By KIRSTEN BOLTON
FOR ARTSPRING
If you are ready for an evening of musical entertainment that will surprise, amuse and inspire, Percussiano3 might be just the ticket. This talented trio takes to the ArtSpring stage Wednesday, March 22.
Comprised of the prize-winning duo-pianists Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann, and virtuoso percussionist Rod Thomas Squance, Percussiano3 brings a compelling new vibrance to the popular side of classical music, world music and contemporary repertoire. To the Bergmanns’ melodic double-handed piano, Squance delivers the percussion heartbeats on no-less-than 38 different instruments, from snare drum, chimes and castagnets, to gourds, sleigh bells and the beloved cow bell.
Audiences are taken through a journey of musical styles and periods, including works by Bach, Schubert, Ravel, Chabrier, Copland, Rachmaninoff, Piazzolla, Brubeck and Saint Saëns, as well as their own original compositions. The performance is buoyed by their lively interactions and authentic enthusiasm, as only long-time collaborators and friends can share.
Sadly, on Feb. 16, their representative and friend George Zukerman, who arranged for this performance and many others, passed away at the age of 95. The BC Touring Council said of him, “George was an ambassador for Canadian music [. . .] His lifelong career and contribution to touring and presenting were immense.”
“ArtSpring has had a long association with George and has presented many of his artists over the past 20 years,” said Howard Jang, executive and artistic director of ArtSpring. “We will be respectfully dedicating this performance to his memory.”
In a change to the program, Gryphon Trio’s March 25 performance of Echo: Memories of the World has by artist request been temporarily replaced by a new performance entitled Colour You Like. Echo will be rescheduled for fall 2023.
In this new production, the preeminent trio of Annalee Patipatanakoon (violin), Roman Borys (cello) and Jamie Parker (piano), who are about to celebrate 30 years together, welcome in a swiftly emerging creative force, violist Radia, AKA Ryan Davis.
The result is a luminous musical experience, harnessing live looping and electronics that intertwine the sound worlds of classical, folk, electronic and hip-hop traditions. The program will feature Radia’s original compositions and visuals, as well as Dinuk Wijeratne’s stunning Love Triangle for piano trio. It concludes with Johannes Brahms’ sublime Piano Quartet in G minor.
Both shows start at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale through tickets.artspring.ca, or the box office from Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.