To say that Toronto Baroque ensemble I Furiosi is edgy is like saying the North Pole is chilly. In concert, the quartet — usually augmented by various guest musicians — delights in pushing its queer-positive, leather-bound sensibility. The provocative stance has helped the ensemble to do what most classical music organizations are desperate to accomplish — reach a younger, hipper audience.
For I Furiosi – above from left, violinist Julia Wedman, cellist/gambist Felix Deak, soprano Gabrielle McLaughlin and violinist Aisslinn Nosky — the stance is much more than a pose or marketing tactic, it’s simply who they are are. When the group was getting established 12 years ago, the members rifled through their respective closets for clothes that would give them a cohesive look and the one common element was leather. Their roots in Toronto’s lesbian, gay and transgendered community are deep and in fact the Gay and Lesbian Community Appeal was the purveyor of the group’s first grant.
I Furiosi is Italian, meaning “the furious ones”: “It’s not so much that we’re angry but we’ve vivid, we’re extremely passionate about what we do,” says McLaughlin. Adds Nosky: “We play furiously and we perform furiously together.”
There’s also a good deal of fun inside the fury. The group plans each performance around a theme and encourages its audience to dress accordingly. This Saturday’s concert at Calvin Presbyterian Church (26 Delisle Avenue) is dubbed My Big Fat Baroque Wedding and the group has called on Toronto fashion designer Rosemarie Umetsu to augment their usual gear, in addition to presenting a quickie fashion show complete with runway models.
“We encourage our audience to participate in some way and for this particular concert we’re telling people to come in old bridesmaid dresses that they never got to wear again,” says McLaughlin, “even the men.”
When I suggest that it sounds like going to see Rocky Horror Picture Show, Nosky nods and says, “that’s a compliment.”
“Capital B Baroque refers to the music, architecture and styles prominent from around 1600 to about 1750,” says McLaughlin, “but lower case baroque means something that is flawed or slightly off.”
“The term baroque was first used in a derogatory way,” adds Nosky. “It was an insult. And now we’ve reclaimed the word, just like ‘queer’ has been reclaimed.”
Nosky and Wedman are also members of Tafelmusik and Deak and McLaughlin are busy music teachers and freelance players. Four concert dates and a couple of additional special presentations are about as much as the ensemble can muster each season.
“The period music groups in Toronto are incredibly supportive of each other,” says Nosky. “Success for one is success for all. We love Tafelmusik and The Toronto Consort, we put out their flyers and they put out ours, we all support each other.”
I Furiosi ends each concert with a baroque version of a pop song that suits the evening’s theme. Audience members often make wagers on what the tune will be: “Love & Marriage”, “Let’s Stay Together”, “Like a Virgin” will all be fair game this weekend but you’ll have to wait for the encore to find out which song they’ve chosen.
WHERE/WHEN: I Furiosi at Calvin Presbyterian Church (26 Delisle Avenue) Saturday, January 15 at 8 pm with special guests Lucas Harris (archlute), Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith (violin) and Cristina Zacharias (violin); tickets $20, $10 students/seniors/underemployed.
Second photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
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