Skip to content

La Cafamore performs ‘Music by the Mendelssohns’ tonight in Trail

The talented classical quartet has been performing in the Kootenays for 15 years

La Cafamore returns to Trail tonight (March 24) with a concert featuring string quartets of “super-siblings” Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn.

As background, Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847) was Felix Mendelssohn’s elder sister by four years. Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847), also a composer and pianist, shared the same education and there was a lifelong musical correspondence between the two. Fanny helped Felix by providing constructive criticism of pieces and projects, which, historians note, he always considered very carefully.

For La Cafamore’s violinist Carolyn Cameron, both composers embody one of her favourite classical music styles.

“Both Fanny and Felix were heavily inspired by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and each other,” Cameron explains. “Their music is of the romantic era but still adheres to classical format without being too experimental.”

Both Mendelssohns were prolific, however Fanny was limited by societal expectations that she marry and have children. In spite of this, she still managed to produce hundreds of works. Moreover, due to her family’s reservations and social conventions about the roles of women in the Georgian/Victorian age, six of her songs were published under her brother’s name in his Opus 8 and 9 collections.

Felix faced no such limitations and produced even more music with symphonies, opera, oratorios, lieder, piano works and chamber music.

“Because their musical styles did not take great leaps from the accepted standards of the time, they are not considered among the world’s greatest composers,” Cameron notes. “But they missed it only by a hair.”

When La Cafamore returns to the Trail United Church on Monday, March 27 with Music by the Mendelssohns, the classical quartet will be marking 15 years of performing in the Kootenays.

As a founding member, Cameron has seen the group evolve into many different configurations such as string quartet, piano trio, piano quintet, clarinet quintet and even a collaboration with one of the country’s most acclaimed modern dancers, Rossland’s Paige Culley.

“Our members are busy artists with other jobs and so a lot of times, the repertoire is decided based on who is available to play,” says Cameron.

This time, the group will consist of Carolyn Cameron on violin, regulars Kaito Takeda on viola and Maria Wang on cello. They will be joined by Nelson violinist Natasha Hall for the first time.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to have Natasha playing with us,” says Cameron. “She comes with a wealth of experience and skill.”

La Cafamore’s performance at Trail United Church will begin at 7:30 p.m., March 27.

Admission is $20 with children under 12 free.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by e-transfer to lacafamore@gmail.com, online at the bailey.ca, or at the door.

“We always finish our tour in Trail,” says Cameron. “And we can’t wait to bring this program to the community, and to perform at Trail United Church. It is one of my favorite places to perform in the Kootenays.”

Read more: La Cafamore performs to benefit new arrivals (2022)

Read more: Trail concert shines light on National Hospice Month (2022)



newsroom@trailtimes.ca

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Sheri Regnier

About the Author: Sheri Regnier

Read more