,\u201d sung with great style by Mireille Asselin, who is Acadian from New Brunswick. It was a pleasant surprise to find her singing this repertoire so idiomatically. Or should I say fearlessly, such as in Claude L\u00e9veill\u00e9e\u2019s \u201cLe Vieux Piano.\u201d \u00a0Written for Edith Piaf, parts of it are very low and require a sort of parlando<\/em>, out of the comfort zone for a high soprano. No matter, Ms. Asselin dispatched it all with aplomb.<\/p>\n

The choice of Scott Joplin\u2019s \u201cMaple Leaf Rag\u201d would raise some eyebrows, except that Kradjian cleverly Canadianized it by melding it with \u201cMaple Leaf Forever\u201d to create the \u201cMaple Leaf Forever Rag!\u201d The remarkably multi-faceted Kradjian proved that he could play a mean jazz piano!\u00a0 In all honesty, the musical versatility of the whole Amici Chamber Ensemble continues to astound. There was another piece written by a non-Canadian, Ralph Vaughan Williams\u2019s \u201c49th Parallel Prelude.\u201d Since it was Remembrance Day weekend, this piece served as a reminder of the many men and women who served our country.<\/p>\n

A highlight for me was Kradjian introducing his arrangement of the \u201cUnderground Railroad Songs.\u201d This is the historical reference to the African American slaves escaping from bondage with the help of a secret network of abolitionists, to the Northern States or to Canada.\u00a0 Kradjian, an ethnic Armenian from Lebanon, understandably finds a special resonance in these songs. He told the audience that exactly 30 years ago Sunday, his own family left the conflicts in war-torn Lebanon for a new life in Canada. \u00a0I had a lump in my throat. It was a very special, heartfelt moment.<\/p>\n

One of the most recognizable tunes is the \u201cRed River Valley,\u201d sung by Mireille Asselin, who dedicated it to her fianc\u00e9e, tenor and Manitoba-native Chris Enns, who was in the audience. The soprano also spoke fondly of the song \u201cUn Canadien Errant\u201d and what it meant to her, as an Acadian from the Maritimes. The concert ended, perhaps predictably, with that blockbuster, the iconic Leonard Cohen song, \u201cHallelujah.\u201d The appreciative audience gave the performers a rousing ovation, completely deserved. It was a concert worth savouring. If you missed it, you can get the CD<\/a> and we can all relive it. It’s available starting Nov. 12.<\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/i>
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