An Evening with Michael Kelly

In Michael Kelly’s Reminiscences, the young tenor makes mention of an evening in Vienna, spent at the home of Stephen Storace. Storace was an Anglo-Italian impresario and composer, primarily of stage works. During a lull in production of one piece, he offered a quartet party to his friends, which was documented as follows by Mr. Kelly:

…Storace gave a quartett party to his friends. The players were tolerable, not one of them excelled on the instrument he played; but there was a little science among them, which I dare say will be acknowledged when I name them.

            The First Violin……….Haydn
            The Second Violin…….Baron Dittersdorf
            The Violoncello…….….Vanhall
            The Tenor………………Mozart

The poet Casti and Paesiello formed part of the audience. I was there, and a greater treat or a more remarkable one cannot be imagined.

Renowned Canadian actor R. H. Thomson animates our recreation of that evening. Featuring the music of the four composer/performers plus their contemporaries.

“Until some genius of quantum physics invents a time machine, this is the closest any of us is ever likely to get to feeling just how special that night in Vienna in 1784 really was.” - Deryk Barker, Victoria Times-Colonist