Juno Award-winning cellist Elinor Frey is excited to reunite with baroque ensemble Rosa Barocca for next week’s concert, presented by the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra.
Let’s Cellobrate! on Saturday April 27 at Gaetz Memorial United Church, will be a sort-of musical meeting of minds.
Montreal-based Frey said she chose Alberta’s Rosa Barocca to perform on her much-lauded, Juno-winning 2022 album Early Italian Cello Concertos because of a “shared compatibility.”
Each member of the ensemble was chosen by artistic director Claude Lapalme based on high-level musicianship and dedication. Frey found the musicians “asked great questions and are flexible about trying new things…
“You can tell when someone is cut from the same cloth,” added the cellist, who feels she, Lapalme and the Rosa Barocca ensemble share a vision, interpretation and curiosity about historical music.
Lapalme describes Seattle-born Frey as the “Energizer bunny” of the cello.
“We feed off of her energy and she takes you with her — you have no choice. It’s very infectious,” he added, with a chuckle.
The Juilliard-trained Frey, who has performed across the globe with numerous orchestras and made world-premiere recordings, will solo with Rosa Barocca at three Alberta concerts this month: in Canmore on April 25, High River on April 26, and the April 27 show in Red Deer.
Only one piece on their concert bill is from the Early Italian Cello Concertos recording — Vivaldi’s Concerto Rv 414.
Lapalme feels this concerto is not as overplayed as some other works by the Italian composer, but is very representative of his style. It’s sprightly and bright, with a thoughtful second movement.
While every composition has its challenges, Frey feels more comfortable with reprising the Vivaldi piece than stepping into the unknown with her soloist performance on Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s virtuosic and weighty Cello Concerto in A Major. But the very fact that she’s never performed this concerto before is exciting for Frey.
“It feels like it’s a big new project,” she said — “and I really like that.”
Johann Sebastian Bach’s son launched his triumphant career during a shoulder season in musical chronology — between the Baroque and Classical periods. Lapalme feels CPE Bach’s music bridges both epochs while providing plenty of inspiration for Mozart and later composers.
The 25-minute concerto, with three lively movements, inspires ambiguous feelings. “It’s like I am happy, but I’m not sure if I’m happy,” said Lapalme. He added the German word empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style) describes the in-between emotional states CPE Bach’s work evokes, where “you feel your nerves are very close to the edges of your skin.”
Rosa Barocca (without Frey) will also tackle CPE Bach’s more dramatic Sinfonia in B Minor.
Lapalme believes Let’s Cellobrate! will be a beautiful concert that reminds listeners of how great it is to listen to music, communally.
Frey hopes to take the audience into a reflective, “daydreaming space” where performers connect with listeners through a shared experience.
For more information about the 7:30 p.m. show, please visit rdso.ca