On Saturday, May 25th, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) will present “Witches’ Sabbath”, a concert at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough.

In this larger-than-life season finale concert, the orchestra wows the senses with the psychedelic dreamscapes of Louis-Hector Berlioz’s passionate and imaginative Symphonie fantastique (1830), and Franz Joseph Haydn’s explosive “Military” (Symphony No. 100) (1795).

This concert is presented by Monkman Gracie & Johnston and Grant Thornton.

In the 2018/19 season, the PSO presented concerts rich with emotion and stories. And what better final story than a love story?

For centuries, love in all its forms has provided divine inspiration for some of the most renowned works of classical music but, arguably, it is the obsessive nature of love that has lent itself, with insistence, to the creation of the most dramatic and emotionally disconcerting pieces, from Janáček’s String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” to Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo.

Perhaps no work better expresses the all-consuming turmoil and emotional abyss of romantic obsession than Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. In a love-at-first-sight obsession with Irish actress Harriet Smithson, who he saw perform in the role of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1827, the 22-year-old Berlioz wrote impassioned letters to her, all of which remained unanswered (years later, she eventually responded to his advances and they married in 1833).

Thus was born this groundbreaking work, both as an emotional and psychological outlet, and a grand gesture for Smithson’s attention. To his friend, Berlioz wrote, “You don’t know what love is, whatever you may say. For you, it’s not that rage, that fury, that delirium which takes possession of all one’s faculties, which renders one capable of anything.”

Ludwig van Beethoven, the most “terrifying giant” of the previous musical period, had brought many significant innovations to the symphonic form, which inspired Berlioz to new heights.

“Now that I have heard this terrifying giant Beethoven, I know what stage musical art has reached, and the aim is to take it from there and push it further,” Berlioz wrote in 1829. “Not actually further, that is impossible, he has reached the limits of art, but as far in another direction.”

While Beethoven brought dramatic and expressive emotion not previously heard, Berlioz introduced a work of intense personal expression as never imagined, represented through a then-unique “idée fixe” — the object of fixation.

“His vision of writing a symphony describing extreme passions he felt for a woman that he had only seen from afar was completely new and radical,” says PSO Music Director and Conductor Michael Newnham.

In the opening movement, “Rêveries, passions” (“Dreams, passions”), Berlioz introduces the object of fixationn: Smithson. In his own program notes from 1845, Berlioze writes “By a strange anomaly, the beloved image never presents itself to the artist’s mind without being associated with a musical idea, in which he recognises a certain quality of passion, but endowed with the nobility and shyness which he credits to the object of his love.”

The theme’s melody “sung by the first violins” (and flute) recurs, in different forms, in each of the following four movements: “Un bal” (“A ball”), “Scène aux champs” (“Scene in the fields”), “Marche au supplice” (“March to the scaffold”), and “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (“Dream of the night of the sabbath”).

A symphony with five, rather than four, movements was a convention of form first challenged by Beethoven in his “Pastoral” (Symphony No. 6), which was also an innovative programmatic work (a story written to go with music).

VIDEO: ‘Songe d’une nuit de Sabbat’ – Orchestre National de France conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Berlioz pushes both further, relying solely on the orchestra in the provocative fifth movement to express “strange sounds, groans, outbursts of laughter; distant shouts which seem to be answered by more shouts,” and taking the narrative to a deeper psychological level with his “intention… to develop various episodes in the life of an artist.”

“Because of the continuous fantasy and imagination of its composer,” says Maestro Newnham, “the listener (and musician) is continuously surprised by new and sometimes shocking developments.”

Shocking, indeed. Berlioz describes the fourth movement, “Marche au supplice”, as follows: “In a fit of despair he poisons himself with opium; but instead of killing him, the narcotic induces a horrific vision, in which he believes he has murdered the loved one, has been condemned to death, and witnesses his own execution.”

Berlioz then, unimaginably, intensifies the shock value in the fifth and final movement, “Songe d’une Nuit du Sabbat”. Berlioz describes it as thus:

“He sees himself at a witches’ sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of shades, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral. At last the melody arrives. Till then it had appeared only in a graceful guise, but now it has become a vulgar tavern tune, trivial and base; the beloved object has come to the sabbath to take part in her victim’s funeral. She is nothing but a courtesan, fit to figure in the orgy.

