Set sail to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on March 22 for a ranting and roaring, toe-tapping good time with the Cowichan Symphony Society final concert of the season with Sea Songs and Shanties that begins at 7:30 p.m.
The symphony holds one pop concert each year that is not purely classical music to attract a younger audience.
READ MORE: Cowichan Symphony Society brings the Baroque era to Brentwood College
“It’s very musical, and explores the concept of exploration and travelling the world,” said Symphony Society president Peter Leckie. “People at sea would live on these ships for months and even years and sometimes were unsure if they’d ever come back. This concert will probably reflect an awful lot of what it may have been like in terms of the experiences and the dreams they had, and how they produced their music with separate instruments that were very unique to the times of the sea shanties. What attendees will hear is very much a sophisticated folk music of the people if you will.”
Conducted by Maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia, the concert features the Victoria Symphony, members of the Pacific Opera Victoria Chorus, and Quebec-based ensemble La Nef that specializes in sea shanties and maritime music showcasing band director Seán Dagher on vocals and the cittern.
The cittern dates back to the 16th century and was known as the English guitar. Leckie notes that to bring the songs of the sea to life La Nef will be using smaller portable instruments of the time including a flute, a fiddle, double bass and quite possibly a five-button accordion (concertina).
“La Nef is very talented in using all of these instruments in the songs of the time, and of course the most unique instrument of them all is the voice that sings the songs and tells the stories,” said Leckie. “Usually the tunes are fairly simple, but the subjects are fantastic.”
Sea shanties have been around since the 16th century but these high-spirited ditties reached their high tide on the square rigged trading ships of the 19th century. They were intended to keep the crew energized as they hauled on the rigging in unison.
The Victoria Symphony orchestra will open the concert with ‘Sea Songs’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams before La Nef flows to the stage with two songs and an instrumental. The orchestra then returns with music from Pirates of The Caribbean followed by La Nef performing three more shanties spanning Scotland, Spain, and Australia. After a short intermission the orchestra will play music from the film Far and Away which originally featured the music of the Chieftains. Then La Nef is back with three more sea songs. Picking up the pace, the orchestra comes back with the traditional jig —‘The Irish Washerwoman.’ With a checkered history and despite its name, ‘The Irish Washerwoman’ actually first made it’s debut in England in the 17th century before later being incorporated into the first movement of Leroy Anderson’s ‘The Irish Suite’ in 1946.
“Whether it was the Scots of the mid-18th century with the highland clearances, or the Irish of the 19th century with the potato famine who came over to Canada to get land and form a life for themselves — all of this music represents the adventure of coming to a new country and being able to establish oneself,” said Leckie. “The music of this concert is part of the history that brought many people here to Canada.”
La Nef will end the concert as they slow things down with the mournful music of ‘The Captain’s (Hind) Quarters’, then will rouse all in attendance with the infamous folk song ‘Leave her Johnny, Leave Her’, a capstan or windlass shanty that was sung in the 19th century to encourage the men at sea to pull harder one more time, before leaving the ship for the last time.
Symphony and maritime music lovers will want to anchor in, as this final CSS symphony of the season is not one to let float on by.
Leckie says that their next season is sure to be a dynamic one that will include a Canadian Brass Christmas concert in December, a Victoria Baroque concert with a folk music twist to it, and two different concerts featuring world renowned Canadian pianists Jon Kimura Parker and Angela Hewitt. Next season will be a little different — CSS will only hold their January concert at Brentwood College while the other three of the season step to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre stage. Next season’s tickets will go on sale in June and Leckie notes that those who purchase season tickets will have an earlier opportunity to reserve seats for the Canadian Brass Christmas concert at a discounted price.
“We promote lots of different kinds of music,” said Leckie. “The symphonic music is important and it links us to the folk music, the people, and to the history that we have all around us. The society continues to promote music in all of its forms, history, and grandeur. I feel that audience members will leave this concert smiling as the music is about the people and our history — and should prove to be a unique experience.”