(Aug 23, 2003)

It was an evening of fascinating and eclectic sounds and sights, a journey of discovery, one man's odyssey through adversity to understanding and acceptance.

Kitchener's Victoria Park Pavilion was the scene Thursday evening for A Midsummer Night's Dream: Journey to Freedom, and guitarist Kevin Ramessar and the Ramessar Quintessence were the hub around which the evening flowed, encompassing folk, classical, jazz, new age, funk - the sounds enhanced by a wide range of special guests.

They included Tony Snyder on French horn, Jeremy Moyer on a variety of authentic Asian instruments, Dave Wiffen on saxophones, readings by actor Ted Follows, glorious sounds from Leonard Enns and the Da Capo Chamber Choir, and a display of art by James Tughan.

It began with a call on French horn - a summons, as it were - Snyder playing the prologue from Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings. A tough little piece, it's played on the open series of harmonics and encompasses the full range of the instrument. Snyder did it well.

Reading Pastoral by Charles Cotton, Follows demonstrated his uncanny ability of getting inside the printed word and bringing it to life. This was one of several readings for the veteran actor, some accompanied by music and some voice alone. One of the most telling was Oberon's blessing from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

There were several pieces by Pat Metheny all played by Quintessence. While there is a hint of jazz feel at times in his music, it comes across as better-structured New Age, a musical meandering relying on impression more than focus. The group plays it well, and the addition of Wiffen on saxophones sometimes doubling the vocals-without-words of Quintessence member Ryan Sonnenberg gave an ethereal patina to the sound.

Jeremy Moyer's presence was exhilarating. Playing Cantonese and Taiwanese coconut shell fiddles in a couple of his own compositions and adding his sounds to one or two others, Moyer imparts an exotic flavour of another cultural dimension. His music, Spirit Wind for one, is at once spiritual yet of the earth. Another, Journey, was a fascinating piece built on a bass pedal and including Snyder on French horn.

Ramessar played an electric guitar in some of the selections, but when he went acoustic the magic was apparent - this is where he shines. The Variations on a Turkish Folk Song were mesmerizing, and his duet with Snyder on Mendelssohn's Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream was a study in perfection by both players.

Speaking of perfection, the Da Capo Chamber Choir's selections were that and more. With a pair of pieces by Healey Willan and one by Dvorak, the shading, pitch, intonation and style of this group was breathtaking. More, they don't sing the words, they caress them with sound, and I have rarely heard a choir with such perfectly matched voices. This was a highlight of the evening.

It was good to hear a real song from Quintessence vocalist Sonnenberg as he performed I Can See Clearly Now with a fine natural voice and good style.

Several of Ramessar's own compositions were performed, and I quite honestly preferred them to the Metheny pieces. Based on simple chord structures and sometimes musical but repetitive phrases, they nevertheless became good vehicles for improvisation from the group - Paul MacLeod on keyboards, Kevin Muir on electric and acoustic basses and Chapman Stick, and Curtis Bernard on percussion.

Produced by Earl McCluskie's Chestnut Hall Music, for all the good sounds there was far too much in the program. Starting at 9 p.m., it ran to nearly three hours - and those chairs need another layer of padding, believe me.

As the old Yorkshireman said, "Bah goom, choom, mah boom's noom."

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