New heights
Cirque de la Symphonie’s acrobats to join K-W Symphony in concert
Cirque de la Symphonie’s acrobats to join K-W Symphony in concert
Granted, it’s a bit distracting having acrobats swinging across the stage when you’re trying to play Debussy’s “Clair de lune” or Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” but then, that’s half the fun of performing with a circus.
“It’s not your typical day at the symphony,” admits Evan Mitchell, who will conduct the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s concert with Cirque de la Symphonie, April 6 and 7 at Centre in the Square.
The Georgia-based circus artists swing and climb on aerial silks and straps, conduct strong man feats, juggle and zip around the stage on the Cyr wheel, a huge metal circle where the acrobat stands inside and controls the wheel as it rolls at dizzying speeds.
Though the symphony has worked with other circus troupes, Cirque has not been on the local stage since 2013. Mitchell has worked with them before.
The young conductor knows what to expect and he’s excited.
“With regard to the orchestra, we’re not used to seeing all sorts of crazy things happening overhead,” he said.
“Not to say there aren’t challenges but they’re (Cirque) all competent professionals, they’re able to work with us.”
Unlike most concerts in the pops series, Cirque performs to classical music, each performer offering the symphony a choice of three pieces of music from their repertoire. It’s up to the symphony to choose.
The music has been carefully chosen by Cirque, partly because of tempo and how the music enhances the movement of the performers.
Only once in past concerts, Mitchell said an acrobat thought the pace was a little too fast and that he had to speed up his performance to keep pace. Everything is perfectly timed, neatly co-ordinated so the concert appears flawless.
Some of the music for this event has a Latin theme, he said; others are classical but familiar to most audiences, works from Bizet’s opera “Carmen” and Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake.”
“People like great music,” said Mitchell, noting that even if audience members are not familiar with classical pieces, they will enjoy this concert’s offerings, music he calls “universally popular.” And unlike classical music concerts, where a piece of music can contain several movements, the music for this event is shorter in duration, with a wider variety.
For Mitchell, conducting the orchestra is a bit like coming home again.
From 2011 to 2014 he served as assistant conductor, a position created to give emerging young musicians an opportunity to learn and grow with a major Canadian orchestra.
When his term was up, he was hired as music director of Kingston Symphony.
Mitchell is familiar with the orchestra members and they know him, though a few things have changed.
“I think I’ve gotten better with time and experience,” he said.