Ehnes earns his hero's welcome

Friday, 19 May 2006
by Holly Harris
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Simon Streatfeild, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Westminster United Church,Wednesday, May 17
Attendance: 925 [sold out]
4 out of 5 stars

WORLD-CLASS violinist James Ehnes returned to his Prairie roots Wednesday night, receiving a hero's welcome as soloist for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra's season finale.

This was Ehnes' first local performance in three years, wowing a capacity crowd that made it clear it had been waiting for this moment to arrive.

Every inch the glamorous star, the Brandon-born Ehnes has been skyrocketing to a major international career lately. At just 30, he has already played with an A-list of conductors from Charles Dutoit to Vladimir Ashkenazy, racking up prestigious awards (including three Junos) and accolades along the way. Ehnes first performed with the MCO — amazingly — half a lifetime ago at the tender age of 16.

The homecoming also included a long overdue guest appearance by audience-favourite maestro Simon Streatfeild, who left his 18-year post as the orchestra's musical director in 1999.

Many musicians are fine players, but few are destined to become soloists. Ehnes belongs to that rare class, with an ability to thrill with his dazzling virtuosity and innate musicality. His sweet honeyed tone, coaxed from a 1715 Stradivarius, and crystal-clear articulation engender him as an artist who has a long performing life ahead of him.

His sparkling performance of Haydn's Concerto for Violin and Strings in C Major showed off his easy technique as he dug into the figuration of this baroque-inspired work. There were a few moments where the orchestra's brisk accompaniment confined the soloist, however the first movement's cadenza allowed for more expansiveness. Ehnes knocked off the finale (Presto) with all the confidence of someone who knows exactly what he wants to say, and how to say it.

Such a gift deserves repertoire that displays it to full advantage, and Haydn's straightahead, sunnyside-up music was perhaps not the best choice for the evening. Ehnes makes it look so very easy, but it's probably not that bad for him, either. A flashier choice with more substance would have let the audience hear the virtuoso in full force.

His breathtaking encore of Paganini's 16th Caprice demonstrated more clearly his technical prowess, where things really began to cook.

The program opened with Brahms' appealing Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52 scored for string orchestra. Streatfeild kept the pace moving quickly, differentiating each of the 18 short waltzes with scarcely a pause in between.

Frank Bridge's lush Suite for Strings (1910) and Michael Kemp Tippett's witty Little Music for Strings (1946) rounded out the program in fine, English chamber music style.

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Soloists share musical treasure

Thursday, 2 March 2006
by Holly Harris
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Tuomas Ollila, conductor
Gwen Hoebig and Karl Stobbe, violins
Westminster United Church,Tuesday, Feb 28
Attendance: 675
3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Tabula rasa may mean blank slate, but in the hands of violin virtuosos Gwen Hoebig and Karl Stobbe, it also means a richly moving musical experience that had a hushed audience on the edge of their seats.

The two musicians were featured soloists during the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra's Tuesday night concert, performing Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's transcendent work by the same name.

The all-20th-century program included a CBC-commissioned world premiere of Ana Sokolovic's toke for string orchestra, offering a jolt of new music to those who may currently be experiencing withdrawal from last month's festival.

Hoebig joined MCO concertmaster Stobbe onstage for Pärt's exquisite double concerto, scored for two violins, orchestra and prepared piano. Pärt is well known for his austere, deeply spiritual music that always seems to strike a chord with an audience.

These two fine soloists seemed more like they were sharing a beloved treasure with an audience of friends, than merely getting through the notes. Their sustained -- and essential -- intense emotional focus paired with impeccable technique carried the spare music through to its deliciously implied ending, in a memorable performance that was heartfelt.

Dapper Finnish maestro Tuomas Ollila conducted — or rather, presided — over the orchestra, allowing the music to naturally unfold using only the barest minimum of gestures.

Sokolovic's intensely imagistic toke — a Serbian term for pieces of money sewn into folk outfits — is a demanding work that relies more on gesture than melodic pitch or shape. The ambitious 13-minute work consists of three movements derived from Balkan peasant folklore, including a dramatic circle dance performed in silence.

Although Sokolovic (in attendance at the concert) writes with a keen ear for colour, the dissonant textures and a lack of clear directional focus made this piece difficult to grasp on first hearing.

The evening also included Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 featuring Stobbe as soloist. The popular musician obviously knows this work cold, giving a sensitive interpretation of the composer's lush, wordless work. The long sweeping lines demand greater fluidity, however, with Ollila's brisk tempo and overly crisp direction making the highly romantic work come across more as an efficient speech than rapturous poetic waxing.

