This week an order arrived in the mail -- something I've waited for since last year. It was the CD from Evangaline, by Ted Dykstra, which I saw a year ago August at the Charlottetown Festival. Last year was the debut staging with English and French performances. It was an amazing adaptation of the epic poem by Longfellow. This past August I visited Grand Pre, Nova Scotia -- the site of L'Acadie, the home of the Acadians before the great expulsion (Le Grand Derangement). This part of Canadian history (before there was a Canada as we know it now) may not be well covered in history classes. It should be. Acadians in the Maritime provinces along with national heritage sites such as Grand Pre, mean that this is well understood at this end of the country. It is the reason that I didn't have to explain where Nova Scotia was when I was in Louisiana. Many Acadians deported to France returned to the Spanish colony of Louisiana giving birth to the cultural group known as 'Cajuns.' There are strong links between the current Acadians and Cajuns in terms of language, music, dance and resilience.
If you haven't read the Longfellow poem, I recommend it. The story from the poem tells of a young couple who marry just before being expelled by the British. As was the case with many of the deportees, families were split apart. The story deals with the travels of many Acadians from the forced destinations in Europe and along the US eastern seaboard from Maine to the Carolinas. The lead characters travel their whole lives trying to find each other again. It is heart-wrenching. The music and staging told the story very well. It is something I would see again given the chance. So, receiving the music and libretto booklet this week was a highlight.
The selection for today is the main theme song that appears as the expulsion begins and is reprised throughout the play. The two leads from the play perform here with some of the cast. The melody is hauntingly beautiful -- sad yet filled with hope. Enjoy!
If It Takes All I Am -- Chilina Kennedy and David Cotton
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