By KIRSTEN BOLTON
FOR ARTSPRING
Victoria Baroque returns to ArtSpring for a Saturday, Jan. 13 matinee with new guest director and showcase violinist Aisslinn Nosky, a Vancouver Island-born global phenomenon who The Boston Globe calls “perpetually fabulous” and The Toronto Star calls “a fearsomely powerful musician.”
With her signature fiery energy and splendor, Nosky leads Victoria Baroque in concerti by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann and a mesmerizing contemporary piece called Falling Still by Canadian composer Emily Doolittle.
The theme explored in this rich program of music is one of connection: Connection and dialogue between colleagues, between teachers and students, between composers and music lovers, and between the creativity of the natural world and artfulness of human composition. Fittingly, Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and Telemann were all colleagues, students or teachers of each other.
At the centre of this program is the composition from Doolittle, whose creative work and research explores the music-like aspects of animal songs and natural sounds.
Doolittle describes her piece Falling Still as “inspired by hearing a European blackbird sing against a gentle background of early morning rain. There is no birdsong in this piece, however.”
She goes on to say “instead, I was interested in exploring the intersection of two different kinds of beauty; that created by a living being like a bird (represented by the flexible, ever-changing melody of the solo violin), and that which is simply the result of an inanimate process like the weather (represented by the continually repeating chord progression in the strings.)”
Like R.S. Thomas’ poem, Falling Still draws audiences into meditative stillness, open to the natural world and the flow and pressures of history.
Nosky began playing violin at age three and made her solo debut with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra at age eight. She has since captivated audiences around the world with her innovative interpretations and impeccable technique as a soloist, director and conductor with orchestras in Boston, Manitoba, New Zealand, Holland, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and the Niagara Symphony.
In 2011, Nosky was appointed concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. She is also concertmaster of Bach Akademie Charlotte and has been guest conductor with the Eybler Quartet, which she co-founded. Nosky serves on the faculty of EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. EQ is an intensive summer course for emerging artists that celebrates the lineage of the string quartet, both as a historical genre and as a freshly invigorated practice in the 21st century.
Now in its 13th season, Victoria Baroque presents dynamic, personal and engaging performances of music from the Baroque and Classical periods with explorations of chamber, orchestral, vocal and choral works. Its mission is to bring audiences closer to the sound-world of the 18th century, “embracing the dance-driven rhythmic vitality, as well as the lyrical and conversational aspects, of baroque music.”
Tickets for Saturday’s show are available online and at the box office, including $5 youth tickets and $15 Theatre Angel Tickets, which are now available upon request in person at the box office or by phone.
ArtSpring’s Theatre Angel Program reserves 20 seats per performance at reduced cost for anyone having budgetary barriers to attend the arts. No criteria is required.