“The ceremony begins; the bells toll, the whole hellish cohort prostrates itself; a chorus chants the plainsong sequence of the dead [the Dies irae plainchant], two other choruses repeat it in a burlesque parody. Finally, the sabbath round-dance whirls. At its violent climax it mingles with the Dies irae, and the vision ends.”

While Berlioz took inspiration from Beethoven, Beethoven was in turn influenced by Franz Joseph Haydn’s symphonic works. Often referred to as “the father of the symphony,” Haydn’s 12 London Symphonies were his greatest achievements of the form.

The most popular of the set, the eighth Military Symphony, made an enormous impression on the first audiences.

Said a critic from the Morning Chronicle:

“Another new Symphony, by Haydn, was performed for the second time; and the middle movement was again received with absolute shouts of applause. Encore! encore! encore! resounded from every seat: the ladies themselves could not forbear. It is the advancing to battle; and the march of men, the sounding of the charge, the thundering of the onset, the clash of arms, the groans of the wounded, and what may well be called the hellish roar of war increase to a climax of horrid sublimity!”

Yes, for its “hellish” topic of war, the work in its “horrid sublimity” has been variously called elegant, exuberant, and buoyant, with flashes of musical humour.

Maestro Newnham explains that the performance of Symphonie fantastique will be another milestone in the development of the PSO,

“It challenged and continues to challenge musicians today to technically go far beyond what is expected of them with extremes of expression and just the sheer number of notes to play per minute,” he points out. “It is the defining piece par excellence of virtuosity for any orchestra.”

Likewise for the Military Symphony, played with spectacular style by the PSO, which captures the piece’s grand and unprecedented wit.

“Both of these works seem to me to be related in their audacity, theatricality, humour, and energy,” says Maestro Newnham. “This is a fitting end to a banner season for the orchestra, even when compared to the great successes it has had in recent years. Our motto this season is ‘Playing for Passion.’ There are no pieces that better allow an orchestra to do just that than Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique and Haydn’s Military Symphony.”

Tickets for “Witches’ Sabbath” are available at a cost of $20, $39, or $49 for adults, or $10 for students, from the Showplace box office (290 George St. N., Peterborough), by phone at 705-742-7469, or online at www.showplace.org.

Ticket holders are invited to attend “Meet the Maestro,” a popular pre-concert chat with Maestro Newnham in the theatre at 6:40 p.m. before the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Volunteers will be on hand to collect PSO subscription renewal forms from current subscribers. The PSO 2019/20 season brochure will be mailed to subscribers ahead of the concert. The brochure includes concert information and the renewal form, which can be returned at “Witches’ Sabbath” or by mail to P.O. Box 1135, Peterborough ON K9J 7H4.

Current subscriber seats will be held for renewal until June 14, 2019. After this deadline, seats that have not been renewed may be made available to the public.

Our regular musicNOW writer Josh Fewings is away this month. Here’s a selection of live music in the Kawarthas in May, with music for just about every taste, including folk, rock, blues, jazz, and punk.

Teilhard Frost at Meet at 66 King East in Cobourg on May 11

For a dose of old-time traditional Appalachian music, check out multi-instrumentalist Teilhard Frost when he performs on Saturday, May 11th at Meet at 66 King East (66 King St. E., Cobourg, 905-372-2537).

Best known as “Sheesam Crow” in critically acclaimed band Sheesham, Lotus and ‘Son, Frost released his solo recording As the Crow Flies last year. As well as singing, he plays the fiddle, banjo, jaw harp, and harmonica.

“An accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist, Teilhard captures the spirit of the old-time music better than anyone I know,” says Rick Ceballos, artistic director of the Champlain Valley Folk Festival in Vermont. “He is a natural born entertainer who’s stage presence is a joyful experience.”

Advance tickets are $20 plus fees and taxes at the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall (call 905-372-2210 or visit www.concerthallatvictoriahall.com, of $30 cash at the door.

VIDEO: “Darlin’ Cora” – Teilhard Frost

The Human Project and Uniforms at Simcoe Ptbo in Peterborough on May 13

A full night of UK and local punk is coming to downtown Peterborough’s newest live music venue, Simcoe Ptbo (172 Simcoe St., Peterborough, 705-874-3825) on Monday, May 13th.

