November 2006 - Nr. 11
An Evening in Vienna
It is a well-known fact that the German clubs are a good choice for various events. They a re pleasant and clean and can be decorated without much effort to create special atmospheres.
The Danube Swabian Club in Scarborough also has a fine restaurant and catering staff. Gordon Brown, pianist and proprietor of the Bel Canto Studio has dinner there at least once a week and became interested in putting on a concert for the local crowd. Thus the Evening in Vienna was born.
Gordon
Brown put together a most wonderful program, filled with very diverse
musical moments. He presented the about 200 guests with two young musicians,
Bryan Holt, cello, and Natalie Wong, violin. Together they accomp
anied
the 2 sopranos, Gwynneth Sestito and Genevieve Proulx and Monica Zerbe,
mezzo-soprano, as well as performing strictly instrumental pieces.. He also
brought a fine baritone, Jesse Clark. To round out the performance he
invited some young dancers from
P.S.B.
Dance Academy, Scarborough., which also brought a young solo dancer,
Brittany Cuthbert. The audience really enjoyed the young people who were
rewarded with warm applause and flowers before they went off.
P.S.B. Dance Academy, Scarborough
The Viennese journey started with "Empor zum Licht" by
Hermann Ludwig Blankenberg and performed by Gordon Brown on the piano. After
that much time was spent with the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Opera
singers took turns singing from his operas, and favourites of course were "Ein
Maedchen oder Weibchen", P
appageno’s
famous aria from the Magic Flute and "Der Hoelle Rache" an aria of the Queen
of the Night in the same opera, one of the most difficult ones for a soprano
voice. Jesse Clark and Genevieve Proult enjoyed tremendous applause with
them.
Monica Zerbe also enjoyed much applause, especially after songs like "Wien,
Du Stadt meiner Traeume" by Rudolph Sieczynsky. And if you think that there
is some German in Monica, then you are correct. Her dramatic mezzo voice and
her Baltic good looks give her away.
In
the second half of the program, which started with Johann Strauss’ Sohn
Kusswalzer sung by Gwynneth Sestito and Jesse Clark to the delight of the
audience, the composers varied, but were just as
well
loved. Who would not enjoy "Geh’n wir ins Chambre separee" by Richard
Heuberger or "Vilja" from the Merry Widow by Franz Lehar? Every number was a
hit with the audience.
Throughout the evening Sybille Forster-Rentmeister, added an entertaining touch with her witty and offhand remarks.
Finale
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The
President Henry Betsch suggested that they all come back to present more
entertaining classics, and the audience also promised to come back for more
when called. Thus it can be reported that the evening was a full success,
thanks to the artistic choices that Gordon Brown made and the wonderful
talent that he presented.
