Classical string duo’s music powered by love, inspiration
Harpist and violinist couple find performing together a beautiful thing
Classical musicians Valerie Milot and Antoine Bareil are further proof that couples that play together, stay together.
Milot, a classically trained harpist, and Bareil, her violin playing spouse, are highly accomplished musicians who regularly make time in their schedule to perform together.
Their show, Duos & Duels, presented by the Regina Musical Club on Sunday at the Riddell Centre Theatre, highlights the melding of the instruments in some cases and conflict as they contrast.
“We’ve been playing together for 10 years, and during these 10 years we’ve been exploring different genres of music,” explained Bareil. “In this concert, we chose music that we like to play and that puts our two instruments in harmony as well as opposition.
“We’ll play compositions by classical composers and perform songs from popular acts like Paul Simon, including some of his music from Simon and Garfunkel, folk musicians, and some artists that are popular in Quebec as well.
“It should be fun because we’re going to explore the different aspects and colours of the different instruments — the violin with the bow and the harp with the plucked strings. It’s really a nice combination of instruments to discover.”
The show, which is part of Prairie Debut concert series, showcases the two musicians who both travel extensively, performing with multiple organizations, though Bareil notes that their Duos & Duels program has been a passion for nearly a decade.
“There is one suite that we’ll be playing by Ennio Morricone, the
great Italian composer who composed music for many of Sergio Leone’s famous movies, and it is the first arrangement I wrote for Valerie and I about nine years ago now,” said Bareil.
“It’s always very popular as many people recognize the music from the movies and they enjoy these themes that are ageless. It’s not a retrospective but it’s a culmination of all the different types of music we’ve been playing together until now.”
While not all couples are able to intertwine their personal and professional lives without causing a strain on their relationship, Bareil states that working together has been a boon for them.
“Valerie and I, since we’re a couple, we know each other very well so while we’re rehearsing we don’t need to speak as much because we know each other so well it makes the whole process much easier. Whereas when we work with other people on the different projects that we individually have, we’re typically working with friends anyways.
“There is something special about working with one’s loved one. It’s really a totally different way of seeing things and the ability to understand each other is great. We know that there are a lot of other musicians that find their partners in the music industry but it’s not always possible for couples to work together without getting into fights all the time.
“Valerie and I are lucky enough to do this without any trouble, so we’re very lucky.
“It’s also a great way to spend some time together because we’re both working a lot on our own separate projects.
“It’s a nice way to see each other more often and many of our colleagues say that we’re lucky to be able to do this on a regular basis.”