Thursday November 11, 2010

Project Aria: An Intimate and Playful Evening of Music and Song

by Brian Hay

Guy Few is a both musician and consummate performer. He plays beautifully on both the trumpet and piano. His technique, particularly on the trumpet is something to see. He executed many passages that were extremely difficult (and often partially improvised) with incredible ease. He never forgets that he's there to entertain though. He interacts with the audience and involves them in the show. It's easy to see why he's highly regarded as a performing artist. He makes the gig intimate for both the performers and the audience.

These things always work better when there's a couple of culprits around who can present themselves as "opposing forces". This show had that and then some. Pianist Stephanie Mara played off as his "Straight Man" exceptionally well. Her poised cheerful presence served as a perfect foil for his moments of comic inspiration. She played beautifully. The repertoire ran from baroque to high classical through early romantic to contemporary and she made it seem as easy as falling off a log. There's joy in her playing. She makes it warm and inviting.

The voices of the two sopranos who appeared were like a combination of plush velvet and refined silk. Donna Brown's voice has a layer of ambience which coats it through all areas of her range. It's a delectable wrapping. Leslie Fagan has a voice that's transparently crystalline most of the time. The only exception to this lies in the lower and low middle area of her range. Both have phenomenal control over their breathing technique, which, for this program, was needed. They executed the extended passages that often leave little (or no) room for breathing with a sense of ease that could fool any of us into thinking we could give a good rendition of the pieces in the shower. They have to be sung without a break but there's no way a singer can execute them well without taking a breath. Leslie Fagan especially, made the vocal acrobatics seem effortless.

The program was a mix of familiar and obscure. Guy Few and Stephanie Mara injected the atmosphere of quiet but playful intimacy into the evening with their delightful (but subtlety mischievous) four handed rendition of J.S. Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze'. Donna Brown made a brilliant first impression with her deliver of 'Sound the Trumpet' by Henry Purcell. She enhanced it beautifully with an impassioned reading of 'Mio Tesoro' by Domenico Scarlatti. Leslie Fagan really came to life when she sang Scarlatti's 'Faro la Vendetta'. That was also when she and Guy began their duels by ornamentation. That was when the fun really started.

Donna played herself as stately and refined, but with humour. Leslie was the class cut-up. Stephanie was the quiet anchor behind them. They all played off Guy (serious host and part-time comedian) at various times creating an atmosphere that relaxed the audience and projected their love for the music. They served up works by by familiar composers such as Mendelssohn, Mozart and Handel. They performed a less known work by Anton Diabelli. They gave a marvellous reading to some contemporary work by John Greer. They performed some of Domenico Scarlatti's exquisite vocal music. They did it with flair and the fun they had was contagious.

After a standing ovation they did an encore performance of 'Old Mother Hubbard'. That piece, according to Stephanie Mara, is part of a collection of Nursery Rhymes written in the styles of various composers. It, and the mock seriousness with which they set it up (which Leslie in turn mocked brilliantly) provided a great end to a wonderful show.

What a great time this was.

Project Aria performed at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia, Ontario on Wednesday November 10, 2010. This write up is conceived with the intention of conveying what it was like to be there.

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