Ever wonder what elevator music of the late 1700’s might sound like? This and other burning questions will be answered when La Cafamore takes to the stage at the Harrison Memorial Church in Crawford Bay on May 25. The group, now in its sixth year of performance in the Kootenays, will be playing the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Zoltán Kodály and Antonín Dvorák arranged for two violins and viola.
For violist Alexis More, the chance to play music of Hungarian composer/educator Kodály hits a personal note. Her mother, Connie Foss More, is a pioneer in the study and teaching of Kodály’s music education system (known as the Kodály method). More’s life is a testament to Kodály’s adage that children were “never too young to begin” the study of music: the violist was exposed to Kodály’s method while in utero and throughout her childhood.
Angela Snyder (violin) also has a rich connection to Hungarian music making through her former teacher, noted violinist Lorand Fenyves. In the Hungarian teaching tradition, Fenyves advocated singing musical lines to better understand the music.
“He loved the singing instruments of the orchestra and claimed that he would learn the cello and the oboe in another lifetime,” said Snyder. “His violin, the Fenyves Stradivarius, had a special soaring oboe-like quality.”
Snyder hopes that audiences will respond to the song and dance aspects of the program, which has been inspired by the folk tunes of Germany, Bohemia and Hungary.
The group looks forward to another opportunity to perform in Crawford Bay.
“The fall of 2013 was our first experience playing in Crawford Bay” said Rossland violinist Carolyn Cameron. “We were unanimous that La Cafamore should return on a regular basis.”
The picturesque setting of Harrison Memorial Church, and the responsive audience was a magical combination for the group.
“Those are the types of performances musicians treasure,” said Cameron.
The May 25 concert in Crawford Bay starts at 2 p.m. Admission is by donation.
—LA CAFAMORE