#31 — CONCERT PREVIEW: Tafelmusik presents "Staircases"
Plus an Interview with Alison Mackay
WORDS & INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL ZARATHUS-COOK
We typically think of staircases ─ if at all ─ as a means to a necessary end, merely an architectural convenience that gets us from one floor to the next. And in those cases where staircases rise beyond their functional value to reveal their social significance, they’re often seen as hindrances to accessibility and symbols of the ableism that’s been the foundation of architecture for so long. In her latest multimedia creation for Tafelmusik, Staircases, musician and programmer Alison Mackay has found a third rail in relation to the power and status associated with some of the most famous staircases: the topic of slavery. The staircases she’s selected for this triply-layered concert experience ─ featuring music, images, and narration ─ tell complex stories of freedom, social status, platforms for musical performance, “theatres of power,” and more.
Staircases is the third of Mackay’s multimedia Tafelmusik creations that engages the topic of the transatlantic slave trade in a comprehensive, compassion, and creative way. For this iteration, Mackay’s eye for creative exploration settles on over 100 staircases, from the sprawling landings of European grandeur to the rudimentary steps of a coastal Ghanaian port from which the enslaved departed their homelands forever. The program ─ designed in collaboration with bass-baritone and composer Jonathan Woody ─ promises to take the audience on a winding journey through centuries, architectural trends, and the racial and economic exploitation that underlies the awe of their opulence.
As with every Tafelmusik concert, the spotlight remains on baroque music with a selection of works by Lully, Purcell, Handel, Platti, Bach, and Vivaldi—directed by violinist Julia Wedman. The contemporary touch that has been present throughout Tafelmusik’s 45th-anniversary season reappears here with the return of Woody, who gives voice to the narration, and performs his new work commissioned for this occasion. An alumnus of Tafelmusik’s Baroque Summer Institute, and former Artistic Advisor for the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Woody’s stylistic blend of baroque embroidery with contemporary minimalism is a fitting culmination of this program’s overarching mission. Speaking with CANNOPY, Mackay details the inspiration, collaboration, and considerations behind this uniquely assembled program.
INTERVIEW WITH ALISON MACKAY
EVENT DETAILS:
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Staircases
Created by Alison Mackay
Directed by Julia Wedman, violin
Narrated by Jonathan Woody, singer & composer
March 22, 23 & 24, 2024
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Tickets start at $26.50. Available at tafelmusik.org
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