Arts

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Vocal music through the ages

Vancouver’s musica intima performs for Arts at One

 

By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor

ast Thursday in the Laura C.
Ls Theatre, Vancouver’s

Juno-nominated vocal chamber
ensemble musica intima performed
a showcase entitled Vocal Music
Through the Ages. The show consisted
of 10 songs highlighting the musical
styles of artists from as far back as the
16" century to modern pieces from
today.

With each song sung a capella,
the 11-piece choir began with the
oldest piece in the afternoon’s
repertoire, “Loquebantur Variis
Linguis,” composed by Thomas
Tallis. The next piece, the eerie “A
Summer’s Singing,” was composed
by Vancouverite Leslie Uyeda,
with poetry by Victoria’s Lorna
Crozier. Venezuelan composer César
Alejandro Carrillo’s calmingly sweet
“O Magnum Mysterium’” followed.

Heading back in time again,
French composer Clément Janequin’s
“Le chant des oyseaux” soon filled
the theatre with the pleasant tones
of its French lyrics, as well as
harmonious imitated birdcalls. The
next piece, “O Mistress Mine”—
sung in three parts—was written by
Shakespeare, with music composed
by Sweden’s Nils Lindberg in 1990.
Estonian composer Arvo Part’s short
piece, “Bogoroditse djévo,” otherwise
known as “Mother of God and
Virgin,” was then performed.

The next three pieces followed
the theme of love. The first was
“Le pont mirabeau” by French-
Canadian composer Lionel Daunais,
with the flow of love in and out of
one’s life represented by the famous
bridge referenced in the title. The
second was simply entitled “Love,”
by Vancouver composer Rodney
Sharman, taken from a suite entitled
“Love, Beauty, Desire.” “Love” was

8

@ musica intima _

performed with each member of the
choir first standing separated, and
then slowly joining hands one at a
time to represent unity. The third
song was by Edward Henderson,
another Vancouver composer, whose
song “Your Fragrance”—also taken
from a larger piece entitled “Bird
Song”—took its lyrics from various
12" century poems.

Intended to be the final piece of
the show, the group then performed
the Irish classic (accent and all) “Loch
Lomond,” with this particular take on
the song arranged by musica intima’s
own Jonathan Quick. However, with
the crowd eager to hear one more,
musica intima excitedly performed
one last song for the audience. With
the group playfully impersonating
each and every line, the show ended
with a performance of “The Crawl,” a
song about drinking with friends and
stumbling back home by Vancouver-
based folk rock band Spirit of the
West.

Twice throughout the show,
various members of the group
announced that a new mentorship
program was in development, and
that they were gladly looking for up-
and-coming student singers to join.

If you’re a singer interested in this

excellent opportunity, contact their
general manager, Janna Crown, at

janna@musicaintima.org.

Be sure to check out next week’s
Arts at One performance, Piano
Concert Ellen and Robert Silverman;
details below.

What: Arts at One presents Piano
Concert Ellen and Robert Silverman
Where: Laura C. Muir Performing
Arts Theatre

When: Thursday, February 2 (this
Thursday!)

Cost: Free!

 

Breaking bored

By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor

ES ES ss

roduced by Konami
P= developed by Neko

Entertainment, Puddle was
released on Xbox Live Arcade
January 25 and to PlayStation
Network on February 1. The
downloadable title took several
years to complete, building
interest based on its unique game
play—was it worth the wait?

On the one hand, yes, Puddle
has accomplished a different style
of game. You control various liquids
in several settings throughout (e.g.
water in a lab, plant growth formula
in ajungle), leading them through
obstacles while trying to maintain a
certain percentage to “send back to
the lab.”

Puddle is a neat experiment,
and I found that to be it. Every
single stage requires you drip,
slither, or pour your way
through, awarding you with a
mark of Au (Gold), Ag (Silver)
or Cu (Copper) based on your
time and how much liquid was
left. But this gets extremely

 

repetitive, and to add insult to
injury, skipping a level is called a
“Whine,” and you only have two
the entire game.

The grading system is the
only amusement I really got out
of it. If science is your field, then
I can see this game being fun to
some degree. If you’re like me
though, put down the controller
and go watch Breaking Bad,
because you’re not getting that
$10 back.

 

Your fantasy friends
forever and ever and ever

 

By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor

QYOOO@

anish psychedelic pop
band The Asteroids
Galaxy Tour released Out

of Frequency on January 31, their
sophomore album to 2009's Fruit.
While things are a little less about
the “Golden Age” and more
about your typical “Suburban
Space Invader,” the group’s got
another winner on their hands.

This album plagues the
listener with the only problem
anyone should ever face: do I
rock out or do I dance? It’s the
kind of album that pumps you up
regardless of what you’re about to
do. Every track is solid, but with
each song seamlessly leading
into the next, it’d be unnatural to
play out of order (and yet, even
if you did, it would still sound
awesome).

Really, it’s the entire second
half that steals the show though.
It’s a perfect album in that each
track builds on the one before
it, with the last four (“Ghost In
My Head,” “Suburban Space
Invader,” “Fantasy Friend
Forever,” and “When It Comes to
Us”) being the strongest tracks.

I understand their name
now; The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
really is on another planet. One
with big hair, a twisted child-like
innocence and non-stop energy,
and you'd be a fool not to join
them.

And you can join them, as
they'll be playing a show at
Venue on February 19; I better see
you there.