For 17 years, La Cafamore has captivated Kootenay audiences with its dynamic chamber music performances, seamlessly blending various instrumental configurations— from piano trios and quintets to clarinet ensembles and even instrumental collaborations with dance.
Now, the group returns to its roots as a string quartet for a special performance at the Trail United Church on March 23, featuring works by Franz Schubert and the remarkable Venetian composer Madalena Lombardini Syrmen.
This performance boasts an exceptional lineup, including internationally acclaimed violinist and Kootenay native Natasha Hall, who joins Carolyn Cameron (violin), Kaito Takeda (viola), and Maria Wang (cello).
For Hall, this concert is something of a homecoming.
Having grown up in Nelson and performed in local festivals as a student, she is well known to Trail audiences.
These days, she’s a regular soloist with the Symphony of the Kootenays, performing in Nelson and Cranbrook.
“This is my second concert at the Trail United Church with this particular group of musicians,” says Hall. “I look forward to performing these incredible works with the wonderful acoustics of the Trail United Church.”
The excitement extends to La Cafamore’s founding member, Carolyn Cameron, who is thrilled to bring this ensemble back for their second Kootenay tour.
“This is such a wonderful group of players, each bringing incredible musicianship and experience,” Cameron said. “Our program of Schubert and Syrmen will be magical under the fingers of these musicians.”
The concert program highlights two of Schubert’s masterpieces: Quartettsatz and the Rosamunde string quartet.
Quartettsatz is the first movement of an unfinished quartet, abandoned for reasons unknown.
Some believe Schubert simply lost interest and moved on, while others suggest he thought the opening movement was too perfect to follow. Regardless, this single movement stands on its own as a stunning work of musical brilliance.
The Rosamunde quartet, composed years later, carries a different weight.
Named for the second movement’s theme — drawn from Schubert’s incidental music for the play Rosamunde — this piece was written during a dark period of the composer’s life, as he faced his impending death from syphilis.
Yet, despite its melancholic undertones, the music is deeply moving and profoundly expressive.
A signature of La Cafamore’s programming is its commitment to showcasing women composers, and this concert will feature two quartets by Madalena Lombardini Syrmen (1745-1818), a trailblazing Venetian violinist, singer, keyboardist, and composer.
Syrmen’s musical journey was unconventional.
Though not an orphan, she received a prestigious scholarship to study at one of Venice’s renowned orphanages, institutions that specialized in musical education for girls (one of which was famously associated with Vivaldi, though not the one Syrmen attended).
The system was strict: she could only leave if she married or took religious vows.
She chose marriage, wedding fellow violinist and composer Lodovico Syrmen, and together, they toured Europe as performers.
Even after the birth of their daughter, Madalena continued her career, transitioning from violinist to opera singer, leaving Lodovico to care for their child in Ravenna.
But before you feel too sorry for him, know that Lodovico kept himself entertained in her absence, enjoying the company of a certain Countess Zerletta.
Madalena, however, left a greater legacy.
A student of Giuseppe Tartini, one of the earliest composers to write for string quartets, she carried forward his innovations, performing and publishing her own quartets across Europe.
Yet, when her quartets were published in 1769, Lodovico’s name appeared alongside hers as a co-composer.
Don’t miss the chance to hear these masterworks live.
La Cafamore performs at the Trail United Church on Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m.
Advance tickets are available at the Bailey: tickets.trail-arts.com.
Tickets will also be available at the door.
