Con Amore, meaning With Love in Italian, was held Saturday night at Vanier Hall.
It was a stunning experience in sight and sound. The Prince George Symphony Orchestra hosted the Canadian pop opera group, Vivace, who provided a lively showcase of the lighter side of orchestral music.
As well, world famous cellist Hans Nygaard joined the orchestra for the one-night-only show. Knowing Nygaard would be joining the orchestra, I listened carefully to recognize the three-cello sound, which added a robust tone to the concert that resonated throughout Vanier Hall.
Nygaard is considering taking a position here, he said, during this very exciting time as the symphony develops its youth programs and outreach to northern communities.
I felt the choice of music was solely geared toward my symphony-lightweight tastes - thank you very much Kevin Zakresky, PGSO music director. He gave a pre-show talk informing us of the goings on - who Vivace was and why we had a guest cellist in the house.
Highlights during the show included the Flower Duet, Sous le dome epais, as sung by the ladies of Vivace (which means lively in Italy) who had me transfixed and goose bumpy. Melody Courage and Tiffany Desrosiers - who proclaimed she only had half a voice - were a joy to witness as they trilled through the song so beautifully.
The boys were no slouches either. Marc Devigne and DJ Calhoun took on The Face, a dramatic story about father and son. Calhoun was quite suave, giving us a glimpse into his personality by tying his shoes with bright red laces that peeped out from his tailored pant legs every now and then and during the second half of the show, swapped out the laced shoes for bright teal ones. Snappy dresser, that one.
During the evening, we were treated to Brindisi, Sous le dome epais, February Song, Hallelujah, Nessun Dorma, Prayer in the Night, Largo a Factotum, O mio babbino caro, Au fond du temple saint, The Face, The World to Me, with encores The Prayer - that was spine tingling, and a robust rendition of Prayer in the Night.
It was an enchanting evening with well-deserved standing ovations for all at the end of the show.
