critics’ picks Spring Arts Preview MUSIC

By Mike Usinger

Bring on the spring and the following musical highlights because, as beautiful as the snow can be, sometimes you’re ready for the flowers.

POPCAPPELLA III

AT ST. ANDREW’S-WESLEY UNITED CHURCH

MARCH 3-4

> Working with composer Marie-Claire Saindon and bassist Jodi Proznick, Chor Leoni finds the sweet spot between choral music and classic pop. The Draw: Reimagined versions of smashes by Adele, Kate Bush, and, believe it or not, AC/DC.

THE RITE OF SPRING

AT THE ORPHEUM ON MARCH 10 AND 12 AND BELL PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE ON MARCH 11

> The Rite of Spring sent shock waves through Paris when it debuted in 1913. Here the VSO not only dives into Igor Stravinsky’s epic masterpiece, but expands on the theme of seasonal renewal with Rodney Sharman’s After Schumann, and Bloom, a new work by Japanese-Canadian composer Rita Ueda. The Draw: Focusing on the idea of starting fresh rather than dancing yourself to death.

OUR HEARTS IN THE HIGHLANDS

AT CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL ON MARCH 11

> Our Hearts in the Highlands helps kick off the 2023 edition of Celtic Fest, centred this year at the Vancouver Art Gallery March 17-18. The Draw: There’s also something magical about the idea of singing to “Skye Boat Song” at Christ Church.

ANGELA HEWITT: BACH, BRAHMS, AND SCARLATTI

> AT THE CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ON MARCH 12

Canadian piano legend Angela Hewitt joins Early Music Vancouver to turn a spotlight on Doménico Scarlatti. Works

STARTING AT $ 5 of the 18th century Italian piano virtuoso will lead off the program, after which Bach’s English Suite No. 6 in D minor and Brahm’s Sonata in F minor Op. 5 take cente stage. The Draw: Hewitt is one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Bach.

ZAKIR HUSSAIN AND MASTERS OF PERCUSSION

> AT THE ORPHEUM ON MARCH 19

With a lineup that includes Indian sarangi royalty Sabir Khan and Colombia’s multi-talented Tupac Mantilla, one is hard-pressed to come up with a better title for the showcase. The Draw: The masterful Zakir Hussain.

SPRINGTIME

AT THE ORPHEUM ON APRIL 2

> Calgary-raised piano great Jane Coop joins the Vancouver Chamber Choir for three new works: The VCC–commissioned Ay li lu (somewhere in infinity) by Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad; the four-movement Blake’s “Seasons” by Toronto-based Colin Eatock; and a piece by Iman Habibi. The Draw: Take one of the country’s longest-running choral ensembles and then add a Canadian classical giant in Coop.

BEETHOVEN’S MISSA SOLEMNIS

AT THE ORPHEUM ON APRIL 8

> Not only considered one of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s most important and respected works, Missa Solemnis is also seen as the greatest mass this side of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Here the Vancouver Bach Choir is joined by the West Coast Symphony Orchestra. The Draw: Consider all that Beethoven accomplished, and that Missa Solemnis holds its own against his beloved immortals.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE APRIL

29-MAY 7

> In Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman the title character is a sea captain stuck on a ghost ship for eternity, his one break on land coming every seven years, when he has a window in which to fall in love. The Draw: Everyone loves a ghost ship—until you’re trapped on one. GS