Local Expert
Gerald Alexis
My name is Gerald and after traveling around the world, after living in various cities in Europe, North America and the Caribbean, I made my home in Quebec City. I am an art historian involved…
My name is Gerald and after traveling around the world, after living in various cities in Europe, North America and the Caribbean, I made my home in Quebec City. I am an art historian involved in contemporary art but have in recent years developed a great interest in the world’s architectural heritage. I do consulting work for private as well as state institutions and from time to time I work as an independent curator of exhibition. I do a lot of writing and find that, with its rich and diverse artistic and cultural attractions, Quebec is very inspiring for me.
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Kalinka: chills up our spines
Early ths week, as part of Quebec City's International Festival of Military Bands, the Russian Red Army Choir and Ensemble performed at the Grand Theatre. After coming out of the performance last Tuesday, I taught of how I could write a review, describing the experience I had just lived. Honestly, the only thing that came to my mind was to write the word extraordinary a million times. But I guess that this would not be acceptable to you readers. And so, here it goes.
Out of the 3 hours the show lasted, there was about 50 minutes of standing ovations. The voices were unbelievable. The soloists: out of this world. Mostly made up of familiar tunes, the program was very Russian. The performance of the Alexandrov Dance Company was as well. The whole thing was pure magic, pure enchantment.
The concert was celebrating three anniversaries. That of the choir, formed in 1928, that of the 10th anniversary of the International Military Band Festival, that, of course, of the 400th anniversary of Québec City. Is that why the show was so good? I wouldn't say so. The Russian Red Army Choir has been good since the first time I heard a recording of them many ears ago. I am just trilled that I got to see and hear them, LIVE.