It's all about the singing this weekend

It's all about the singing this weekend, as we collectively try to keep warm and comfortable during the cold winter months we've been enduring.  So if you feel the need to escape the cold for an afternoon of song on a Sunday, I have a couple of great musical suggestions for you.

Here in Niagara the 25th season of Gallery Players of Niagara continues with a performance tomorrow afternoon at 2 at Silver Spire United Church in downtown St. Catharines.  The Gallery Players have programmed a concert entitled From Home and Afar - A Journey of Enchantment, and it  will take listeners on a voyage from Canada to Germany and back again, with a festive stop in warmer Argentina for good measure.

The all-star performers include mezzo-soprano Kristin Hoff, along with Caitlin Boyle on viola, Timothy Phelan on guitar and Antoine Joubert on piano.  That's typical of Gallery Players concerts, as the musical personnel is never constant.  You always hear something new each time out, and that for me is the joy of this artistic endeavour.

On the programme will be Two Songs for mezzo, viola and piano, Op. 91 by Johannes Brahms, Three Songs for mezzo, viola and piano by Frank Bridge, Sid Rabinovitch's Canciones sefardies for guitar and mezzo,  and Penelope for piano and voice by Cecilia Livingston.  Instrumentally, the concert will be rounded out with Timothy Phelan's own arrangement for viola and guitar of Astor Piazzolla's Histoire du Tango.

The tango, incidentally, just never seems to go out of fashion, either as a musical form or dance form.  It's as popular now as ever, with the music of Piazzolla really defining the genre.  I mention that because next weekend in this space I'll be writing about a brand-new CD release by the Toronto-based Ensemble Vivant, who have just recorded and released their new Latin Romance CD.  It is chock full of tangos to light up your Valentine's Day weekend, so keep an eye out for that next week.

Getting back to the Gallery Players performance tomorrow, tickets should be available at the door prior to the concert or in advance by calling 905-468-1525 or logging on to www.galleryplayers.ca.

Meantime in Elora tomorrow afternoon the ever-popular Soup & Song concert will be held at St. John's Church in the heart of Elora.  I'm told the soup tickets are sold out, which is a regular occurrence for this popular winter event, but there are still tickets available for the concert featuring The Elora Singers directed by Mark Vuorinen.  Mr. Vuorinen will also be discussing the music on the programme, which includes three cantatas by J.S. Bach.

Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich is one of Bach's earliest cantatas, although the date of composition is really not known.  But the sparse orchestration Bach gave the cantata coupled with the prominence of the choir - no surprise there with Bach - makes it an excellent vehicle for the considerable talents of The Elora Singers.  Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir was composed in either 1707 or 1708 and remains one of Bach's earliest surviving cantatas.  It is also an early example of Bach's interest in counterpoint.  Finally, the Singers will perform Weinen, klagen, sorgen, zagen, a cantata consisting of seven movements and originally composed by Bach for the third Sunday after Easter.

The sound of St. John's Church, The Elora Singers' home base, is absolutely radiant and the cosy surroundings add to the flavour and intimacy of hearing the Singers at this time of year.  No huge, drafty church here, so you'll be warmed by the music as well as by the soup beforehand.

For tickets and more information call the box office at 519-846-0331 or go to www.elorasingers.ca.

Enjoy your weekend!

February 8th, 2020.