Two hundred years later, a vocal work entitled “Letters from Mignon” by R. Murray Schafer, sung by mezzo-soprano Eleanor James, was premiered by the Calgary philharmonic.

On this night, 20 years after its premiere, Ms. James performed “Letters to Mignon”, this time with Esprit Orchestra under the baton of Alex Pauk. Schafer identified the ‘Mignon’ letters as “letters from Eleanor to me…celebrating our love for the first time in public.” Evidently, he enjoyed the performance.

Shauna Ralston also excited the audience with her virtuoso performance of “Grandma’s Sore Back,” three compositions by Douglas Schmidt based on a book of children’s stories about disobedient children. The first section is a solo performance of startling chords, eerie slides, and the application of two bows. The second section is bouncy bowing backed by xylophonic staccato punctuated with percussive cracks like the sound of a major bone snapping.

The third section is built up of snare drum rattle, locomotive cello chatter in an ascending series that culminates into a scream, and strings rising like a storm of angry bees that alternately drone and crash. Ms. Ralston’s cello slides and whines over rolling piano thunder and drum rattle, her tempo ever accelerating till, without warning, she lays down her black carbon fibre cello and walks off the stage whistling a very catchy tune. Needless to say, the audience caught the tune and whistled it to call Ms. Ralston back for her ovation.

After the first intermission, Shauna Rolston played Ligeti’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, with the Esprit Orchestra exquisitely conducted by Alex Pauk.