Globe-trotting Trio Fibonacci debuts in city with GroundSwell

You don't hear much about GroundSwell these days. The 20-year-old champions of contemporary music typically fly a little under the radar, dwarfed by local musical elders like the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Manitoba Opera.

But don't let that fool you. This small, but vibrant company of new music lovers hasn't stopped bringing the fresh and novel to more adventuresome listeners.

GroundSwell is presenting the world class Trio Fibonacci in a diverse program of works, many of which have never been played in the city, at 8 p.m. Sunday in the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in the University of Winnipeg.

"They truly are one of Canada's finest interpreters of contemporary music," says composer Gordon Fitzell, whose string trio Elea will be debuted at the concert. "This was a special commission by the trio. I'm quite thrilled to be working with the group."

Trio Fibonacci is comprised of Julie-Anne Derome, violin, Gabriel Prynn, cello, and new addition, Stephanie Chua, piano. They have literally toured the world giving concerts, performing in South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, China, Japan, Germany and the U.S.

This will be the Montreal-based ensemble's first visit to Winnipeg. Fitzell, one of GroundSwell's artistic directors, was called in to help when the concert curator, Jim Hiscott, was unexpectedly called out of town.

Fitzell spoke enthusiastically about many of the works on the program. "We are excited to have composers of all ages and nationalities in this program," he says during a phone interview from Toronto. "Mauricio Kagel's Trio in zwei Sätzen is the last work published before he died. He is one of the classic all-time 20th century composers. He is well-known in Europe and is becoming better known in North America now."

Also programmed is the atmospheric Yellow Beach by celebrated British composer Michael Nyman of film-score fame. You'll likely remember his compelling soundtrack to the 1993 film, The Piano.

"It's exciting to have a piece of Analia Llugdar's played in Winnipeg," Fitzell said about the Argentinean-born composer now living in Montreal. She is a winner of the prestigious Jules Léger Prize for new Canadian chamber music. The ensemble will perform her 2010 Luz for violin and cello.

Toronto-based New Zealand-born Juliet Palmer will be represented with a piece entitled diver(s), while British composer Jonathan Harvey's 1971 Piano Trio is also planned. Rounding out the program is a work by renowned French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez. His 1992 piece, Anthèmes for solo violin showcases Derome.

Programming a concert is an art in itself. Who do you try to please -- the audience or the artists? A good curator aims to do both.

"The overarching principle I go on is to collaborate with the group or artist," says Fitzell, "They are the experts and know their strengths. I want artists to have a good experience. Jim intended to have a great diversity of pieces in gender, age and geography."

It was fascinating to hear Fitzell describe his own contribution to the program: "As I began to sketch the piece, it became apparent that I was interested in the concept of suspended time. There are many places in it where there is a great deal of activity, then some long notes, not quite silences. Things happen in fragments and spurts. There are lots of pauses. I had the idea of stop-frame logic in the back of my mind."

Fitzell drew inspiration from the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno, who wrote a book of paradoxes, one of which questions the notion of motion. Using a flying arrow as an example, he philosophized that nothing moves during any instant, but time is entirely composed of instants, so nothing ever moves.

Confused yet? It is a little mind-boggling, but it does elicit a different kind of thinking -- hence Fitzell's work Elea named for Zeno's origin. Just the concepts make you curious about the work.

What is it like to have a new creation played in front of an audience for the first time?

"Thrilling, terrifying, exhilarating -- yet at the same time I feel very privileged to have such opportunities," says Fitzell. "In the hands of a group like Trio Fibonacci, I know it will be a strong performance."

Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and $5 for students, and are available at McNally Robinson Booksellers, the door or by calling 943-5770.

gwenda.nemerofsky@shaw.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 14, 2011 D5