Entry #2 - River Connected

River Connected is the percussion duo formed by Dan Morphy of Toronto and Ed Squires of the Goulds...they appeared at PetroCan Hall at the MUN School of Music last Sunday afternoon, July 4. I am glad I was there.

The setup of percussion instruments was symmetrical, with good reason: these are two very capable performers, playing music that demanded precision, sensitivity and panache from both sides equally. If I had been more with it, I would have made sure to get a seat in the middle of the hall.

So the b'ys came out, looking relaxed and casual in jeans, lumberjack shirts, etc. making me feel overdressed in my t-shirt and shorts. I knew should have studied percussion!

Dan and Ed began with "The Unravelling of the Field" by Eric Richards, on vibraphones situated on opposite ends of the hall, in almost complete darkness but for two spotlights set on the performers. The gentle counterpoint and quiet virtuosity, in equal measure for both players, set the tone for the afternoon. This was around the time I realized I could have found a better place to sit.

The crown jewel of the program for me was Greg Hawco's "Independence, Music For Piano and Two Percussion" which featured Darryl Cremasco on piano. This was an inspired rendering of a tour-de-force of everything that is great about percussion; not one instrument was left untouched. I thought Darryl had a nice, tight sense of ensemble with the b'ys, too...good job Darryl!

Jennifer O'Neill's "The Time In Between" for two marimbas came with a touching program note, a portion of which I feel compelled to include here:

"Life is made up of defining moments...we hurry towards or away from them, and yet they pass so quickly. The there are all the times in between...this piece attempts to capture the essence of these times that we frequently take for granted...for in these moments can sometimes be found a stillness or peace, and other times a rhythm. There are moments of pause, hurry, sheer joy and sadness, but there is also the time in between."

Wow...where do you go after that?

The b'ys next served up "Once Removed" by John Fitz Rogers, a cleverly arranged marimba duo that featured phasing of call-and-response parts (facilitated by individual click tracks). I recalled the first time I ever encountered phasing when listening to some Steve Reich recordings, when I wondered how the hell you could perform that sort of thing at a live show. Now I know. Dan and Ed made it look easy. The musician in me knows it wasn't.

The conclusion of the show was the premiere of "Woody Island" by Rob Power, which featured, coincidentally, the marimbas and wood blocks. Rob was always good with those ironic titles!