Forgotten Winnipeg composers featured at NMF
The New Music Festival stays true to its festival theme of "beyond" with a concert featuring Forgotten Winnipeg composers.
The concert on Tuesday January 28 focuses on music by Winnipeg composers who are so busy with their international careers, they tend to drop off the local radar.
Danna has been a long time collaborator with Atom Egoyan. He also wrote the music for Ang Lee's Life of Pi for which he won an Oscar, among other awards.
Danna says that even though he left Winnipeg as an infant, he still considers himself a proud Winnipegger. "My parents were born in Winnipeg and my mother still sings in choirs," he said. "Music is hugely important to the lives of Winnipeggers. It's a very educated city. It's really one of the more creative cities in this continent really."
Eyvind Kang grew up in Winnipeg, and lived in Regina before that. He says his teachers were a big influence on him, especially Eugene Kowalski on violin. "There were so many interesting characters around. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in making something, a painting or drawing, a film or comic, but without thinking of oneself as artist."
Kang is a perfect fit for this year's festival, with all its connections to Iceland. "I spent a year in Iceland, and there are many similarities between Iceland and Winnipeg," he said.
"There's a lot of space and not the same kind of time pressure as in the big cities, so the imagination runs differently. And you can follow the thoughts to the end, if you want. In addition, there's the feeling that you don't exist, which is very helpful."
For the Forgotten Winnipeg concert, Kang will perform a piece he wrote with Jessika Kenney called Concealed Unity. "It's a spatial piece, about distance and unity, and the experience of time," he explained. "The choir part that Jessika made revolves around a couplet of Hafez's poetry in Persian, exhorting the cupbearer to come bring the wine. Its a very spiritual piece, if I can say that word. And its about Love."
Aaron Funk, aka Venetian Snares creates music that is described as breakcore, glitch, noise, and modern classical. He is based in Winnipeg though he travels the world with his music. "Winnipeg is a magical place and right now is it's most magical time, the dead of winter! I have lived away from Winnipeg but I came back," he enthused.
"I really love it here. I am not sure if Winnipeg is so inspiring but it really is a place to nurture creativity. The winters are great for going inward. I guess some people might feel like that is a hindrance, not going outside for long periods without your face burning off, but I see it as a blessing."
Listen to Up to Speed for an interview with composer Mychael Danna and Ismaila Alfa at 4:35 on Tuesday January 28. The Forgotten Winnipeg concert happens at the Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m.