Concerts Cafe Classico – Stile Moderno

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 23, 2015

Transport Yourself Back in Time and Experience the Grandeur of Baroque Period Music

— EVENT: LANGLEY COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL’s CAFÉ CLASSICO CONCERT MARCH 8, 2015

Imagine.  It’s the 1600s.  You’re in Italy.  And you hear a new kind of music.  It’s stimulating.  Dramatic.  Shocking.  And it draws out raw emotions.  It’s the rock ‘n’ roll of its time.  It’s a new kind of music that came to be called “baroque” or rough pearl.

Experience the power and the drama of baroque music as it captured the world by storm during the Renaissance. The Langley Community Music School (LCMS) presents Stile Moderno performing  “Light and Dark,” a Concerts Café Classico series concert at 2:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, March 8, 2015.

Immerse yourself in the sharply contrasting sounds of early baroque Italian greats, including Marco Uccellini, Dario Castello, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Battista Vitali, Allesandro Piccinini, and Antonio Bertali, performed by Stile Moderno’s international cast of players: Arthur Neele, violin; Natalie Mackie, viola da gamba; and Konstantin Bozhinov, lute.

Using period instruments, Stile Moderno is able to create a much warmer and richer sound with increased resonance than the modern day fare.  “This baroque program was inspired by the paintings of Caravaggio and Rubens, who used the ‘chiaroscuro’ (light and dark) technique to dramatic effect,” says Stile Moderno. “The shading and sharp contrasts of this technique give their paintings an added depth, which makes the characters almost step off the canvas into your own world. The painter’s desire to represent people in such a direct and often raw emotional way is also one of the hallmarks of the music of the early baroque period, which is full of sharply contrasting sections that represent different emotions and ideas, often without warning.”

Stile Moderno’s violinist Arthur Neele, raised and educated in the Netherlands and long-time resident of Scotland, has performed throughout the world from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to Vancouver’s Pacific Baroque Orchestra.  He now lives in Vancouver and spends half his time working in healthcare at the Critical Care Department of St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.  Visit www.arthurneele.com.

Playing the viola de gamba, Natalie Makie, educated at the Conservatoire de Musique in Quebec, at UBC, and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, has performed throughout the world, from New York to Paris and Strasbourg, among others. Her work has been recorded by Radio France, German Radio, BBC, CBC, NPR, and on the Canadian label Atma Classique.

Lutist Konstantin Ruslanov Bozhinov, also renowned for his skill at guitar and accordion, specializes in improvisation and composition of music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.  While Konstantin has enjoyed spending many years playing folk music from his native Bulgaria, he discovered the lute and the world of Renaissance and Baroque music while studying at UBC. Konstantin later went on to study at McGill University in Quebec where he produced a CD of his own arrangements of Spanish Renaissance music.  Konstantin is currently completing his PhD at the University of Victoria. Visit www.konstantin-bozhinov.com.

“This baroque performance is such a great treat,” says LCMS Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergmann. “The performers are stunning musicians who bring the music of this period to life with a freshness and vibrancy that is insightful, rich and wonderfully expressive.  ”

The Café Classico event starts at 2:30 pm featuring a conversation with Stile Moderno’s three performers, hosted by LCMS artistic director Elizabeth Bergmann. Learn more about baroque music, and the inspiration behind it, through the personal insights of the performers. There will be a short break with coffee and refreshments, before the performance from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Tickets for this Concerts Café Classico event are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $10 for students. Call the box office at 604-534-2848. The Rose Gellert Hall is located at 4899 207 Street, Langley, BC.

ABOUT LANGLEY COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL

Langley Community Music School (LCMS) is a non-profit organization and registered charity that is committed to providing the highest quality of musical education to students of all ages and levels, from early learning to pre-professional and adult programs. With the support of the community, LCMS has become one of the largest non-profit music schools in the province, earning both national and international acclaim for their comprehensive and innovative programs. Learn more about LCMS programs, scholarships and bursaries.

The Langley Community Music School hosts multiple musical concerts from October to May, including the Rose Gellert Hall Series, a Saturday evening concert featuring renowned Canadian and international musicians, as well as the Concerts Café Classico Series, a Sunday afternoon concert series featuring stellar local and touring musicians playing classical, jazz or contemporary works.

Visit langleymusic.com or call 604-534-2848.

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