The Snow Queen: Patrick Cardy’s Musical Tale Shows The Expressive and Playful Qualities of Music.

On stage in the theatre of the Museum of Civilisation this weekend, the whole family can enjoy a special musical and theatrical treat. Actor Alon Nashman (the hit of the 2008  Ottawa Fringe Festival with his monologue Kafka and Son,)  is  on stage with the  award winning Cecilia String quartet  performing composer Patrick Cardy’s musical tale based on Hans Christian Anderson’s version of The Snow Queen.  I have just seen the final dress rehearsal in the theatre, where the acoustics are excellent by the way,  and the effect of the event is quite overwhelming.

It is conceived in a manner similar to that of l’Histoire du Soldat by Stravinsky  where   music and the voice of the narrator speak to each other  as the  human voice is interwoven with the instruments and even with the physical presence of  the musicians themselves.

In this case however, Cardy’s music  and his textual adaptation are heightened by visual projections, lighting effects and scenic devices that  reminded me very much of some of the techniques used by the Scandanavian story tells who came to Ottawa 2 years ago for the Festival of Children’s theatre. Long sheets of cloth are spread over the stage to create a whole imaginary landscape that takes on the lighting effects in a most remarkable way.

, where story telling usually takes place. After the  magical vibrating sounds produced by  the strings, announcing  the approach of something not of this world, the tale begins.  After describing  the atmosphere of ice and snow in which  the story of young Kay and his sister Gerda evolves,   Nashman tells us how the mirror of the devil was broken into a million slivers and when all the frozen splinters came hurtling down to earth, one of those ice  splinters pierced Kay’s heart, and  transformed it  into a lump of ice. Then,  one night, during a frightful storm, he is whisked away by the Snow Queen. Thus his sister Gerda sets off on a long quest to find her brother and bring him home.

She meets strange individuals, she passes through the Chateau of Stolen Dreams, the Robbers Palace full of unimaginable  creatures. She has to endure hardship and freezing temperatures but her love for Kay brings her through all the evil  in her path.

The music is, to my mind the strong  point of the evening. The texture of Cardy’s composition communicates the presence of unnatural spirits, the cracking, splitting ice, the howling winds of the show storm, the freezing little body of Gerda going barefoot in the show and the spiritual tumult set off by this conflict between good and evil.   The actor  is also a very effective story teller as he takes on various voicies, and brings his body into play by transforming himself   into the show queen or  by becoming a crow perched on a tree and then flying off to help little Gerda find her way to the chateau. He summons the snow spirits and incarnates the most exciting moments of this adventure. He will certainly keep the young people  and the less young occupied throughout the whole show. Adults might also  find the Cardy’s music enough  to keep their attention and they might even become aware of  the real experience of synesthesia that is captured by the meeting of sound, images and phycial sensation brought about by the performance of the musicians. This is a very special musical performance indeed. .

The show  lasts about  50  minutes and it is a delight, both as a theatrical event and as  a  musical experience.   It suits children from about  5 years to  the other end of the specturm…And something to reccommend to your  young ones who are studying an instrument. They will love this because the story telling setting will show them  all the expressive and even playful  possibilities  of music.

Dont miss this. The Snow Queen plays at the  Museum of  Civilisation  all weekend and opens tonight at 7pm.

The Snow Queen

Directed and performed by Alon Nashman

Featuring live music by The Cecilia String Quartet (winners of the 2010 Banff International String Quartet Competition)

Music composed and text adapted by Patrick Cardy

Projections by Andrea Lundy

Choreography by Claudia Moore

A Theaturtle (Toronto) production

Friday, February 18, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
Canadian Museum of Civilization