{"id":709,"date":"2012-01-13T23:27:07","date_gmt":"2012-01-14T04:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=709"},"modified":"2012-01-13T23:27:07","modified_gmt":"2012-01-14T04:27:07","slug":"i-feel-proud-to-be-a-canadian-while-taking-in-the-sounds-of-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2012\/01\/13\/i-feel-proud-to-be-a-canadian-while-taking-in-the-sounds-of-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"I feel proud to be a Canadian while taking in the sounds of Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Between the St. Lawrence String Quartet<\/a> and violinist Lara St. John<\/a>, there has been some high-wattage Canadian content at the sixth annual Cartagena International Festival of Music<\/a> in Colombia, which closes on Saturday.<\/p>\n

I felt particularly proud of home today, in an afternoon concert featuring the St. Lawrences, and a goosebump-inducing performance tonight of Ultimo Round<\/em>, by contemporary Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov, augmented with five string players from the visiting Sao Paulo State Orchestra from Brazil.<\/p>\n

The Lawrences commissioned the work, and it sounded particularly fine in the Teatro Adolfo Mej\u00eda, Cartagena’s restored 19th century opera house, pictured above.<\/p>\n

Although it’s music closely tied to Argentina, it was made possible by a group born in Canada. And, thanks to the traditional horseshoe shape of the 1,000-seat theatre, I could also see how the audience was transfixed by a performance that nearly brought me to tears, led by St. Lawrence violins Geoff Nutall and Scott St. John.<\/p>\n

I wish I could provide you with a listen of this great piece, but I can’t find a video.<\/p>\n

So I’ll slip in this little bit of iPad silliness, courtesy of Nutall, St. John, violist Lesley Robertson and cellist Christopher Costanza:<\/p>\n