The program ended with 20th-century composer Béla Bartók's masterwork, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1937). The powerful musicians of the MCO — now existing as two antiphonal string ensembles — gave a convincing performance of this fiendishly difficult work, in a no-holds-barred, knuckle-busting finale to the evening.

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Concert a temple of Asian music

Thursday, 5 February 2006
by Gwenda Nemerofsky
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Scott Yoo, conductor
Liu Fang, pipa
Valdine Anderson, soprano
Karl Stobbe, violin
Yuri Hooker, cello
Fubuki Daiko
Westminster United Church,Tuesday, Jan 31
Attendance: 720
4 out of 5 stars

Westminster United Church transformed into a temple for an Asian-inspired concert on Tuesday by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. From the opening act, we knew we were in for something unusual and special.

Grabbing the audience's attention immediately was Fubuki Daiko, the Winnipeg-based Japanese drum troupe. Their highly physical performance featured blood-curdling yells, jumps, twirls and drumbeats of a volume that nearly shattered the stained glass in the historic edifice. Exciting? You bet. If your heart didn't beat a little faster, you'd better make an appointment with your cardiologist.

Soulmate for cello and strings by Hong Kong-born Canadian composer Chan Ka Nin was a wonderful showcase for talented principal cellist Yuri Hooker. His playing full of emotion, this work could have been written for him, he played it with such sensitivity and honesty. The music has ebbs and flows, keeping one's interest. This very moving work received an equally moving performance.

Guest conductor Scott Yoo was in his element in the Concerto for Pipa and Strings by Tan Dun, best known for his music in the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. With soloist Liu Fang, they stretched the minds and ears of the audience — always a good thing — by introducing us to this versatile instrument and fascinating piece of music.

The pipa is a four-stringed, fretted, pear shaped instrument, sometimes called the plucked lute of China. In the expert hands of Liu Fang, it is versatile beyond belief, capable of producing a myriad of sounds. It can have a pure, sweet tone, then mimic a cat's whine, be banjo-like, and even highly percussive.

The work called for orchestra members to get completely involved — shouting, making sounds like the wind, as well as doing some string-popping bowing. The music had romantic qualities to it, with an ever-present Asian melody running throughout. Wearing a traditional dress and maintaining a calm demeanour, Liu played with strong musical assuredness.

Yoo stepped into the role of violin soloist for the tuneful Rondeau from Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 5 in A. This fellow has star power. Not only did he play with ease and energy to spare, he conducted between solos, flailing and bouncing all over the stage. The orchestra never sounded so good, playing with more passion than in recent memory. Dynamic and entertaining, Yoo had the audience shouting their appreciation.

Earl Kim's Illuminations for Soprano, Harp and Strings provided a touching finale to this vibrant evening. Winnipeg-born soprano Valdine Anderson's fine voice graced this piece, written the day before the composer died. While challenging to the listener, Anderson made it as accessible as possible, with an intelligent interpretation and the pristine beauty of her instrument. Every emotion was clear and her stage presence is extremely pleasing.

Westminster United Church never sounded so good.

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Guitarist's nimble fingers take Latin tour

Thursday, 19 January 2006
by Gwenda Nemerofsky
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Garry Walker, conductor
Daniel Bolshoy, guitar
Westminster United Church,Tuesday, Jan 17
Attendance: 640
3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Edinburgh-born conductor Garry Walker dispelled the traditional Scottish stereotype of dourness by leading the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra through an evening of hot-blooded Latin American music on Tuesday.

With Canadian-trained Israeli guitarist Daniel Bolshoy as guest artist, Walker and the MCO took us on a tour through Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

As with many organized tours, some sights were more exciting and memorable than others. Our guide was the smooth-talking Andrew Craig, host of CBC Radio Two's In Performance. The concert was recorded for broadcast on no fewer than four CBC shows.

Craig and Bolshoy introduced the Concierto del Sur by Manuel Ponce, a composer who wrote a great deal of music for the famed Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia. Bolshoy has the wonderful ability to make his guitar sing like a human voice. His pure, rich tone rang through the hall, reaching to the back. He is a very natural player, making the most technical of passages seem simple.

This work includes several cameos for woodwinds which were performed flawlessly, providing nice accents. Walker adeptly kept things light and moving fluidly. One couldn't help but be struck by how the guitar can sound like its own little orchestra in a box, with a variety of sounds and effects. Bolshoy's nimble fingers made quick work of the fleetest of runs and arpeggios. He also demonstrated how softly the instrument could be played as he faded into silence at the end of the Andante.

