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Northern Lights – January 31, 1988 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Music from northern lands

date: January 31, 1988

Our first half included music from Russia and Scandinavia (Percy Grainger being considered an honorary Scandinavian); our second half was entirely Canadian.  The poetry of many of the songs was concerned with winter and our responses to it.  Folksong elements often recurred and were summed up in a new work, John Greer’s “All Around the Circle”.  This was our very first commission and proved to be one of the most successful, particularly as regards the number of subsequent performances by ourselves and other organizations.  Spoken extracts were taken mostly from the memoirs of Lord Frederic Hamilton, a 19th century British diplomat who writes engagingly about his times in St. Petersburg and in Canada.  A revised version of this programme was performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, England, in June 1988.

Song Artist Composer Poet
Where are you, little star? Collins, Martha, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Mussorgsky, Modest Grekov, Nikolai
In the silent night, Op.4/3 Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Rachmaninov, Sergei Fet, Afanasy
Lullaby, Op.31/5 Collins, Martha, soprano; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Gretchaninov, Alexander anon.
Ai dudu, Op.31/1 Collins, Martha, soprano; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Gretchaninov, Alexander Pleshcheyev, Alexey
Trepak (Songs and Dances of Death) Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Mussorgsky, Modest Goleshnichev-Kutusov, Arseniy
Polonaise (Suite No.1 in C, Op.15) Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Arensky, Anton n/a
Spring Waters, Op.14/11 Collins, Martha, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Rachmaninov, Sergei Tyuchev, Fyodor
Demanten på marssnön, Op.36/6 Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Sibelius, Jean Wecksell, Josef Julius
Svarta rosor, Op.36/1 Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Sibelius, Jean Josephson, Ernst
Flickan kam ifran sin älsklings möte, Op.37/5 Collins, Martha, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Sibelius, Jean Runeberg, Johan Ludvig
Faeroe Island Dance – Folksong (Let’s dance gay in green meadow) Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Faeroe Island folksong, arr. Grainger, Percy n/a
En svane, Op.25/2 Collins, Martha, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Grieg, Edvard Ibsen, Henrik
Jeg elsker dig! Op.5/3 Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Grieg, Edvard Andersen, Hans Christian
Hermundur Illi (Two Musical Relics of my Mother) Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Faeroe Island folksong, arr. Grainger, Percy n/a
As Sally sat a-weeping (Two Musical Relics of my Mother) Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Dorset folksong, arr. Grainger, Percy n/a
INTERMISSION
Our old Canadian home Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Woodlawn, C.P. anon.
The Canadian Sleigh Song Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Russell, Henry Mackay, Charles
Now fades the last long streak of snow (The Centred Passion) Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Holman, Derek Tennyson, Alfred, Lord
After the dazzle of day (Three Songs) Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Somers, Harry Whitman, Walt
The Role of Canada in the World Today Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano Freedman, Harry Mullin, Dave
Sonnet Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano MacMillan, Sir Ernest Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
Jimmie’s got a goil (Six Songs to Poems by e.e.cummings) Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Beckwith, John cummings, e.e.
Brilliant Contredanse and Polka Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Strathy, George n/a
Song for Fine Weather (Songs of the Haida Indians) Collins, Martha, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Coulthard, Jean anon. Haida Indian, trans. Skinner, Constance
When the ice worms nest again (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Folksong from the Arctic, arr. Greer, John anon.
The Alberta Homestead (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Alberta folksong, arr. Greer, John anon.
Old Grandma (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Prairie folksong, arr. Greer, John anon.
Rattle on the Stovepipe (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Ontario folksong, arr. Greer, John anon.
Do you see that there bird? (All Around the Circle) Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Nova Scotia folksong, arr. Greer, John anon.
The Morning Dew (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Newfoundland folksong, arr. Greer, John anon.
Quodlibet (All Around the Circle) Collins, Martha, soprano; Prata, Gabrielle, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Pedrotti, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Newfoundland folksongs, arr. Greer, John anon.