P.E.I. Pops to perform Sunday
Symphony for Halloween directed by Leo Marchildon
The new P.E.I. Pops under the direction of Leo Marchildon is preparing to dazzle Charlottetown audiences on Sunday, Oct. 22.
Taking place at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Charlottetown at 3 p.m., this varied program aims to transport listeners from the depths of the macabre Halloween world to the heights of national pride for Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The first half of the program features some of the most iconic music of the season, including Mussorgsky’s “A Night on Bald Mountain”, made famous in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia’’, Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette”, also known as the Alfred Hitchcock theme, selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” and the chilling string writing of Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann in his prelude to Hitchcock’s “Psycho”. Rounding it off is the overture to Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”.
The second half of the program celebrates Canada’s birthday with Gimby’s 1967 classic “Canada” and Marchildon’s own “Canada, Our Dear Home”, a symphonic tribute to the contribution made by P.E.I. music in helping to form our nation’s identity. Local Acadian and Celtic fiddle tunes, as well as the Mi’kmaq honour song are all interwoven within Marchildon’s anthemic composition, resulting in a rich musical tapestry celebrating P.E.I.’s cultural legacy. Soprano Sylvia Mutch will be on hand, singing in Mi’kmaq, French and English in bringing these ideas to life.
The P.E.I. Pops, originally the Strathgartney Chamber Orchestra, is a volunteer orchestra that brings light classical music to the community about four times a year. Admission is by freewill offering.