The show will be headlined by skate punk band The Human Project from Leeds, England with special guests Uniforms from Scotland, as well as Newmarket’s Ship of Fools and Peterborough’s Bonnavilles and Antixx.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the music will continue until the wee hours. Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. This is an all-ages show.

VIDEO: “Pride Before a Fall” – The Human Project

VIDEO: “The Fear” – Uniforms

Caribou Run at The Garnet in Peterborough on May 14

Nova Scotia’s Caribou Run is coming to Peterborough on Tuesday, May 14th to perform at The Garnet (231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, 705-874-0107).

The six-piece neo-folk band’s sound is catchy and anthemic with lyrics that provoke emotion and thought in the listener. Their live performance is a dynamic experience that is a roller coaster of sing-alongs and foot stomps.

Their debut studio album Something Organic Will Happen received the 2017 Nova Scotia Music Award for Blues Recording of the Year, and their latest release Old Peninsula was nominated for the 2018 Nova Scotia Music Award for Folk Recording of the Year.

Opening will be flatpicker and country songwriter Mike T. Kerr. Doors open at 8 p.m.

VIDEO: “Rambler Gambler” – Caribou Run

Brownman Electryc Trio at The Loft in Cobourg on May 15

Ken Prue once again makes The Loft (201 Division St., Cobourg, 416-895-1234) a destination for jazz lovers when he brings award-winning electric jazz fusion group Brownman Electryc Trio there to play at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15th.

Led by trumpet improviser Brownman Ali (who New York City’s Village Voice called “Canada’s preeminent jazz trumpeter”) with Sean Dennis on bass and Jacob Aylward on drums, Brownman Electryc Trio has won multiple awards, including the National Jazz Award for Electric Jazz Group of the Year in 2007, and the Toronto Independent Music Award for Jazz Group of the Year in 2012, 2015, and 2016.

If you’re a fan of Miles Davis in his later years, you’ll want to check these guys out. Tickets are $25 plus fees online at the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall box office, by phone at 905-372-2210, or by email at kenprue@gmail.com.

VIDEO: “Red Clay” – Brownman Electryc Trio

The Beaches with Fade Awaays at The Venue in Peterborough on May 18

Toronto indie rockers The Beaches are performing at The Venue on Saturday, May 18th.

The all-female band released their debut full-length studio album Late Show in 2017 and went on to win Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards. Their new EP The Professional drops on May 16th.

Now in their early 20s, sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller with Liza Enman-McDaniel and Leandra Earl have been playing together for more than a decade. Their ’70s-inspired style, female-empowering lyrics, and glam and garage rock sound reflects a wide range of influences including David Bowie, The Strokes, The Rolling Stones, St. Vincent, and The Pretenders.

Toronto-based garage rockers Fade Awaays, who released their debut EP Taste of Life in January, will be opening. Doors open at 7 p.m.

General admission tickets are $25 plus fees, available online at Ticketmaster.

VIDEO: “Snake Tongue” – The Beaches

VIDEO: “She Don’t Know Why” – Fade Awaays

Hawksley Workman at the Market Hall in Peterborough on May 23

Two-time Juno Award winner Hawksley Workman returns to Peterborough for a concert on Thursday, May 23rd at 8 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146).

Over his 20-plus year career, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. He’s headlined prestigious venues like Massey Hall in Toronto and The Olympia in Paris, and opened for Morrissey, David Bowie, and The Cure. In all, he has released 16 albums, with his latest being 2019’s Median Age Wasteland.

Tickets are $38 including fees for assigned seating, available at the Market Hall Box Office or online at markethall.org.

VIDEO: “Lazy” – Hawksley Workman

The Kents at the Gordon Best in Peterborough on May 24

Lindsay’s indie rockers The Kents are coming back to Peterborough on Friday, May 24th for a show at the Gordon Best Theatre (216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, 705-876-8884).

Formed in 2011, band members Warren Frank, Luke Shauf, Freddy Kwon, and Tanner Paré have released three EPs (2014’s Locals, 2016’s Waking, and 2017’s Within Waves) and are working on a new record.

They’ve released a track called “Smoke” that won’t be on the new record, and are donating proceeds from its sale to The Warming Room in Peterborough. They’ll also have a section set up at their Gordon Best show where they’ll be accepting donations for The Warming Room (clothing, pillows, blankets, and more).

