Blogs / The Arts Revue

The Happening

John Herbert Cunningham | Feb 14

New Music Festival Pre-Festival Happening Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Winnipeg Art Gallery Friday, February 5, 2010

Alexander Mickelthwaite, conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, had a dream (and, no, it didn’t involve concertmaster Gwen Hoebig), a dream to set a concert in a non-concert hosting venue. Thanks to the combined forces of Groundswell and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, along with other assorted guests, he fulfilled that dream Friday night.

His fulfilled dream became the dream of the sizable crowd that attended the Winnipeg Art Gallery for an evening of eclecticism which began in the Gallery’s foyer. A strangely decorated foosball table that would have perplexed Joey to no end – no rods, no soccer players – was set up near the centre around which several comp sci and music school geeks watched little balls run up against acoustic walls they created with ‘magic rods’ in a game called, Surprise!!!, wall-ball (geeks are not noted for their imagination). This was put on by the combined forces of the U of M’s departments of music and computer science in collaboration with XIE, the Experimental Improv Ensemble. As technically fascinating as it was, it was about as exciting as watching golf - drying paint being a step up.

We were then ushered upstairs to two of the main galleries where various pieces of equipment – a grand piano, a music stand, a dinnerware setting, etc. – were displayed. Jim Hiscott, curator for Groundswell New Music, announced to the assembly that they were about to witness a unique event. Five performances were about to take place by different assemblages in different parts of the galleries.

Diana McIntosh was first to emerge. She sat at an electric piano causing it to emit eerie sounds while reciting Monica Meneghetti’s poem ‘The Source’, the inspiration for this piece titled ‘From Wapta Ice’. Words and music were both fractured as if simulating the sound of ice breaking which was a fitting introduction to the next piece.

The Nunavut Sivuniksavut Performers, directed by David Serkoak, consisted of several young male and female Inuit vocalists. They performed four pieces, the second of which involved throat singing the Inuit version of which is amazingly rhythmic. There was also an encore in which they again performed throat singing. Throat singing is an amazing thing to hear and even more to listen to live and those in attendance were witness to some incredible Nunavut talent. Throat singing is an integral part of this year’s Festival as it will be heard in several performances.

‘Spiral’, by Jim Hiscott, involved the viola brothers, Daniel and Michael Scholz, as they attempted to outdo each other while trading off melodic motifs. Daniel, a long-standing member of the WSO, was ably accompanied by his brother who has been part of the WSO’s viola section for only the past few years. They were having a great time playing with each other, a feeling that was easily transmitted to and captured by the audience.

Now was time for the highlight of this evening’s performance. Bill Pura is another of those musical fixtures on Winnipeg’s artistic scene. Not only that but he is an excellent visual artist. His performance was accompanied by three of his constructions from the WAG’s collection hanging on the wall behind him. Sitting at the grand piano, his composition addressed all of the nuances capable of being coaxed from that instrument. What a pleasure to hear him.

And then it was back to MacIntosh for the final piece. An excellent musician, she is also a performance artist. Part of the performance was her taped voice reciting portions of Peter Christensen’s poem ‘It Says I Can Eat All I Want’. Sitting at a table upon which was a tablecloth and a full tableware setting, she proceeded to use the knife and fork as drum sticks and the assorted items as percussion. Where does one find a tuned cup and saucer registering a musical interval of a fifth? I want to go shopping in THAT store!

The crowd then returned to the foyer for a light snack and more from XIE, this time with colour. Neat!

We are advised that the WAG pre-festival Happening will be an annual event. That’s a good thing!

• John Herbert Cunningham