The Voyage Out

Journeys of exploration of the world, and of the soul.

Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 & 28, 2008, at 8PM
Trinity St. Paul's Centre

For Immediate Release - Toronto, April 14, 2008: Toronto's Talisker Players conclude their 2007/08 season on a high note with The Voyage Out, a programme featuring music by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gavin Bryars, as well as the world premiere of Daybreakn and a Candle-End, a new work commissioned by Talisker Players from Derek Holman. Starring soprano Monica Whicher and baritone Alexander Dobson along with the Talisker Players and pianist Peter Longworth, the noteworthy programme is a journey of exploration of the world, and of the soul. The Voyage Out is presented at Trinity St. Paul's Centre on May 27 and 28.

Derek Holman is one of Canada's most senior and celebrated composers of vocal music. These Talisker Players concerts honour him toward the end of his long career, with a programme of music on a theme of journeys both literal and metaphorical - the greatest journey being, of course, the journey of life, from birth to death. His new work, titled Daybreak and a Candle-End, is a setting of five poems of W.B. Yeats for baritone and string quintet, all treating of such journeys in one way or another – including the well-known poems 'Sailing to Byzantium' and 'Running to Paradise'. Dr. Holman is perhaps most honoured as a composer of choral music. He has also written extensively for solo voice, usually with accompaniment by either piano or orchestra. This project has offered him a rare opportunity to write for the rich yet intimate combination of voice with string quintet.

2008 marks the 50th anniversary Ralph Vaughan Williams' death. The Voyage Out provided the perfect occasion to present his stunning cycle, Songs of Travel. Written between 1901 and 1907 to poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson, Songs of Travel takes the perspective of a wayfarer, reflecting on the paths he has chosen in life and the things he has left behind. One of the great early 20th-century works for baritone, it has been described as "a kind of English Winterreise". The piece was originally published with both piano and orchestra accompaniments. This concert premieres a new arrangement by the Vancouver conductor and arranger Harold Birston, for baritone with string quartet and piano.

The Adnan Songbook, by the acclaimed British composer Gavin Bryars completes the programme. This major work from 1996 is a setting of a cycle of poems by the Lebanese-American writer Etel Adnan – love poems that are also expressions of spiritual journeys. It is a tour de force for the singer, with a lush accompaniment created by the unusual combination of instruments: the piece is written for lyric soprano with 2 violas, cello, double bass, clarinet / bass clarinet, and guitar.

The evening includes readings from the journals and memoirs of great explorers – including some of the modern explorers of outer space – about what they sought, and about the meaning of love, home and belonging, delivered by the distinguished Toronto actor Stewart Arnott.

Style and musical elegance combined with an intuitive theatrical sense are the hallmarks of soprano Monica Whicher's performances on the concert and opera stage. She has won numerous awards, and performed throughout North America and Europe. She is equally distinguished as a recitalist and chamber musician.

The British-Canadian baritone Alexander Dobson has been praised for his musicality and dramatic awareness on both the opera and recital stage. Recent career highlights include his riveting portrayal of Wozzeck conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Montreal and his Royal Opera debut when The Midnight Court by Ana Sokolovic was presented at Covent Garden's Linbury Theatre. He is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including the award for outstanding baritone at the International Voice Competition of Paris.

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Media Contact: Francine Labelle/flINK
416-654-4406
labellefrancine@rogers.com

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