Basement Revolver and Rhys Climenhage will be opening the show. Doors open at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover.

VIDEO: “From The Start” – The Kents

Megan Nash at the Clock Tower Cultural Centre in Campbellford on May 25

Saskatchewan singer-songwriter Megan Nash will be performing a “house concert” on Saturday, May 25th at the Clock Tower Cultural Centre (6 Front St. S., Campbellford, 705-653-5508).

Her latest record Seeker, where she collaborates with ambient alt-rockers Bears In Hazenmore, was nominated for the 2019 Juno Contemporary Roots Album of The Year.

Nash will be performing in the “living room” of Westben’s home at the Clock Tower Cultural Centre. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20 (includes HST) and are available at westben.ca

VIDEO: “Deer Head” – Megan Nash

Washboard Hank and the Wringers, Danny Bronson, Robert Atyeo and more at Showplace in Peterborough on May 26

Local musicians are coming together to raise funds for autism research at “Awesome and Then Some” on Sunday, May 26th at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-7469).

Hosted by Sean Eyre and Morris Turney, the matinee show features music by Washboard Hank and the Wringers, Sweet Muriel, Geoff Hewitson, Irish Millie, Pat Arnott, Danny Bronson, The McDonnell Street Gospel Quartet, Robert Atyeo, Catfish Willie and the Bucklebusters, Fiddlin’ John, and Candace & Brittany.

Tickets are $40 for this family-friendly show, with proceeds to be evenly distributed this July to autism research teams at the Universities of Toronto, Western, and Queens. Tickets are available at the Showplace Box Office or online at www.showplace.org.

Mike Biggar at the Dominion Hotel in Minden on May 27 and 28

New Brunswick contemporary roots and blues artist Mike Biggar is performing two shows on Monday, May 27th and Tuesday, May 28th at the Dominion Hotel (113 Main St., Minden, 705-286-6954).

In his 10-year career, Biggar has been honoured with numerous East Coast Music Association and Music New Brunswick awards, including the 2017 Music New Brunswick Award for ‘Blues Artist of the Year’ and the 2018 East Coast Music Award for ‘Blues Recording of the Year’ for his third album Go All In. His latest release is 2018’s Mike Biggar & Band – Live at the BMO Theatre.

He has shared the stage with artists such as Steve Earle, Matt Andersen, Stephen Fearing, Lynn Miles, Dave Gunning, Ron Hynes, Rose Cousins, Del Barber, Joey Landreth, Jay Semko, and more.

Tickets are $15 for either 7 p.m. show, available online at eventbrite.ca.

VIDEO: “Troubles No More” – Mike Biggar

Mayhemingways at the Market Hall in Peterborough on May 31

Peterborough’s own “fuzz folk” duo Mayhemingways hit the stage at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) on Friday, May 31st at 8 p.m.

With Benj Rowland singing lead vocals and performing on banjo, mandolin, accordian, acoustic guitar, and foot bass, and Josh Fewings on drums and harmony vocals, Mayhemingways have released a self-titled EP and two full-length records: 2016’s Hunter St. Blues and 2018’s Skip Land.

Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond) calls their sound “mind-bending and original music with deep roots in the tradition of dark North American folk.”

kawarthaNOW is pleased to be a sponsor of this concert, which also features special guest opener Winona Wilde. Tickets are $20 in advance (including fees), and are available atthe Market Hall Box Office or online at markethall.org. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25 (including fees).

VIDEO: “Frances the Truck Driver” – Mayhemingways

VIDEO: “Pincushion Soldier” – Winona Wilde

Emily Burgess & The Emburys at Mckecks Tap & Grill in Haliburton on May 31

Peterborough band Emily Burgess & The Emburys are performing on Friday, May 31st at Mckecks Tap & Grill (207 Highland St., Haliburton, 705-457-3443).

Earlier this year, Burgess won the Toronto Blues Society’s 2018 Maple Blues award for New Artist/Group of the Year.

Burgess is well known to Peterborough residents for her solo performances, as well as playing with The Weber Brothers since 2014 and more recently her own trio The Emburys (with brothers Rico and Marcus Browne on bass and drums respectively).

