A grand performance on a small scale

By Layne Christensen
Community Reporter

AS a musical ensemble, the cham-
ber group has a short shelf life.

Rarely does a group of musicians stay
together for more than five or six years,
says Victor Costanzi, who quotes what is
ofen said about the genre: “It is like a mar-
riage without the sex,”

How is it then that the Vetta Chamber
Music and Recital Society, of which
Costanzi is co-founder and co-artistic

director, is celebrating the opening of its -

11th season?
“We find a way to work with each

other,” is the North Van resident’s no-non-

sense response.

Vetta is primarily the musical partner-
ship of Costanai and cellist Eugene
Osadchy, who together develop the reper-
toire for each season, -

’ Vetta’s five-concert. series opens this
Friday, Oct. 4, with a performance at West
Point Grey United Church, the venue for
all of Vetta’s recitals,

Costanzi and Osadchy met 16 years ago
as. members of the Vancouver. Opera
Orchestra, Their professional pairing start-
ed casually enough.

_. “We wanted to read chamber music on
our days off,” says Costanzi. :
But that led to Vetta, the forming of a
string quartet and the development of a
concert series, : :
The quartet split up after eight years but
 Costanzi and Osadchy stuck together,
recruiting guest artists as needed, among
them ©Costanzi’s wife, harpist Rita
Costanzi. ;
Aside from Vetta, the musicians are kept

busy. Osadchy is principal cellist with the:

CBC Radio Orchestra‘and assistant princi-

pal cellist with the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra. Costanzi is concert master of
the upcoming Livent production of Sunset
Boulevard at the Ford Theatre, And the day
after Vetta’s first concert of the season, he
will join the Andrew Lloyd Webber Music of
the Night Tour, also as concert master,

But they are most passionate about
chamber music.

“When you are with a symphony, you

are one of many — 30 fiddles, a dozen cel- ~

Jos,” says Costanzi. “With chamber there is
only one (musician) in a part, but you are
still sharing.”

By definition, “chamber” music’ is
played by a small group of musicians, usu-
ally two to eight, who perform without a
conductor, The most common musical

combinations are the string quartet, string
.trio, piano quintet, piano trio and the -

woodwind quintet. But Vetta: likes to-
stretch the boundaries. ;

One of last year’s performances featured
a musical interpretation of Edgar Allen
Poe’s Mask of the Red Death, with a narra-
tion’by North Van actor Jay Brazeau.

This year’s season-opener will see the
Vancouver premitre of a contemporary
work for harp and violin by local composer
Elliot Weisgarber, There will also be a per-

formance by the mime Ambrose, a student

of Marcel Marceau.

As is the nature of mime, Ambrose is _
expected to mock a number of institutions
including “the great violinist.” In keeping -

with the up-beat spirit of Vetta, Costanzi
doesn’t seem to mind such irreverence and,
in fact, encourages it.

“I think it’s great,” he says.

Tickets for Vetta’s series of five concerts

are $75, $62 for students and seniors.’
Individual concert tickets are $17, $14 for’

students and seniors. For information, call
434-4084,

“bition” featuring : the. recent

works “of | . photographe
Heather. Fisher’ and© ceramic
artist’ Mas Funo,. to’ Oct..'6.
Touch Stone, Touch “Wood,

‘“ collection of-acrylic paintings

and drawings by artist Jane
Wolsak, artists’ dialogue Oc!

. 8, 11 a.m, and evening recep-
tion 6-8 p.m. Artist’s Evening:

* Lecture and Discussion, sec
_ond Tuesday of every exhibi-" ©:

tion (Oct. 15). $2. includes | ;,
refreshments, 925-7266. 0:
Silk: Purse Arts , Centre:
Watercolors ,and Oils,” by’,
Babs Ferguson, Pegi Risdale,

‘and Audrie Birks, to Oct. 6. -

Harbor. Scenes in?

See more page 23"

TED Colyer exhibits: his -:
watercolor paintings and |.
acrylics at UBC’s:Asian ©.

'. Centre through Oct.'14.-

The Lions Bay: artist's.
works are. exhibited

internationally and_col-*..
lected by, among others,
Japan's . Prince. and >.

‘ Princess Takamade. ©