I’m stressed, tired, and really, really, bored nowadays, so what did I do to solve this problem? Well, it’s certainly not do all my homework. I had a chance to relax a little this past weekend and let me tell you, this was AN AMAZING weekend. Let me explain:
I had the pleasure of attending the “A Baroque Atlas” presented by the Kensington Sinfonia on the 26th. Baroque music, for those who don’t know, originated between the 1600 and 1750, following the Renaissance, and was known to be “overly ornamented and exaggerated.” I went in with a smile on my face, respect for the elders that attended, and sat down knowing I would be blown out of my chair. And in the end, I was blown all the way to the sidewalk of the Hope Lutheran Church. It was that spectacular!
I loved the concert, to say the least. There were only 11 musicians, all strings except for the Harpsichord, and really, there didn’t need to be any more or any less. The blending of their instruments, the harmonies from each section, and the sound that they produced was so organized that no beats were skipped and at the same time, they were so passionate while they were performing that even if they did, the audience was so drawn in that they wouldn’t even care. My personal shoutouts go to Donovan Seidle for those amazing solos throughout some of the songs and Neil Cockburn for the spectacular organ performance.
Some highlights of the performance included the ending piece that they performed, Francesco Geminiani’s La Fiolla. I enjoyed the variations a lot and it was a satisfying end to this concert. I also really enjoyed the Sinfonia’s performance of Bach’s Organ Concerto in D minor. If any of you have any free time, the Sinfonia is performing at Cathedral Church of the Redeemer on Saturday, Nov. 1 and I HIGHLY recommend that you go. Tickets are $25/general and $20/seniors and students and the show is at 7:30 p.m.
Before that concert, I also attended the 2014 Youth Harmony Workshop at the MacDougall United Church on Saturday, Oct. 25. That was so fun and I WISH there were more guys to attend. I came with my friends from my choral class at Notre Dame and we enjoyed our time there, for sure. We were taught by The Droids You Were Looking For, a barbershop quartet from Seattle, and they were so talented as well as charismatic when they taught us.
I had an amazing weekend filled with music and fun.