PERFORMANCE: Hear the winds, soothe the soul
By Contributor
Pentaèdre, a unique ensemble in the Canadian landscape, presents wind music that crosses cultures and continents. Featuring refined classical works by Mozart and comedic opera by Rossini through to the warm and exotic ambiances of Latin American music by Riviera, it’s music to soothe the soul!
The Boundary District Arts Council and the Performance Series presents this outstanding ensemble on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Forks Secondary School Auditorium – relaxing and perfect for a cold winter’s night!
The Quebec based Pentaèdre, like the geometric figure from which it takes its name, consists of five musicians who have been widely recognized for the talent, technique, precision and color they bring to their performances.
Danièle Bourget (flute), Norman Forget (oboe), Martin Carpentier (clarinet), Mathieu Lussier (bassoon) and Louis-Philippe Marsolais (horn and artistic director) each bring a particular timbre to an overall sound which is unique, rich and homogenous – the distinctive feature of the ensemble.
Since its creation in 1985, Pentaèdre, which is regularly broadcast on CBC Radio, has focused on the discovery of chamber music repertoires in the tradition of music for winds. Passionate chamber musicians, the members of the group have explored the classic repertoire for wind quintet as much as orchestral works and transcriptions, and include diverse, original and lesser known works.
The ensemble, which has recorded five CDs to date, is constantly expanding its repertoire and adds about a dozen new works to its credit each season, including premieres (25 since its inception), and commissions to young Canadian composers such as Ana Sokolovic, Denis Gougeon and Denis Dion.
Pentaèdre has toured several times within Canada and the U.S. for concerts at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Orford Arts Festival, the National Gallery in Ottawa and Carnegie Hall in New York, along with numerous shows for young audiences.
In Europe, highlights include the Strasbourg Festival Musical and the Baie-des-Chaleurs Festival, and concerts in Belgium, Germany and Israel of a chamber version of Schubert’s Winterreise (by Normand Forget) with famous tenor Christoph Prégardien; the stage version première of John Metcalf’s opera A Chair in Love at Cardiff and Swansea Opera Houses; L’amour est un opéra muet (from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte) with the mime company Omnibus.
Come shake away the winter blues and wrap up in a soft blanket of music, the kind that’s perfect for a gentle evening beside a warm fire.
Advance Tickets: at Thistle Pot Gifts and Gallery 2; Adults $18, Senior $16, Youth $5, Family $45. Tickets at the door: Adults $20, Senior $18, Youth $7, Family $50.
