Musical Chairs - Musicians at the Sarjeant
TALENTED TRIO: Ingrid Culliford, Deborah Wai Kahope and former WHS student Liam Wooding (on piano) perform at Sarjeant on the Quay last Sunday.
PHOTO: Liz Wylie
IT WAS standing room only at the Sarjeant on the Quay gallery last Sunday for the Musical Chairs concert presented by Deborah Wai Kapohe, Ingrid Culliford and Liam Wooding.
Perhaps it is a cliché to say that one is "transported" by music, but I cannot think of a better word to describe the feeling I got while listening to these fine musicians.
The trio commenced with All'ombro di sospetto, RV 678 - a set of four compositions by Antonio Vivaldi.
The sound of the flute and Ms Wai Kapohe's fine soprano voice blended beautifully, while the piano sound provided perfect grounding.
The set was followed by two songs for voice and romantic guitar performed by Ms Wai Kapohe - Romance by Charles-Camille Saint-Saens and Mignonne, allons voir si la rose by an unknown composer.
Ms Wai Kapohe introduced the audience to her newly-crafted romantic guitar and said opera singers of the renaissance era often accompanied themselves with stringed instruments. The programme notes said she is developing new self-accompanied recitals and studying lute and romantic guitar.
I was put in mind of the Coleridge poem Kubla Khan and the line about the damsel with a dulcimer.
Ingrid Culliford explained that Chants d'Auvergne, First Series by Joseph Canteloube is a series of tales about a French shepherdess being lured away from her flock by the promise of excitement.
The provincial dialect is obscure, she said, and even fluent French speakers would find it hard understand the lyrics. It really did not matter because the intent was well conveyed by the wonderful singing and playing.
Once again I thought of Coleridge and his "sinuous rills".
Helen Craig thanked the trio for their performance and said it provided a wonderful respite from worldly worries.
"While it seems like the world is going crazy, we get to be here and enjoy this wonderful music," she said.
The Sarjeant Gallery's events and communications officer, Raewyne Johnson, said the performance was the 32nd Musicians for the Sarjeant concert and 94 musicians have volunteered their talents to support the gallery.
"The concerts have raised over $22,000 for the Sarjeant and that is not counting the income from today's concert," she said.
Whanganui is extremely fortunate to have such accomplished musicians in our midst. Ingrid Culliford spent many years in London performing with Britain's best orchestras and Deborah Wai Kapohe moved her home base from Southland to the river city. Liam Wooding will be moving to Melbourne to study at the Australian National Academy of Music this year although he will be accompanying cellist Elena Morgan (former WHS student) for a concert at the Prince Edward Auditorium this week.
By Liz Wylie
Wanganui Chronicle 4/2/17