Concert Review: An Unfinished Life
We drove into Toronto for Soundstreams' "An Unfinished Life", a concert with Renaissance music by the Hillard Ensemble, and a world premiere of a piece about a young Dutch woman whose diaries were recovered after she died in Aucshwitz.
The choral music was wonderful- two pieces by Palestrina, two by Solomon Rossi (a 16th century Rabbi), and one by Orlande de Lassus, a 16th century Dutchman. One each of the Palestrina and Rossi were based on Psalm 137, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." I love that text, and not just because Boney M sings it also. Though, um, that's part of it.
The Hilliard Ensemble is two tenors, a countertenor and a baritone, who look like four completely unassuming middle-aged men but they have exquisite voices. d. and I have seen them before, probably in Boston, though I don't have the details. (yet- I bet d. will remember). I liked the first half very much.
(Except someone's cellphone rang in the closing phrase of the last piece! Argh!)
The second half, about Etty Hillesum, sung by the Hilliard Ensemble, Tafelmusick Chamber Choir, with narrator and Chamber orchestra, was challenging for its composition; much of the piece was spoken with musical accompaniment. As d. pointed out, nearly none of the music was memorable or even hummable. But I think the piece worked, overall- once I became accustomed to the narration, which was done quite well, it was at times quite affecting.
A brief snippet from Hillesum's diary, from July 1942, when she was held/working in Westerbork, the Dutch transit camp from which Dutch and German Jews were deported to Auschwitz:
Dear God
these are anxious times
Each day is sufficient unto itself
I shall try to help you.
and defend Your dwelling place
inside us, to the last.
---
More prosaically: I think I drove us back home in record time; it appears it was 1h 16 minutes from the parking lot under Dundas Square to our garage. What can I say, I wanted to get home. :)
And now, to bed.
The choral music was wonderful- two pieces by Palestrina, two by Solomon Rossi (a 16th century Rabbi), and one by Orlande de Lassus, a 16th century Dutchman. One each of the Palestrina and Rossi were based on Psalm 137, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." I love that text, and not just because Boney M sings it also. Though, um, that's part of it.
The Hilliard Ensemble is two tenors, a countertenor and a baritone, who look like four completely unassuming middle-aged men but they have exquisite voices. d. and I have seen them before, probably in Boston, though I don't have the details. (yet- I bet d. will remember). I liked the first half very much.
(Except someone's cellphone rang in the closing phrase of the last piece! Argh!)
The second half, about Etty Hillesum, sung by the Hilliard Ensemble, Tafelmusick Chamber Choir, with narrator and Chamber orchestra, was challenging for its composition; much of the piece was spoken with musical accompaniment. As d. pointed out, nearly none of the music was memorable or even hummable. But I think the piece worked, overall- once I became accustomed to the narration, which was done quite well, it was at times quite affecting.
A brief snippet from Hillesum's diary, from July 1942, when she was held/working in Westerbork, the Dutch transit camp from which Dutch and German Jews were deported to Auschwitz:
Dear God
these are anxious times
Each day is sufficient unto itself
I shall try to help you.
and defend Your dwelling place
inside us, to the last.
---
More prosaically: I think I drove us back home in record time; it appears it was 1h 16 minutes from the parking lot under Dundas Square to our garage. What can I say, I wanted to get home. :)
And now, to bed.