Join soprano Skye Donald and acclaimed Nanaimo accompanist Sharon Wishart for an afternoon of Arie Antiche: Italian Songs and Arias. While the program will focus on Italian works by Baroque and Classical composer such as Caccini, Scarlatti, and Paisiello, listeners will also be treated to a Romantic gems from Bellini and Puccini. Skye Donald is a well-known local singer. She has appeared locally in recital series with Vancouver Island Opera and Nanaimo Opera, as a soloist for the Parksville & District Community Chorus, Malaspina Choir and Island Consort, and regularly at St. Stephen’s United Church where she serves as the choir director. In 2013, is appeared in the role of Buttercup for ECHO's 2013 production of HMS Pinafore. A former student of Sharon Wishart and Erica Northcott (Douglas College, New Westminster), Skye has a mature dramatic coloratura voice and natural acting ability. One need not be an opera aficionado to enjoy the recital. Full translations, background information to provide context, and dramatic, emotive singing will ensure that the program is accessible to all listeners. During the 19th century, it became vogue to rediscover “antique” music from the Baroque and Classical periods. The Italian composer and music editor Alessandro Parisotti (1853-1913) collected a number of forgotten arias and arranged them for solo singers with piano accompaniment. He romanticized them by adjusting word placement, rhythms and harmony and by adding ornamentations to the vocal line. His collection was published in 1885 in three volumes entitled “Arie Antiche”. Eventually this collection was reduced to the “24 Italian Songs and Arias” that that continue to be studied by beginning classical singers. These classics song often serve as a singer’s first foray into the Italian language. In the 20th century, the Early Music Revival brought a renewed interest in performing these pieces “authentically”. Musicologists went back to the original scores and reviewed contemporaneous documents to try and recreate the music the way the composer might have originally intended. While many of the “Arie Antiche” are still performed the way Parisotti arranged them, others have researched and rearranged them in editions closer to the original composition. For her recital, Skye has opted to use a number of more authentic sources, including first edition publications and early manuscripts for pieces like “Amarilli, mia bella” and the aria “Il mio ben quando verra” from the opera Nina. The program will include several Italian-language pieces by Handel and Mozart, including the concert aria “Ch'io mi scordi di te? … Non temer, amato bene”, as well as a few select Romantic-era arias from the grand opera tradition. Accompanying Mrs. Donald on the piano will be music educator, performer and accompanist Sharon Wishart of Nanaimo. Sharon is an accomplished accompanist who currently plays for the Malaspina Choir and Nanaimo Opera. In 2013, she was honoured with BC Choral Federation’s Joyce O. Maguire Award for long-term excellence in choral accompanying.
The recital will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, June 20th, 2015 at St. Stephen’s United Church in Qualicum Beach, BC. Tickets are $15 at the door. For more information, please visit our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1575074222744620/