Love Letters
A celebration of love in all its forms, through all the ages
Tuesday and Wednesday, February 1 and 2, 2011, at 8PM
Pre-concert talks at 7:15 pm
Trinity St. Paul's Centre
For Immediate Release - Toronto, January 7, 2011: Brightening up the long winter nights with an unabashed celebration of love - just in time for Valentine's Day - Toronto's Talisker Players return to Trinity St. Paul's Centre on Tuesday & Wednesday, February 1 and 2 with Love Letters. Soprano Melanie Conly, mezzo soprano Jennifer Enns Modolo and tenor Cian Horrobin are the acclaimed young guest artists joining the instrumentalists of Talisker Players.
The title piece, Love Letters (for voice with violin and piano) is by the American composer Roger Vogel. Passionate and lyrical, with touches of humour, it is a setting of letters by famous writers with a literary bent, including John Steinbeck, Ogden Nash, Benjamin Franklin, Gustave Flaubert, Catherine the Great, and Canada's Margaret Laurence. The evening also includes the charming and graceful To Julia by Roger Quilter, one of the great British vocal writers of the early 20th century, and exquisite works by André Previn (Remembrances, for voice with alto flute and piano) and Arvo Pärt (Es sang for langen Jahren, for voice with violin and viola).
Moreover, Talisker Players offer two works by Canadian composers: Roberta Stephen's Seven Words of Love (for voice with violin and clarinet), which describes the trajectory of a love affair, from first fancy to a parting of the ways; and Stephen Brown's The Shadow of a Leaf, written as a wedding present for two of the composer's close friends. Based on Chinese poetry spanning more than 2,000 years, it is a duet for voice and marimba, which traces the desires and dreams of a young woman falling in love for the first time.
As always, this Talisker Players performance includes the spoken word. Love Letters features well-known actors Deborah Tennant and Brian Paul – partners in life as well as on the stage – with excerpts from The Book of Letters, a recent publication which includes dozens of charming and heartfelt letters to and from ordinary Canadians.
Praised for her "passion and charm" (Now Magazine) and for her "sweet voice delivery" (Toronto Star), Canadian soprano Melanie Conly is rapidly establishing herself on stages across North America. She regularly performs at chamber music festivals across the continent, and solos often with orchestral and choral organizations. A seasoned recitalist, she is consistently noted for her compelling stage presence and dramatic flair. She is sought after for her commanding performances of new music, and has premiered a wide range of repertoire including opera, oratorio, song and chamber music.
Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Enns Modolo has delighted audiences across the country with her clear, unaffected voice and expressive singing. She has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous groups including the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Aradia Ensemble, the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Bach Choir. She is also building a stellar reputation on the opera stage, and has appeared with Opera in Concert on several occasions.
Praised by Opera Canada for his 'lively and virile' performances, lyric tenor Cian Horrobin is already making his mark as one of Canada's most promising young artists of the opera and concert stage. He has appeared recently in productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute and Cosi Fan Tutte as well as Haydn's Il Mondo della Luna. In concert, he was featured as a soloist with the Bach Elgar Choir and with the Tafelmusik Summer Institute Orchestra. Cian has performed in productions with the University of Toronto, Royal Conservatory of Music, Opera New Brunswick, Opera Atelier and Opera in Concert.
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Ticket information
Media Contact: Francine Labelle/flINK
416-654-4406
labellefrancine@rogers.com
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