Destrube true to the mus

Layne Christensen
ws Reporter layne@nsnews.com

THE Baroque era saw the birth of
opera and the death of J.S. Bach.

India*s Taj Mahal was nearing completion
and China's Ming Dynasty was ending. In
Engkind, Isaac Newton was pondering gravity
under the canopy of an apple tree. Over in the
Americas, Benjamin Franklin was dying kites
in electrical sterms

How can music created 300 years ago —
music that was tuncful vet constructed to
reflect the *pertect order™ of the universe to
appeal to the tastes of a newly enlightened
society — be relevant to today’s audiene

Simple, says Mare Destrubé. The music is
extremely accessible. The 44-year-old West
Van resident leads the Pacitic Baroque
Orchestra, Western Canada’s premier period
instrument ensemble performing baroque,
early classical and new music. Now in its ninth
year, the orchestra brings together some of
the leading. performers of carly music.

“OF all the classical music repertory,
baroque music is perhaps one that speaks most
easily to us,” says Destrubé. “It’s the least nec-
essary to have » musical background to appre-

ce.”

“Everybody loves the Four Seasons,” he
notes, referring to Vivaldi‘s great masterpiece.

:.. ‘The musical era also gave us composers
Bach, Haadel, Corelli, Telemann, Rameau,

: Couperin, Monteverdi, Purcell and the
Scarlattis.

The orchestra plays the music of the
Scarlattis as it joins the Modern Baroque
. Opera for its season-opener, Dec. 20 1] at
the Vancouver East Culturai Centre.
The performance is a double bill: The
. Garden of Love: Venus and Adonis by Alessandro
* Scarlatti is being presented with son Domenico
¥ comic © work, The Amazement.

: its name suggests, Modern Baroque
Opera; the resident company of “the Cuitch,”
has updated beth classics for modern audi-

*-ences. In the first presentation, a clever role

teversal has countertenor David D.Q. Lee

singing ‘the role of Venus and soprano Jenn

- Such singing Adonis. Designer Thomas

“Hassmann’s “garden of love” isa P i ily”

Friday, December 3, 1999 — North Shere News - 25
a

NEWS photo ba Wakefield

VIOLINIST Marc Destrubé is in demand a3 a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra leader. The West Van resident is musi-
cal director of the Pacific Baroque Opera, which performs Sunday with Musica Intima at West Vancouver United Church.

patch of oversize roses with beroed-wire
stems.

The evening's second bill, The Amazement,
is hilariously funny, according to its musical
director. “It’s full of opera-house intrigue, stuff
that still goes on in opera today — the jealous
opera teacher and the wayward student. Those

“things really don’t change,” says Destrubé.

Destrubé, who studied in the famed
Mozazzeum in Salzburg and was a member of

. Canada’s now defunct Purcell String Quartet,

photo Modem Bsroque Opera

form in Modern Barcque Opera’s production
"1 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

"29-502,

Tuxedo Special
(super 100% weal

*595

when only the best will do...

_RAVENGHY —
‘Park Royal South (Golleria) |
"925-4534

"has played with many of the leading period
ensembles in North America and Europe.

The members of his Pacific Baroque
Orchestra find a challenge in recreating the
sound of an earlier time using period instru- —
ments and an “informed” performance style,
what Destrubé describes as playing the music
as though it were written yesterday while stay:
ing true to the tastes of the time in which it
was created.

Audiences will have a chance to hear more

Mon Wed, Fri ‘Sam-Spm *
Tues,Thurs 12pm-8pm.

of that sound this Sunday, Dec. 5, at West
Vancouver United Church when Pacific
Baroque Orchestra joins with chamber choir.
Musica Intima to present a Christmas concert.
The 2:30 p.m. performance includes Bach's
Advent cantata Nun komm, der heiden ;
Hetland, ‘Charpentier’ 's In Nativitatem and
Monteverdi's Magnificat. ;

a ickers are $25.50 for adults, $15 for

seniors and students, available throw
Ticketmaster, 280.33 ll.