Esprit Orchestra presents Take the Dog Sled

Esprit Orchestra launches its 27th annual concert season on Sunday, November 15, 2009, with Take the Dog Sled, inspired by the magnitude of Canada’s northern frontier and what goes on there. The evening’s repertoire includes: Canadian composer Alexina Louie’s Take the Dog Sled, for two Inuit throat singers and ensemble; R. Murray Schaefer’s North/White for orchestra with snowmobile; György Ligeti’s Atmosphères, and Toru Takemitsu’s Green (November Steps II).

Louie’s work, combines Inuit throat singing, performed by Evie Mark and Akinisie Sivuarapik, with Western musical language, providing insight into Inuit life and its relationship with nature. Schafer’s North/White is the composer’s highly personal statement on how industrial forces impact on Canada’s Northern Mythology. Ligeti’s Atmosphères, made famous in the soundtrack of the film 2001 – A Space Odyssey, draws the audience into the listening environment of this concert that also includes Takemitsu’s Green, a dream evoking the music of Debussy as well as the opulence of a mountain forest and garden.

Founded in 1983 by Music Director and Conductor Alex Pauk, the award-winning Esprit Orchestra is Canada’s only full-sized orchestra devoted exclusively to commissioning, performing and promoting new orchestral music. This 80-member orchestra is devoted to performing a repertoire of contemporary orchestral music and developing a Canadian musical literature. It commissions and premieres new works each season and ensures continued public access to these work through encore performances, radio broadcasts, compact discs and film recordings, and national and international tours. For more information log on to www.espritorchestra.com.