Two musical worlds will reunite this weekend (April13-14, 2019) at the Queen’s Hall for a two-day concert led by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Roger Henry. Staged earlier this year at the Naparima Bowl, “Seasons- Music Rising 2” will once again bring to life a rare combination of classical music and calypso.
The first segment of the production will invite the audience to an appreciation of 18th and 19th century classical music, including Gioachino Rossini’s “Overture to the Barber of Seville” and Suite for Violin and Double Bass- Movements 1 and 2. The production will then transition to the calypso genre, starting with a spoken word interpretation of Ella Andall’s “Missing Generation” by the National Theatre Arts Company. This performance debuted earlier this year at the Naparima Bowl and tugged at the heartstrings of patrons; the grief of Andall’s song was real and was compelling in how it was captured by the actors’ voices and movements. This intensity was sustained during the Orchestra’s collaborative performances with Krisson Joseph. His renditions of “Morena Osha” and the Late Lord Superior’s “Long Live Calypso” evoked calypso nostalgia with hundreds of passionate voices filling the Bowl.
It is expected that one of the production’s major highlights would be the Philharmonic Orchestra’s repeat performance of Aaron “Voice” St. Louis’ soca hit “Alive and Well”, which received rave reviews on social media following their performance at the Bowl. This was yet another illustration of the Orchestra’s proficiency in infusing a symphonic sound into local genres of music.
Conductor Dr. Roger Henry hopes to once again achieve his objective of celebrating our local music in a unique way, whilst reaffirming to audiences that the national performing arts entities can take their expertise to any performance space in the world.