It’s classical music like you’ve never heard before.
Featuring instruments such as the theorbo, harpsichord, 5-string cello, and baroque violin, Montreal’s Pallade Musica is one of Canada’s utmost leaders in Early Music. The talented quartet is comprised of Esteban La Rotta, Mylène Bélanger, Elinor Frey, and Tanya LaPerrière (in the order of their respective instruments listed above) and have been awarded many scholarships and grants both individually and as an ensemble. Thanks to the Early Music Voices Concert Society, I was given the opportunity to see the touring group perform in Calgary on the 1st of February, as well as interview cellist Elinor Frey.
Having experienced success as both a soloist and in her multiple ensembles, Elinor Frey plays both modern and baroque models of the cello. She has extensively researched her instrument, been commissioned works, and has degrees from McGill, Mannes, and Julliard.
Why did you start in music?
I started because I saw a concert for cello being played and it was like “oh, that’s so beautiful” and I just really identified with it.
What different things do you have to consider between performing as a soloist as opposed to performing with a group?
Very hard question, good question [laughs]… You have to compromise more; you have to get along, which is hard because musicians have strong feelings and the only way to play certain pieces of music to play with others. So you have to be willing to play something their way and another thing your way. There’s also a lot more listening to the sound and trying to fit your sound inside.
What inspires you to create beautiful music?
I’m inspired by the music itself and how we are able to transform people’s lives with our music. When we play live for mostly strangers, it opens up the space of their lives to the art. It changes people.
Since entering the musical profession, what has been the most rewarding experience for you?
Personally, I had a very rewarding experience when I traveled to Italy for 9 months on a grant and I researched the history of the cello and then took that project and turned it into a CD and a bunch of concerts. For me to take part in a long-term project and to contribute to my field and, in this case, changing the way people think about solo cello music, that was extremely rewarding. Other than that, some of the stuff with this group, Pallade Musica. We won some competitions, touring–it feels really good to create something from our efforts.
What advice would you give to young and aspiring musicians?
You have to really love the thing you are doing because then you’ll practice more and work hard. It is not as important to be like other people. When I was young, I wanted to be as good or play like other people, but now that I’m older, I realized that the way I can be like them is to be really devoted to the thing I’m good at and the thing that makes me really inspired. I compare myself less with other people, I’m more interested in just doing what I do best, so I think if young musicians could think more like that, more like, “let’s discover what I’m truly good at” and influence the rest of the world to be interested in that, then I know they’ll go farther.
Clair Obscur is a French expression for a dim light, and that was the essence Pallade Musica tried to capture in their concert. Music by early French composers such as Rameau, Simon, and Francoeur made up their performance itinerary and I felt that their piece selections were tasteful and channeled their musicality, as well as the theme of their concert well. Since their ensemble includes instruments that we don’t see much anymore, I really enjoyed how there were solo moments for all instruments in the repertoire. Just from looking at how they started and began a piece, anyone could tell that they possessed tremendous love for the music as well as professionalism. Their sound was balanced well between all members and their attention to the subtle details within the music made their performance worthwhile.
This was my first time attending an Early Music Voices concert, and I must say that it was a great overall experience. The volunteers were friendly, the venue, Christ Church Elbow Park, was extremely welcoming and beautiful, and I particularly enjoyed their tradition of doing a pre-concert talk with the featured talent. It was a great way to get to know the performers and the concert lineup beforehand. There was a homely reception afterward with food and refreshments, a fact that I greatly appreciated after a long concert!
Special thanks to Early Music Voices for my ticket and to Elinor for sitting down to chat with me. To see the concert lineup for the rest of Early Music Voices’ 2014-15, visit their website. For more about Pallade Musica, click here.