LUSELAND – The classical music duo the Prairie Sons came to Luseland to play a couple of compelling pieces within the small town. The duo consisting of Godwin Friesen, a pianist and composer, and David Liam Roberts, a cellist, have been touring together delivering a love letter of songs to the prairie lands.
The award-winning duo met at the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School of Music and throughout the years of playing together formed a bond together. They explained that they consider each other musical brothers. Although it isn’t often they play together as a duo, the two maintain a friendship over long distances.
Both performers grew up in the prairies, playing alongside their family members throughout their childhood, unlocking their passion for music and the stories they can tell through it. Currently, Friesen is pursuing his master’s degree at Université de Montréal under Jean Saulnier and Henry Kramer. Roberts is also pursuing his master’s at the Basel Academy of Music in Switzerland, studying under cellist Danjulo Ishizaka.
On March 12, they opened their performance with a love song of sorts that Friesen’s mother used to sing to him as a child. They’d chosen this song to set the theme of their alluring performance.
They played a plethora of incredible songs, one piece being one that Godwin Friesen had composed himself, When Brothers Dwell Together, showcasing the challenging and complex back-and-forth relationship that siblings carry over the years. They continued with pieces by other classical composers. These included a Sergei Rachmaninoff piece that had been dedicated to the doctor who helped him throughout his depressive state, as well as a sonata by Francis Poulenc.
The two also played songs by Joni Mitchell, an artist who had grown up in a small town in Alberta. Later, they played a medley of songs created by other Canadian artists, such as Prairie Town by Randy Bachman, Running Back to Saskatoon by The Guess Who, and Harvest Moon by Neil Young.
Nearing the end of their concert, they played a rhapsody for cellist and piano, the Pampeana by Alberto Ginastera. This song is based on the Pampas in Argentina, which are vast plains, home to gauchos, which are a symbol to the prairies of Argentina as the cowboys are a symbol to the prairies of Canada.
Before finishing their performance with an interactive song by Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi, they played Métis fiddle music and an ode to Roberts’ Métis roots. Roberts told a story from his childhood, telling how he began playing the cello. Throughout, Friesen revealed to the audience that he has a talent for the spoons as well.
The music they played for the Luseland Arts Council was a mix of fantastic, captivating and exciting handpicked pieces that drew their audience in. The talented young duo gave a performance that showed their true appreciation for the prairie lands they hailed and drew their inspiration from.
