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A&E
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 | Cowichan Valley Citizen
Tosca comes to life on the big screen LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
The Met: Live in HD series might have begun a bit quietly for Cowichan opera fans but it roars to big screen life Saturday, Nov. 9 with a performance of Puccini’s Tosca. It’s a story about an opera singer but it also includes a corrupt chief of police and plenty of action, along with the passion, duplicity, cruelty and great music that keeps opera fans coming back. The role of Floria Tosca is on the bucket list of every soprano. They all want to sing the famous song, Vissi d’Arte (I lived for my art, I lived for love). Who wouldn’t? It’s as glorious, as passionate as any of the renowned tenor showpieces and when its moment arrives in the opera, everyone is ready to hear it. This is one of those arias that in years gone by has earned indifferent performers the indignity of a hail of rotten vegetables and even now, watching it onscreen at the Cowichan Theatre, many opera lovers will be comparing it to great performances they’ve heard before. Tosca is legendary, too, for the mishaps that have occurred during performances. No one knows now if it’s true but there’s a wonderfully funny story that been around for decades of one Tosca following instructions to toss herself out of a window and landing on a trampoline where she bounced back into view anywhere from once to a dozen times, depending on your source. But some really fascinating stuff has truly happened. In the 1920s, when Maria Jeritza, that era’s premier Tosca, stabbed her nemesis, Scarpia, the knife didn’t retract. That must have been some truly pain-
Patricia Racette as Tosca. [KEN HOWARD PHOTO]
ful singing for him. In the 1960s, Maria Callas was part of a genuinely hot performance when her wig caught fire and her Scarpia had to snuff it out, which he did with considerable sangfroid. More recently, another Tosca on fire saw her freshly-killed Scarpia return to life to douse her flames. The stories about this opera go on and on but it’s always on with the show! At the Cowichan Theatre, Tosca begins at 9:55 a.m. The conductor is Riccardo Frizza with Patricia Racette (Tosca), Roberto Alagna (her lover, Cavaradossi), George Gagnidze (Scarpia) and John Del Carlo (Sacristan). In this Met production, director Luc Bondy presents Tosca not only as a thriller but also as an intimate drama of devotion, courage, and resilience. “Tosca,” says James Levine, the Met’s music director, “combines Puccini’s glorious musical inspiration with the melodramatic vitality of one of the great Hitchcock films. From the very first bar of the piece, Tosca seizes you and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last note.” Tickets for the performance are $26 for adults, $24 for seniors, $22 for students and $15.50 for children. Get them at cowichantheatre.ca, call 250-748-7529 or go to the Cowichan Ticket Centre and pick them up.
FLUSHING
NOTICE
TO THE USERS OF THE
MILL BAY WATERWORKS DISTRICT SYSTEM The Operator of Mill Bay Waterworks District System will be carrying out flushing of the above noted community water system from:
MONDAY, November 4, 2013 TO FRIDAY, November 8, 2013 Residents may experience some air in the lines and discoloration of the water supply during these operations. Should this occur, running a cold water tap for a short period will help to restore the water quality to normal. Should the problem persist, please call our office at 250-743-9023.
Mill Bay Waterworks District
World class tenors to play St. John’s church LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
Tenor fans, your moment has arrived. Romanza, featuring Philip Grant, Frederik Robert and Chemainus’s own Ken Lavigne, is offering an evening of musical delights Thursday, Nov. 7 at St. John’s Anglican Church in Duncan. These three lively, classicallytrained singers are sometimes known as The Maple Leaf Tenors and have been compared to Il Divo but the thing is, they will present music you’ll love in the splendid wooden surroundings of the old
church at 486 Jubilee St. starting at 7:30 p.m. Love, betrayal, conquest, heartache: you know the drill, and it’s all held together by riveting high Cs. All proceeds from the concert go towards the church’s building fund. Tickets are $25 each in advance from the church office from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday to Friday or you can pay $30 at the door. It might not be a good idea to wait, though. With a draw like this, the building will fill quickly.
Philip Grant, Ken Lavigne and Frederik Robert are The Maple Leaf Tenors. [SUBMITTED]
Italy, England and Argentina combine for guitar night LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
International Guitar Night is back at the Cowichan Theatre Saturday, Nov 2. Starting at 7:30 p.m., this show’s many fans will see event founder, American guitarist Brian Gore, Italy’s Pino Forastiere, England’s Michael Dawes and Argentina’s Quique Sinesi in a special evening of contemporary guitar music. Forastiere and Dawes are revered in contemporary steel string guitar circles for their unique use of the whole guitar while playing and Sinesi brings a South American vibe to the event on both guitar and charango. This potent combination of talent should ensure an inventive evening. “Forastiere’s music comes from a background where classical, contemporary and rock music combine in a style that’s hard to define,” his website says. Born in Latronico, a small village in southern Italy, he moved with his family to Rome in his early childhood. In 1992, he g raduated from Santa Cecilia Conservatory with a degree in classical guitar and armed with that, he used the 10string guitar to play baroque, contemporary and original repertoires, his website relates. In 1996, he moved permanently to a six-string acoustic guitar. A student of composition and chamber music, he has performed in various ensembles with classical or original repertoire, collaborating with jazz, experimental, electronic and pop projects. Sinesi brings a special personal style to the sounds of Argentina, with music based on elements of tango and folklore from his country, local rhythms, elements of jazz, improvisation, classical and world music. He plays a sevenstring Spanish guitar, piccolo guitar and charango. Over his career, he has played and recorded with an amazing array of musicians and as a soloist
Superb guitarists, clockwise from top left, Quique Sinesi, Pino Forestiere, Michael Dawes and Brian Gore are coming to Duncan. For video of Quique Sinesi, scan this image with the Layar app on your smart phone or go to www.cowichanvalleycitizen. com [SUBMITTED] Sinesi has recorded several CDs and has played in many important international guitar festivals and taken part in musical projects around the world. This will be his first tour with International Guitar Night. Dawes released his debut single in June 2012 and since then his international profile has exploded. His subtle but virtuoso style has earned the 24-year-old Brit massive international critical acclaim. Dawes’s stage performance offers a youthful energy and charisma that blows the lid off the traditional guitar concert. Rounding out the group is of course, Gore, an influential performer in fingerstyle guitar. This musical romantic often looks to myth and modern literature for inspiration and the tone of his playing is nearly unique. “Music started out as a kind of therapy for me,” he said recently.
“Consequently, I am a very emotional player. Now, my style of playing has also become a wellhoned craft. I am very grateful I can share this with people.” He is, of course, a major reason for the Guitar Night’s continued popularity. “By the time I’m done with a performance, people really know the meaning of the term ‘extroverted introvert’,” he said. “Because my music is simple and somewhat rootsy, it’s easy to relate to, which is something I’m thankful for. Also, it helps keep me grounded.” Tickets to this exclusive performance are $28 for adults, $22.50 for students and Cowichan Folk Guild members. Get them at cowichantheatre.ca or call the Cowichan Ticket Centre at 250-748-7529 to reserve. Visit www.internationalguitarnight.com to see videos of the performers.