Anyone who attended the final recital in the Parksville Recital Series hosted by Vancouver Island Opera will attest to the fact that we could expect no finer musical talent than that of the three people who entertained.
As always, Tatiana Vasileva, artistic director for Vancouver Island Opera, brought outstanding musicians to our small town, leaving those who came with a feeling that they had been privileged, somehow given a gift.
For a meagre $20, the entertainment lasted more than 1.5 hours, was of the finest calibre, was given in the intimate setting of The MAC to an appreciative audience who were simply stunned by the quality of music and the sincerity of the musicians.
All three musicians are geniuses — Nikolai Maloff on the piano, Gwen Thompson on the violin and Eric Wilson on cello.
Their performances were flawless and given with obvious joy in their delivery.
When I thanked them for their kindness in coming to perform, each one of them was humble in thanking us for inviting them here.
If you haven’t attended one of these recitals before, be ready for next spring when the new series starts and you’ll be amazed at the quality of music you hear.
Vasilieva reminded us at the recital to save the dates for the upcoming opera, Rigoletto by Verdi, at the Qualicum Civic Centre October 18-19.
Once again she will be bringing in some young opera talent who will no doubt be of the high calibre she insists upon.
We are so fortunate to have someone so dedicated to bringing such high quality classical music to our area and I personally thank Vasilieva for what it has meant to me.
I see that the recital was sponsored by The NEWS, Save-On-Foods, Quality Foods and the City of Parksville; many thanks for your contribution to our community.
My hope for the future is that some day we will have in Parksville a lovely new theatre where more recitals and performances can be given for everyone to enjoy.
Eleanor Thompson
Parksville
