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| Page 16 | Music Reviews |
October 2005 |
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By Alidë Kohlhaas Sometimes one finds musical gems in the most unlikely places. In this case at a concert in a high school auditorium in Mississauga, where three young Canadian music talents of Maltese descent performed with the Mississauga Concert Band under the direction of Capt. Denny Ringler (Ret.). All three artists, soprano Natalie Pratt, tenor Victor Micallef, and pianist Mark Camilleri, have made names for themselves in the Canadian music world in a variety of ways. Camilleri has been mentioned in a review on this website before. He is the music director of Give My Regards to Broadway, and assistant music director of Mamma Mia, among other accomplishments. At the concert on October 22, Camilleri acted as accompanist for Pratt and Micallef, with whom he seemed in excellent accord. His playing always complemented and never overshadowed the two singers. Micallef is by now well known to regulars at the Canadian Opera Company's presentations. He has not only sung as a regular member of the COC Ensemble, but also in main stage productions such as The Handmaid's Tale, La Bohème, Macbeth, Il Trovatore, and the title role in Albert Herring. Pratt is better known as a recitalist in and around London, ON, where she graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1999. She has also appeared in The Beggar's Opera, Gianni Schicchi and as soloist with a number of choral societies and choirs. In addition she has won the University of Western Ontario's Governor General's Scholarship and other awards, including being a Gold Medalist in 1997 when she graduated with a BA in Vocal Performance. Two years later she received her MA in Vocal Literature and Performance.
Maestro Ringler, before retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces, conducted the 411th Squadron Band at Downsview, was director of music for the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, as well as that of the 48th Highlanders of Canada. He led the Mississauga Concert Band, which consists of dedicated amateur and semi-professional musicians, in suitably bouncy marches in this special October concert. The band also served as background accompaniment on a number of occasions for Pratt and Micallef, with Camilleri on piano. Micallef, although still at the beginning of his career, is developing into a tenor of distinction. He sang selections by Cilèa, Verdi, Rossini, Caudillo, and Sorozàbal. His is a warm, well-modulated voice, which he employs with considerable skill. It is nice to hear a young singer use his voice well, never overtaxing it just to gain audience points. One has high expectation of this tenor, who may some day well be counted among other great Canadian singers on the international stage, where they are in constant demand. Pratt's voice has a crystal tone that can reach to the highest registers. She sang arias by Verdi, Canteloube, De Curtis, Johann Strauss, Puccini and Donizetti to great effect, though at times one felt she was over-stretching her reach and taxing her voice. While this garnered her wild applause from the audience, she may well regret this approach in later years. The two singers joined Camilleri and the band for a final medley consisting of La Vie en Rose, Mattinata and O Sole Mio, which received a standing ovation from the audience. The program also included a reading of poetry by John Portelli, and featured a new composition by Emanuel Spagnol, "Saħħa u Grażżi", especially commissioned for the occasion The concert was a charity event, which raised money for Toronto's St. Paul the Apostle Church, and three charitable organizations in Malta. It was sponsored by the Canadian office of the Bank of Valletta plc and was held under the patronage of the deputy high commissioner and consul of Malta to Canada, Mark Pace, LL.D., MA. |