Two Canadian musicians are putting on a concert like no other for chamber music fans in High River this weekend.
World-renowned marimbist Anne-Julie Caron and accomplished pianist Akiko Tominaga will collaborate for the High River Gift of Music Society’s first concert of the year on Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. in the High River United Church.
“What’s unique about our concert is there will be a collaboration between two instruments that usually are not put together very often,” said Tominaga last week.
The Calgary pianist and Quebec marimbist will play pieces composed for the piano and take turns performing solo for some pieces and combine their instruments as one for others.
“After Anne-Julie plays the marimba, then you go back to hearing the work performed by the piano and your ears have been heightened from hearing the marimba sound,” Tominaga said.
Playing the two instruments simultaneously provides a very different experience, Tominaga said.
“It’s really interesting that we have not just the piano sound, but we have the marimba plus the piano combined,” she said. “The marimba has a bit more soft-speaking sound and a very rich tone with lots of overtones.”
Tominaga said the piano also has a varied array of sounds and can sometimes be overpowering.
“What I try to mind is the balance — not to overpower the marimba sound, yet add to it by giving it more of a brilliant sound,” she said.
“We are trying to make our own arrangements with what sounds the best. We do that as musicians with any instrument, depending on the kind of sound or the kind of range that the instrument is playing.”
Tominaga’s said she’s performed classical piano music on the piano for High River audiences several times, while this the first time for Caron.
Caron and Tominaga connected through a mutual friend while she was living in Montreal.
“We spend a lot of time getting to know each other and playing together,” she said. “I always had so much fun collaborating with her. It shows when you’re performing that you enjoy working with that other person.”
The unique combination of the marimba and piano was solidified in 2008 when Caron and Tominaga performed for Prairie Debut, an organization that brings world-class musicians to communities across the Canadian prairies.
“We submitted portfolios and recordings and we had to go to a showcase to present a taster of what kind of concert we would do,” said Tominaga of the auditioning process.
Right before the duo toured western Canada through Prairie Debut, Tominaga moved to Calgary.
Although the two remained in touch, their onstage performances became few and far between.
“This is the first one in many years,” she said. “The last time we played together was in 2008 or 2009.”
To prepare for the High River concert, Tominaga visited Caron in Quebec last fall to do a run through, discuss the repertoire and the program.
Caron said she and Tominaga make a great musical team when they enter the stage, even if they haven’t seen each other in years.
“We are always open to the other’s ideas,” she said. “When you’re on stage it’s like she’ll just go along. It’s a really healthy work relationship.”
Caron said it helps that the two share the same musicality.
“We are both passionate about what we do and we are very driven,” she said. “We always want to go as far as we can and be as good as we can. The repertoire is very accessible. It’s very interesting music.”
Forty-five minutes before the concert, Michčle Wheatley-Brown, the High River Gift of Music Society artistic and executive director, will present a pre-concert chat on French impressionism in music to set the scene for the program.
Tickets to attend the performance cost $25 for adults and $10 for youth.
