(Posted 1 p.m., Dec. 4)
Plenty
of highlights during first Gloucester Music Club recitals
of the season
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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Elizabeth
Perevalova, 8, had the honour of bringing
the first of two Gloucester Music Club concerts
on the weekend to a close. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
Gloucester Music Club kicked off its 2016-2017 season
this weekend with a pair of recitals featuring a talented
group of young musicians in mid-season form.
The
first night of recitals on Friday was one of the best
GMC concerts in recent memory with at least a half dozen
performances worthy of top billing, including Zian Pan's
rendition of The Farewell by Friedrich Burgmuller;
Amy Li's interpretation of Chopin's Etude in C-sharp
Minor; Lucy Whichelo's performance of Shooting
Stars in Summer by Ikeda; and Athena Liao's rendition
of Thomas Attwood's Sonatina in G Major.
But
the prize for most engaging performances of the evening
went to the oldest and youngest musicians on the program..
Fresh
off her second place result at last year's Ontario Music
Festival, Lydia Welter's interpretation of Mozart's Sonata
in F+, K332, 1st Mvt. was absolutely breathtaking.
Her outstanding musicality, deftness of touch and dexterity
are at a level that is a joy to behold.
The
Embrun resident was nearly upstaged, however, by eight-year-old
Elizabeth Perevalova from nearby Orleans Wood.
The
accomplished young musician is classically trained on
both the piano and the violin. The latter was her instrument
of choice in closing out Friday night's concert with Souvenir
de Sarasate by German American composer William Potstock
that drew an extended round of applause from a grateful
audience which knew they had witnessed something truly
special.
And
while the Saturday evening concert did not have the depth
of quality of the previous night's recitals, it did have
it's fair share of highlights. Most notably, Emily Hou's
interpretation of Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 was
spellbinding in its execution, and Meghana Kesanakurti's
flawless rendition of Kabalevsky's Variations in A
Minor brought the first GMC concerts of the season
to a fitting close.
The
next round of Gloucester Music Club recitals will be held
on January 30 and 31 at the Orléans United Church.
For more information about the club visit http://gloucestermusicclub.ca.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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