A Pontiac Enchanté concert was hosted at Venturing Hills in Luskville on Saturday, for both in-person attendance and as a live broadcast in order to reach a broader scope of spectators.
The organization began live streaming their concerts in Sept. 2020. “We weren’t really sure what the future would hold but when it became kind of clear that this was not going to be a temporary problem,” said Program Director and Pianist Carson Becke.
“This was going to be part of how the world was going to be for some time. We thought, Okay, if we don’t figure out some . . .
ways to keep going here, then we’re not going to be able to exist as a concert series when this is over. So let’s try to make this work,” Becke added.
“We basically spent the summer time educating ourselves, upgrading our internet capacity because as I’m sure you know, internet in the countryside it’s not always what you need,” noted Becke.
Being at mid-point of their concert season, Becke wanted to explore a different format to deliver a heightened experience for his audience members.
This was achieved in the form of a melodrama, 19th century form of entertainment and storytelling. Typically performed in home settings, they were enacted with a focus on morality, family, love and life issues.
Set with the skillful weaving of music, song and spoken word, Saturday’s performance was a stellar rendition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1864 poem, Enoch Arden.
The protagonist of this legendary tale, a fisherman who became a merchant sailor, is lost at sea after he leaves his family to better serve and support them. Shipwrecked on a desert island with two shipmates who eventually die, Enoch is left alone on the island for 10 years. The story plot is evocative of Robinson Crusoe or the 2000 film Cast Away.
The talented narration by award-winning actor, director and playwright Eleanor Crowder brought spectators through the waves of emotions, tugging at their heartstrings as the drama unfolded.
Enoch, upon returning from his long absence, finds his wife Annie (who believed him dead) happily married to his childhood friend and rival Phillip, who now has a child with her.
With one of his three children now dead and his wife and remaining children being cared for by his friend, Enoch chooses not to disclose that he is alive, because he loves them far too much to spoil their happiness and later dies of a broken heart.
The story of love, loss and longing, interspersed with Becke’s graceful rendition of composers Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Chester Duncan, Rebecca Clarke, Benjamin Britten and Cecilia Livingston pieces, lent to the dramatic elements of the presentation. And the soul-piercing operatic vocals of soprano Meghan Lindsay, added a classic veneer to the epic saga for a well-rounded, sophisticated auditory experience.
Lindsay, who possesses a vast concert/oratorio and operatic repertoire, is also the recipient of the Ottawa Arts Council Career Award for artistic achievement.
Together the trio performed in perfect symmetry. When asked why they decided to host this different type of event, Becke replied, “I’m really interested in pushing the boundaries of what classical music concerts are. I think we can sometimes get into a bit of a hole thinking that it has to be this one thing or that people only want to hear music they already know.”
Pontiac Enchanté will be hosting a concert every month until May, both in person and live streamed from their website. They will also have a summer gala with an outdoor dinner component planned for July and their 2022-2023 season will begin in late September.
written by Carole St-Aubin
Luskville Feb. 26, 2022
