By Asta Kraskouskas
Florida Keys Concert Association (FLKCA) opened its 54th season with a performance by Delirium Musicum on Jan. 16-17 inside the Coral Shores High School Performing Arts Center and Marathon High School. The chamber music orchestra performed a feverish music of broad scope.
Their program included Baroque music: Francisco Giamini (1687-1762); Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741); a Romantic classical from Johannes Brahms (1833-1897); a 20th century classical from Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), and a contemporary classical from Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972).
The orchestra featured 12 musicians: two cellos, one bass, one keyboard and the remaining were violins and violas. The young musicians from diverse backgrounds, nine countries and four continents, had one thing in common — their passionate love of music. The San Francisco Classical Voice called them “ferocious and rhythmically mesmerizing.” Delirium Musicum musicians have become known for their out-of-the-box approach to performance. Their artistic excellence, energy and a young generation of leadership distinguishes them from others.
Delirium Musicum was founded in 2018 by Etienne Gara, a French-born violin virtuoso,
who is the artistic director of the orchestra. Delirium Musicum is a self-conducted chamber
orchestra whose mission is to engage and deeply connect with the audience. The group applies
creativity and excitement to their performance which is attracting a constantly growing
audience.
The orchestra played Vivaldi’s Summer from “The Four Seasons.” The original piece was recomposed by Max Richter, a German-born British contemporary composer and pianist. The composer rediscovered the musical piece, “creating entirely new music with a minimalistic
Baroque twist.” Gara, the artistic director, virtuously and passionately led the orchestra.
Other musical performances included the Chamber Symphony Op. 110a by Shostakovich, bringing a somber tone to the night. The concert ended with the exciting Concerto Grosso No. 5 in D minor “La Folia” by Francesco Geminiani. The orchestra added a tambourine to this Baroque musical piece. This new musical arrangement gave rise to the audience’s standing ovations.
For an encore, the orchestra generously played two pieces of music.
The next FLKCA concerts feature Shelest Piano Duo of Anna and Dimitri Shelest on Monday, Jan. 29 at Marathon High School and Tuesday, Jan. 30 Coral Shores High School. The duo performs an inventive mix of solo and four-hand music. They’re part of the distinguished piano tradition coming out of the famous Kharkiv Special Music School in Ukraine, where they lived before moving to the United States to complete their education.
Tickets are sold at the door and online. Visit FLKCA.com for more information.