There’s no cover for this show, but you need to call Mckecks at 705-457-3443 to reserve a seat.

VIDEO: “Til I Get To Call You My Own” – Emily Burgess

Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, May 9 to Wednesday, May 15.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

On Sunday, May 12th, New Stages Theatre Company concludes its 2018-2019 season with a staged reading of Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s What a Young Wife Ought to Know.

Directed by Randy Read and featuring Toronto-based performers Nikki Duval, Benjamin Sutherland, and Evelyn Wiebe, What a Young Wife Ought to Know is inspired by the letters of real women living in the 1920s and tackles a subject rarely acknowledged: women’s sexual health issues and birth control practices of the early 20th century.

Written by Hannah Moscovitch, one of Canada’s most acclaimed young playwrights, What a Young Wife Ought to Know debuted in 2014 at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. Moscovitch developed the play after she read Dear Dr. Stopes: Sex in the 1920s — a collection of letters written by real women and men to Dr. Marie Stopes, scientist, author of the 1918 sex manual Married Love, and an early advocate for birth control who opened the first birth control clinic in England.

Through the letters included in the book, Moscovitch discovered a whole new dialogue about sexual issues and anxieties that have gone forgotten in our modern world of The Pill, IUDs, and other birth control devices.

“The voices of the men and women in these letters were distinct from anything I had read before,” Moscovitch writes. “The letters are explicit about ‘unmentionable’ topics: sex, desire, adultery, childbirth, and birth control. The style of the letters is stark, hilarious, and unflinching, and the vocabulary is amazingly frank and sexual. To me, the letters felt like a voyeuristic glimpse into what life was like before birth control.”

As New Stages artistic director Randy Read explains, Moscovitch’s use of real-life source material is one of the things that the makes the play so compelling.

“One of the great things about this play is that a lot of dialogue is taken from the letters that were written to Doctor Stopes by real women who lived at that time,” Randy says. “In some cases Hannah Moscovitch lifts the dialogue right out of these letters. The women in these letters were very open with their thoughts because they were doing it in writing.”

What a Young Wife Ought to Know centres on a young wife named Sophie (Nikki Duval) who is madly in love with her husband Johnny (Benjamin Sutherland), the former lover of her older sister Alma (Evelyn Wiebe).

When Sophie finds herself pregnant with their fifth child, the reality of another difficult pregnancy and the burden of not being able to support another child becomes unbearable to her. In desperation, Sophie seeks console from the spirit of her sister — who herself died from a botched abortion.

“Sophie and Johnny have huge desire and affection for each other, but also a terror of having another child,” Randy says. “People (of that time) were terrified to have sex.”

What a Young Wife Ought to Know not only studies the early issues around female sexual health, but also the real-life damaging effect that an unwanted pregnancy can have on the family in an era where birth control was rare and ineffective.

“Another child, in some ways, became a death threat to a family,” Randy notes. “You had families that were devastatingly poor, and had four or five kids already that they couldn’t feed.”

Filled with love, madness, desperation and moments of comedy, What a Young Wife Ought to Know takes the audience back to a bygone era with an entirely different set of sexual issues beyond those that we have today, but which are still immediately recognizable to a modern audience.

A unique way to watch a theatrical production, New Stages’ The Page on Stage Reading Series has actors performing a play in a dramatic script reading, but without any sets or costumes and with limited interaction on the stage. This allows the focus to be on the words and the meaning of the show, as well as allowing top talent to perform challenging productions that otherwise would not come to the Peterborough stage.

What a Young Wife Ought to Know will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12th (Mother’s Day) at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St. E, Peterborough).

General admission tickets are $25 ($15 for students, art workers, and the underwaged) and are available in person at the Market Hall Box Office or by phone at 705-749-1146 (12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday) or online anytime at markethall.org.

While this is the final production of the current season, New Stages returns in September with its 2019-2020 season, when Randy plans to produce two staged readings and three productions:

• Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein (Sunday, September 15, 2019)
• Bang Bang by Kat Sandler (Sunday, November 10, 2019)
• Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe (Tuesday, January 14 and Sunday, January 19, 2020)
• Canadian Rajah by Dave Carley (Sunday, March 8, 2020)
• Iceland by Nicolas Billon (Sunday, May 3, 2020).

For more information about New Stages Theatre Company, visit www.newstages.ca.