It was a chilly evening, with plenty of that white fluffy stuff accumulating on the ground, but that didn’t stop Nakusp residents from bundling up and heading down to the Bonnington Arts Centre to enjoy an evening of chamber music put on by The Arrow Lakes Arts Council.
While it was chilly outside, inside the Bonnington was a whole other story. The room was filled with excitement, anticipation, and some enticing baked goods.
Trio Hochelaga, a Canadian group from Montreal midway through a B.C. tour, made the stop in Nakusp on Wednesday, November 16 entrancing all ages in the audience with their music. The trio, which consisted of a pianist, a violinist, and a cellist, played a collection of pieces in a performance that they have titled Angels and Demons.
The pieces in the group’s repertoire ranged from Rachmaninoff’s Elegiac Trio and Beethoven’s Trio in D Major to Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s Trio in B Flat Major, but you didn’t have to be familiar with these pieces to appreciate them and in turn be moved by them as they created powerful images and stories in your mind.
The music evoked a range of emotions starting with a somber and solemn atmosphere eventually progressing to a more uplifting, fun, and romantic tone as the trio’s members demonstrated a distinguished level of virtuosity with their instruments and proved to the crowd why they have received such acclaim and recognition around the world.
The passion and eminence with which each musician played had begun when they were very young and grown with much perseverance and practice. All that work payed off for the band as they have toured in Asia, Europe, the U.S. and throughout Canada.
Stèphane, the trio’s pianist, mentioned that he had in fact been to Nakusp and performed at the Bonnington once before, 20 years ago. When asked if anything had changed since then he stated, “the hall is how I remember it, but with a new piano”.
At the end of the performance the group received a standing ovation and an open invitation to return to Nakusp for another performance. Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years before these performers make it back.
A Nakusp resident expressed her delight with the performance: “It was great! Just fantastic, the trio played very well in tune with each other which is hard to do.”
Even though the band was eager to be on their way to Kamloops that very night, they took their time to chat with audience members and listened to advice to call and check with the road conditions before they took off.
After the 50/50 was drawn everybody put their layers back on and headed back out into the falling snow that still hadn’t quit.
Anyone looking for some soothing music to be playing during the holidays, or perhaps a Christmas present for a loved one, will be delighted that Stèphane said that you can order their CD online, or purchase tracks on iTunes.
The Arrow Lakes Arts Council has been able to bring performances, such as Trio Hochelaga’s, to Nakusp using community donations and sponsorship.
