The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
If you closed your eyes, you swore you were listening to a 20-piece string orchestra. Open them and you realized that what the musicians on stage lacked in numbers, they made up for in flawless talent. Six members of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra brought to life the works of Bach, Vivaldi and more Tuesday evening at the R.H. Channing Auditorium. 'We're all very experienced at playing in ensemble, so we are able to learn a new piece of music and play it together very quickly,' said bassist Paul Nagelberg. 'But this particular group has an added advantage because we've all been playing together for years.' That cohesion was evident throughout the 90-minute concert as the musicians, seated on chairs on the dimly lit stage, filled the auditorium with music spanning the centuries. Not only was the sound classical, but so too were the instruments. One of the violins dated back to 1757, and the most modern of the string instruments was approaching its 100th birthday. The performance reminded Nagelberg of why, as a younger man, he decided to become a professional musician. 'I didn't want to work for a living. I was kind of naive,' he said. 'It actually is work, it's hard work, but at the time I thought I just wanted to be surrounded by the joy of music. And I'm always reminding myself that I'm very lucky to be working professionally as a musician. People are paying to come out to hear what we're doing and I have the best seat in the house.' Perhaps Nagelberg did have the best seat in the house, but one thing's for sure: none of his audience members had complaints about their vantage point. The performance was part of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra's Outreach Ensemble program.
