Review: WENWEN DU AND IAN BOSTRIDGE IN RECITAL at the Carlton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
A beautiful performance of Wolf and Britten in Ottawa ahead of the Vancouver performance on May 14th.
Vancouver’s Nebula Performances Society brought Ottawa audiences a recital at the spectacular Carlton Dominion-Chalmers Centre on May 6th. Featuring three-time Grammy award-winning vocalist, Ian Bostridge CBE, performing alongside renowned pianist, Wenwen Du, the evening was broken into two distinct segments. The first half contained selections from Hugo Wolf songs derived from Goethe’s texts. Du and Bostridge opened with “Harfenspieler I”, “Harfenspieler II”, and “Harfenspieler III”, and then continued with “Grenzen der Menschheit”, “Prometheus”, and “Ganymed”, with themes of love, loss, suffering, and the relationship between humans and the divine. The second half of the evening was devoted to Benjamin Britten’s The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Op. 35. Themes of suffering and sorrow continued into this selection; however, the selection finished with an uplifting message that death is ultimately defeated through resurrection:
“One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”
Du’s skill as a pianist is undeniable, but what struck me the most was her passion for the music and the sense that she was at one with the piano as she played. Bostridge and Du clearly have built a rapport together that is palpable; they communicate on stage silently using nonverbal cues so that they are perfectly attuned. Bostridge’s voice shifts dramatically, depending on the tone of the piece. From quick paced to mournful, his voice is a magnificent accompaniment to the compositions; they type of music, where you can sit back, close your eyes, and let the music entirely engulf your senses.
I was not expecting to be provided with a program, let alone one that provided the evening’s song list, but contained a brief biography of each composer, the original and translated texts to follow along with, and an interpretation of each text. This allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the material and gave me the ability to grasp the varied nuances of the performances, which I deeply appreciated.
Nebula Performances Society, based in Vancouver, provides a platform for artists, particularly the next generation of artists, to connect with the local community through performances, workshops, and masterclasses. Through its workshop series, Nebula Performances offers a “Nebula Chamber Workshop” and various “Art Song Workshops” where young artists can hone their talents. Nebula Performances will be presenting an identical recital with Wu and Bostridge in Vancouver on May 14th at the Vancouver Playhouse. Tickets can be purchased for the Vancouver show here. Click here to learn more about Nebula Performances mission and planned programs.
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