(Updated
11:30 a.m., Feb. 7)
Young musicians shine at Gloucester Music Club recital
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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Alexander
Hou performs Bach's 'Anglaise in A+' during
the first of two Gloucester Music Club recitals
on the weekend. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
Gloucester Music Teachers Association held their second
set of Gloucester Music Club recitals this weekend featuring
52 talented musicians and vocalists ranging in age from
seven to 37.
The
level of talent, especially among the musicians who performed
during the second recital on Saturday, was astounding.
The
program was kicked off by vocalist Kathy Dorval who sang
Music, When Soft Voices Die by Roger Quilter.
Among the many highlights during the first half of the
recital was Alice Yangs impeccable performance of
Beethovens Piano Sonata No. 9 Op 14 No. 1.
As
someone who has had the pleasure of hearing Yang play
on number of occasions in the past, I can honestly say
that her performance on Saturday was by far her best.
Yang
was followed by vocalist Rachel Hunt whose performance
of Green Finch and Linnet Bird from the Broadway
musical Sweeney Todd was mezmerizing.
The second half of the recital included a performance
by Alice Yangs equally talented older brother Kevin,
who chose to play Joseph Haydns Piano Sonata Hob
XVI 52, widely regarded as the 18th century German composers
greatest piano sonatas.
Like
his sister, Kevins performance was flawless.
Yaying Chis interpretation of Chopins Polonaise
in C sharp minor was impressive as well, as was Maria
Rechners performance of the first movement of Mozarts
Piano Sonata No. 5 Allegro.
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Mandela
Laverdure performs a concerto by 18th century
Belgian composer Jean-Baptiste Accolay during the first of two Gloucester
Music Club recitals on the weekend. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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Ulyn
Small delivered the last of the three vocal performances
of the afternoon with her rendition of Where Corals
Lie which is a poem written in 1859 by Richard Garnett
and set to music by Sir Edward Elgar in 1888 and made
famous by mezzo-soprano Janet Baker in a recording of
Elgars Sea Pictures done in 1965 and
which is readily available on YouTube.
The
elegant Ms. Small did an exquisite job, accompanied on
the piano by Fred Hill.
The
next to last performance was provided on the piano by
Henry Yin. Despite rushing the beginning of Franz Schuberts
Impromptu #2 in E flat major, which led to a couple of
minor breaks, Yins performance of the incredibly
challenging movement was quite well done.
The
piece amounts to a three minute rapid run which requires
precise timing, great dexterity and a high level of concentration.
Unhappy with his performance during the recital, Yin played
the piece again after the hall had emptied and did so
flawlessly.
Saturdays
recital was brought to a close by 16-year-old Anika-France
Forget, whose interpretation of Chopins Nocturne
in C sharp minor was magic to my ears in its pure perfection,
and even that might be an understatement.
I
can only hope that Forget will be invited to do a reprieve
of her performance at the Gloucester Music Clubs
25th anniversary gala in May.
The
first of the two weekend recitals held on Friday night
also had its share of highlights starting with sibling
violinists Maluki and Mandela Laverdure, who each was
spectacular in their own right.
Other
memorable performances were provided by cellist Nicholas
Cooper and pianists Lydia Welter, Emily Liu, Alexander
Hou, and Francesca de Vries, who chose to play Oscar Petersons
The Gentle Waltz for the occasion.
But
the highlight of the night was turned in by just-turned-eight-year-old
Elizabeth Perevalova who stole the show with her flawless
performance of Vivaldis Violin Concerto in A-. For
someone so young to play so well without any outward signs
of nerves blew me away.
The
third and final collection of recitals in the Gloucester
Music Club concert series will be held on March 11 and
12 at Orleans United Church, with two recitals planned
for the Saturday.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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