Pianists Amelie Fortin and Marie-Christine Poirier of Duo Fortin-Poirier.  The young boys, David Cai and Christian Manz, performed together in the foyer of Venables Theatre prior to the concert and delighted the audience with their talent.  They had been encouraged and instructed in a Master Class by Fortin and Poirier earlier in the day along with two other impressive young duos who also provided pre-concert entertainment.

Concert Review by

Anita Perry

The South Okanagan Concert Society delivered a winner in their main concert series on Friday February 15 at the Venables Theatre in Oliver. The moment pianists Amelie Fortin and Marie-Christine Poirier stepped on stage as the effervescent Duo Fortin-Poirier, the atmosphere crackled with energy.

The evening opened with Edvard Grieg’s Valses Caprices. From the engaging sense of play to the subtleties of rubato, Duo Fortin-Poirier played with beautiful control and complete understanding of the character of these two waltzes. It was a perfect beginning to the evening

Next came two selections from Antonin Dvořák’s Legends. The composer’s intent was to encourage the listener to create their own legend of the imagination. Fortunately, the Duo Fortin-Poirier made this a delightful task in providing complete expressive control and effortless melodic voicing.

The program continued with Souvenirs by Samuel Barber. Here, the ability of the Duo Fortin-Poirier to reveal the essence of the music and the composer’s meaning really shone. The “Valse” was not only lilting, but the performers also swayed gracefully, their arms dancing in time to the music. They captured the boisterous and clownish character of “Schottische”, the precision required of “Galop”, and the comic essence of “Two Steps”. Unquestionably, the highlight of this set was “Pas de Deux”, a sensuous introspective melody with sinuous and melancholic lines. Thanks to the large screen projection of the players’ hands, the audience could see how sections of the music required the performers to cross hands over each other.

Next . . .

Friday, March 29th, the final SOCS performance of the season will be at Venables Theatre.  It is O-Celli which highlights the shared passion of 8 cellists for the beauty of this instrument and its unique exceptional sound.  Tickets on line or at the Theatre box office.