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(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 Yang’s impeccable performance of
Beethoven’s 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 Yang’s equally talented older brother Kevin,
who chose to play Joseph Haydn’s Piano Sonata Hob
XVI 52, widely regarded as the 18th century German composer’s
greatest piano sonatas.
Like
his sister, Kevin’s performance was flawless.
Yaying Chi’s interpretation of Chopin’s Polonaise
in C sharp minor was impressive as well, as was Maria
Rechner’s performance of the first movement of Mozart’s
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
Elgar’s “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 Schubert’s
Impromptu #2 in E flat major, which led to a couple of
minor breaks, Yin’s 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.
Saturday’s
recital was brought to a close by 16-year-old Anika-France
Forget, whose interpretation of Chopin’s 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 Club’s
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 Peterson’s
“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 Vivaldi’s 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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TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
