Capriccio Delights At MERA

Nov 27, 2013

Organizers of the Blue Jeans Classical Concert series at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners are delighting fans with big ears for classical music in their second series of concerts. The main hall at MERA offers up an intimate and acoustically pleasing space that makes it the perfect venue to listen to small, top-notch classical ensembles, and judging by the sold out performance at the second concert in this year's series, there is indeed a captive audience who appreciate classical music played by highly accomplished musicians.

On November 10 the trio, Capriccio, comprised of Rick Tersteeg (cello), Tony Stuart (clarinet), and Val Leavitt on piano charmed the crowd from start to finish with their eclectic program. They began with their lengthiest piece (over 30 minutes long), Louise Farrenc's Trio in E flat major, a piece in four movements that demonstrated the capable playing of all three players and allowed each of them many individual opportunities to shine. The first movement was light and lively with all three players volleying back and forth a memorable theme that sounded like a spring garden of delight. The second movement was reminiscent at times of themes from an old Victorian music box and gave Val on the piano a chance to show her off her chops in some very rapid-fire and demanding piano sections.

It was my first time ever hearing a cello/clarinet/piano trio and the cello and clarinet together sound perfectly matched in their low, mellow oval-like tonality. Like butter and honey, each are delicious alone but together concoct a unique flavor even more delectable. The third movement of Farrenc's piece was brisk and lively and the piece as whole was very dense and demanding musically. At times it was hard to believe that only three musicians were playing. The fourth movement ramped up the volume and speed in a suspenseful and often aggressive movement that flitted back and fourth between the beatific and the horrifying.

Next and with the desire to give Val on piano a much deserved break, Tersteeg delighted the crowd with the Prelude from Bach's Suite #1, a piece easily recognizable as one of the most popular pieces of cello music ever written, one that demonstrated both Bach's genius and Tersteeg's prowess as a soloist. Stuart next took his moment in the limelight with the less known but highly entertaining Suite From the Victorian Kitchen Garden, a piece for clarinet and piano written in five movements of varying lengths and one that demonstrated Stuart's impressive ability as a soloist.

In the second half of the concert the trio played a piece by famed Canadian composer John Williams, who composed the sound track for Harry Potter and other famous films .They played the concert arrangement of the music Williams wrote for the film "The Terminal", in which the clarinet plays the main theme for the film's main character Victor. The piece has a klezmer-sounding feel and is loaded with many minor key changes; it was an enjoyable foray into the more modern compositions written for lead clarinet.

The trio also played "The Swan", from Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals", a piece that opens with a gorgeous cello line. One of the most memorable pieces was their final offering, a very early Beethoven piece that he wrote as teenager. It was originally written for violin but Capriccio has transposed it for clarinet. The piece brought the audience to its feet in an overwhelming standing ovation.

The final concert in the Blue Jeans Classical Concert series will be a performance on Sunday December 8 at 2pm by the duo Athenais, with Virginia Dunsby on taverso and Richard Maurel on viola da gamba. Tickets are available at 613-485-6434 or www.ticketsplease.ca.

Visit meraschoolhouse.org