Ensemble Vivant

Review by Alvin Spaxman

Sunday, November 24, 2024.

For those fortunate enough to have spent Sunday afternoon (24^th) at the Sanderson Centre in Brantford you experienced a delightful feast of unique music, an accomplished ensemble, and talented musicians. The internationally acclaimed Ensemble Vivant performed brilliantly on stage offering a beautiful concert of everything from Bach to ragtime. No matter the genre there was magic in the music of this esteemed group of musicians, all of whom communicated to their listeners with great sound and deep emotion. The ensemble consisted of six musicians on piano, violin, viola, cello, bass viol, “and” drums! Who would have thought? And no matter the genre, the audience loved every moment. The group’s compelling playing was filled with bright and creative sound with a beauty all of its own. 

Ensemble Vivant’s penchant for its interpretation of fugue form – a composition in music featuring a theme to be imitated by many “ voices” – was evident on Sunday with the very first piece on the program. We were offered a jazz version of Vivaldi’s well known Dminor fugue with the fugue subject clearly defined. From there we enjoyed a poignant playing of “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring”,  the J.S. Bach chorale classic. Following Widor’s magical “Ciel D’Orage” we exited this somewhat contemplative beginning to be served up with several innovative and contemporary composers from Canada and Latin America. The array of mixed genres here was not to be ignored. The Canadian piece by the Toronto based musician Richard Whiteman, called “Making Art Not War”, was a beautiful interplay between the virtuoso pianist Catherine Wilson and the brilliant Bass player George Koller. Extraordinary! Our final serving in this first half of the concert was a trio of Latin American composers whose compositions were filled with high spirit and good fun. With everything from tango to samba to pure jazz, ending with yet another fugue, I had to ask whether I could even find the fugue subject! And for this set especially I must not forget to pay tribute to a masterful drummer/percussionist Adrian Bent. His subtle but masterful additions added an acoustic color to the performance all round. The entire first half was exhilarating. 

This unusually diverse chamber ensemble continued into the second half of the afternoon’s program with the same passion and sincerity demonstrated in the first part. Beginning with the familiar Bach Gminor Fugue (commonly referred to as the “Little” fugue), the theme was played with great precision and clarity. From here we were treated to a beautiful Jerome Kern medley of tunes we all know and love. Who can forget “Just the Way You Look tonight”? And several others too. The medley was heart-warming. Then to Canadian Michael Goghlan’s reflective “Perigrene Riffs” and Oscar nominated New Yorker John Burke’s collection of three exciting toe-tapping but spellbinding all-jazz creations. The musicianship by the Ensemble was exquisite here. And another fugue in tango style by Argentinian Astor Piazzolla. Wow! The program ended appropriately with the final movement from Mihaud’s “Scaramouche” collection. Sadly that brought the concert to an end, but alas, we were treated to an “encore”, a magnificent piece of Ragtime by the Ensemble that had the audience on its feet. Bravo to six illustrious musicians!

This was an afternoon of music of the very highest quality. Ensemble Vivant was equally at home with both traditional classics and original contemporary compositions. It’s rare to hear music played with such depth and sincerity, and yet with a sparkle that moved its audience to new heights. Thanks to the Brantford Music Club for their untiring efforts to provide these kinds of musical experiences to Brantford audiences.  

Alvin Spaxman.

Alvin Spaxman is a musician, retired educator, and patron of the Arts in Brantford and all places beyond.