When the Gryphon Trio takes the stage at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Friday, November 14, at 7:30 p.m., their program will include a piece by Vancouver composer Jeffery Ryan entitled Chimera.
Chimera evokes a mythological creature which combines elements of three animals—a lion, a mountain goat, and a serpent. The resonance with the trio, three instruments performing with a single voice, is obvious. Ryan has woven musical textures representing each of the creatures into the work—powerful chords for the lion; high, ethereal notes for the mountain goat; and sinuous melodic lines for the serpent.
Jeffery Ryan has a history with both the Valley Concert Society and the Gryphon Trio. Eight years ago in September 2017, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra opened our season with a program that included Earthshine by Jeffery Ryan. He composed the piece for the MCO, and it received its world premiere on that tour by the orchestra.
Ryan was in the audience at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium that day. In fact, he took part in our pre-concert talk to give some insight into the piece he had written. On a side note, that was the first time our pre-concert talk was named after Liz Carter. It was the occasion on which we unveiled the sign that recognizes her many years of valuable and devoted service to our organization since her days as a charter member.
Ryan has a long connection with the Gryphon Trio as well, having collaborated with them numerous times. Chimerawas commissioned for the trio in 2021 for the 50th Anniversary celebration of Music Toronto. Their next collaboration with Ryan will take place in January when they join Nordic Voices, a six-member vocal ensemble from Norway, to perform his work Scar Tissue.
Next Friday’s concert opens with a trio by Beethoven and concludes with a profound work by Antonin Dvorak.
Tickets for the concert are available online at www.valleyconcertsociety.com at $32 for adults and $20 for students.
For more information, call 604-289-3377.
John Wiebe - President
The Valley Concert Society