Tracing One Warm Line

Journey the world without leaving your seat! Spectrum takes you back in time to the Age of Discovery with a suite of works narrating the adventures of history’s greatest explorers. For better or for worse, this frenzied period of exploration in the 15th century left the world forever changed. Join us as we explore these larger-than-life characters with music. For each explorer you’ll hear a novel pairing of a new work performed by chamber-folk ensemble Ozere, alongside a reimagined classic folk song performed by singer-songwriter Alex Lukashevsky.

Arrive early for a pre-concert chat discussing the consequences (and often overlooked complexity) of colonial exploration and its modern-day parallels by Allison Graham Ph.D. candidate, History, University of Toronto

Featuring:

Jessica Deutsch – Violin

Ben Plotnick – Mandolin and Guitar

Lydia Munchinsky – Cello

Bret Higgins – Bass

Alex Lukashevsky – Voice and Guitar

Videography by VIW Productions

Click here to download house program, with artist bios, full credits, and concert order.

New Works:

One Warm Line, Ben Dietschi

Tells the story of the famed Franklin Expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. An episodic retelling of this grand example of heroism and hubris, conjures up scenes of London, sailing the high seas, first arriving at Beechy Island, and the crew’s heart wrenching decent along King William Island. The piece seeks to offer a soundtrack to one of Canada’s formative expeditions, and shed light on the crucial role that Lady Jane Franklin played in charting the arctic by dispatching subsequent searches for her lost husband.

Video link Score sample

Woman With Many Names, Shannon Graham

La Malinche was an Indigenous woman who translated for the Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes, helping him overthrow the Aztec empire in 1521. After her death, she was named La Malinche, and became a symbol for the betrayal of one’s own people and culture. However, as more time passed, historians and artists began to see her with more complexity. This piece will portray each one of her names (La Malinche the traitor, Malintzin the victim, Dona Marina the lover, and Malinalli the survivor) to pose the question: does the history of an individual’s life have an end?

Video link Score sample

Transit of Venus, Graham Campbell

In 1768, Captain James Cook sailed to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun. He proceeded to New Zealand, where he made a very accurate map of the islands and claimed them for England. It was a successful trip, and a time in Cook’s career when he was known for treating his crew well and having friendly relations with indigenous peoples. His subsequent voyages around the world in 1772 and 1776 were less successful, and Cook became increasing temperamental and hostile towards towards others. He was killed in a fight with a group of Hawaiians in 1779. In this piece, James Cook’s transformation from optimism to frustration will be heard.

Video link Full score (please contact Graham Campbell for permission before any public performance)

Drake Suite, Adam Filaber

Sir Francis Drake was one of the most renowned privateers of the Elizabethan Era.

He is distinguished for being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. The first movement “Open Waters” depicts his adventures sailing the high seas. Drake was loved by the English and hated by the Spanish for stealing countless amounts of riches from Spanish ships and ports and most notably for defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588. He was called “El Draque” by the Spanish which translates to “The Dragon.” The second movement “Dance of the Knight and the Dragon” juxtaposes the emotions that the two nations had for this legendary figure.

Video link Score sample

Fernao, Mendes? Minto!, Chelsea McBride

Fernao Mendes Pinto (1509-1583), of Portuguese descent, was one of the first European explorers to reach Japan. Pinto introduced the arquebus to the Japanese, who successfully managed to replicate it for use in their civil wars, where it became known as the tanegashima. Upon Pinto’s eventual return to Portugal, near the end of his life, he penned a memoir called Peregrinacao (Pilgrimage), which is debatable in its historical accuracy, but contains a compelling snapshot of both his way of life and that of the people he encountered. Fernao, Mendes? Minto translates to “Fernao, do you lie? I do!” This piece narrates Pinto’s adventures through the filter of 500 intervening years of musical history.

Video link Score sample