Published on Thursday, April 13, 2023 in The Hamilton Spectator
Written by Leonard Turnevicius, Contributing Columnist for The Hamilton Spectator
For the first time ever in the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s leading edge Intimate & Immersive series, all five of the featured composers will be present for the “Undreaming Sleep’s Bright Land” concert conducted by HPO music director Gemma New on Thursday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in The Cotton Factory, 270 Sherman Ave. N.
About Intimate & Immersive concert program:
The concert will open with Robert Rival’s whimsical “Scherzo for Chamber Orchestra.” Composed in 2010, Rival suggested the optional subtitle “Crème brûlée” after a listener had remarked that the original version for nine instruments made him think of tiramisu. “I like the analogy,” stated Rival in his program notes. “But I think it sounds more like crême brûlée: hard and crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside.”
Two works on the program were commissioned and premiered by Alex Pauk’s Toronto-based Esprit Orchestra. Roydon Tse’s 2022 “Mobilize,” a composition inspired by the 2019 Hong Kong protests, was premiered yesterday.
“As within, so without,” a piece by former HPO marketing and communications manager Christina Volpini, received its premiere in 2019. Volpini used the first 20 bars of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante défunte” as a jumping off point for her organic sonic exploration.
“Variations for Chamber Orchestra” by Scott Good, composer-in-residence at London Symphonia, is a five-movement journey through the age-old theme and variations format, here overflowing with timbral felicities.
Rounding out the bill is Ancaster-raised Adam Scime’s 2012 musical dreamscape, “Undreaming Sleep’s Bright Land,” whence the concert’s title.
Click here to read the full article by Leonard Turnevicius.
Intimate & Immersive:
Undreaming Sleep’s Bright Land
Thursday, May 4 at 7:30pm
The Cotton Factory (270 Sherman Avenue North)
General Admission $43.55 (includes taxes and fees