Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra opens the Montreal/New Musics Festival February 18, 4:30 pm
Three premieres feature in a globe-spanning mix of compositions
VICO’s socially distanced rehearsal for Musique sans frontieres.
Montreal/New Musics Festival streams Musique sans frontières, for free on February 18 at 4:30 pm PST
Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra is set to open the Montreal/New Musics Festival, and the hometown crowd will be able to stream it for free.
The ensemble, which mixes western and other instruments from around the world, has never played in Quebec—and technically won’t this time, either, as it will appear in a filmed concert that includes three exciting new world premieres.
Among them is VICO artistic director Mark Armanini’s new arrangement of Pulau Dewata (1977) by Claude Vivier. Elsewhere on the program, audiences will get the first chance to listen to Pareidolia by Farangis Nurulla-Khoja, and As the first spring blossoms awaken through the snow by Rita Ueda.
John Oliver’s by turns hauntingly gorgeous and exhilarating Gypsy Chronicles, which features on VICO’s recently release album In the Key of the World, also makes an appearance on the program, as does Suite concertante by Farshid Samandari.
In short, it’s music that takes you around and through the globe’s rich musical offerings at a time when you’re technically not allowed to leave your health district.
In the hands of the ensemble, under the baton of conductor Janna Sailor, the pieces bring together a global fusion the festival is clearly excited to have set the tone for its event. In the program for tomorrow, the organization calls VICO “one of the few orchestras in the world that assembles so many different communities” whose “compositions, musicians and instruments invite us to move to the rhythm of this Western Canadian cosmopolitan city. Immersing us in new shades of contemporary music, between East and West, this opening night represents… openness, reminding us that music knows no borders.” ‘Nuff said.
Georges Nicholson hosts the broadcast with live commentary.Check out the trailer below, with some excellent insights from composer Oliver about his journey into world music.
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