Astor Piazzolla's Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra was awarded the prize as best work of the year by a young composer in 1953.

This proved to be the highlight of the night, with its ever-changing emotions and quirky rhythms. Walker introduced it as "a dark, evil piece with curious sonority," and he hit the nail on the head.

The opening movement had a perpetual-motion effect, starting with long, moving notes from the viola section, then bolstered by the bassoon and clarinet. The French horn picked up the plaintive three-noted theme, with appealing punctuation by piano and xylophone.

The second movement was full of drama and conflict, with complex textures, underlining the fact that this was very much a 20th-century composition. The introspective ending led well into the final movement, an agitated, frenetic dance of sorts. Walker rocked side-to-side, emphasizing the catchy rhythms of this piece and reaping good, tight playing from the MCO.

The program concluded with American composer Aaron Jay Kernis' Concierto de Dance Hits, featuring a more exposed and romantic guitar in Slow Dance Ballad, finely accompanied by Daniel Scholz, viola.

Special mention goes to concertmaster and violinist Karl Stobbe for some truly impassioned, strong solo work here -- some of his best playing ever.

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Chamber orchestra celebrates the new and now

Wednesday, 30November 2005
by Holly Harris
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Alain Trudel, conductor
Yegor Dyachkov, cello
Westminster United Church,Tuesday, Nov.29
Attendance: 660
4 out of 5 stars

Move over, Winnipeg's famed New Music Festival. The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra held one of its own last night, with a program that celebrated the new and now in North American contemporary music.

Buoyant guest conductor Alain Trudel led the orchestra during the evening, which also featured cellist Yegor Dyachkov. Even Joe- from-Winnipeg — a.k.a. playwright and actor Ian Ross — made an appearance, lending his customary touch of aboriginal humour to the proceedings.

The MCO has a wonderful track record for commissioning new works, and last night was no exception. Montreal based composer Michael Oesterle's Ironman, for cello solo and chamber orchestra, received its world premiere to an enthusiastic reception by an audience of 660.

This CBC commission is a modern day depiction of the "progression of industrialism" in five relatively short — and not easy — movements.

With a concept like this, you might expect bombast and fire. However, Oesterle chooses instead to create a postmodern explosion (or is that implosion?) that only hints at the havoc caused by the coming of the iron age.

Dyachkov performed this difficult music with conviction, accompanied by a clean sounding orchestra. Percussionist Fred Liessens added his own ironman touch, with an array of percussive accents that provided tension and context.

Osterle is to be congratulated for creating this fine work.

The MCO also brought Canadian composer Robert Turner's Manitoba Memoir (1989) home last night, having first commissioned and performed this work in 1991.

Composed in three interconnecting movements, Turner's skill at creating mood and contrast was in evident with this work. After a shimmering, harmonics infused opening, including effective passagework performed by cellist Yuri Hooker, the work moved to its rollicking Folk Dance central section.

Trudel paced this well, showing restraint by not taking this boot-strapping section too fast. With all the joyful heaviness of a village peasant dance, the final movement then turns to its final Prairie Sunset, with ethereal harmonic clusters.

The evening also included Musica Celestis by American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, and was rounded out by Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, ballet suite for Chamber Orchestra.

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Stars fill MCO stage in baroque delight

Friday, 11 November 2005
by Gwenda Nemerofsky
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Robert King, conductor
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Westminster United Church, Wednesday, Nov. 9
Attendance: 725

It was a star-studded evening at the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra concert on Wednesday night.

Canada's premiere countertenor, Daniel Taylor, returned after a well-received performance last season, and Robert King, one of England's most respected conductors, was at the podium. Even Winnipeg's own harpsichordist extraordinaire, Eric Lussier, returned to the stage after too long an absence.

The evening was a delight. You just can't go wrong with a program made up entirely of baroque music. As King put it in his animated introduction, the audience was taken on a "magical mystery tour" of the era, not always in sequence.

Taylor shone in the Stabat Mater, one of Vivaldi's earliest sacred works. His uncanny ability to execute the subtlest of nuances is captivating. One is drawn in by his performance from the opening note.

Part of Taylor's magnetism stems from the pure emotion he exudes, while looking directly into the audience. He is masterful at making a connection with his listeners. With richness of tone, a superb instrument and total clarity of diction, his performance had it all.

The orchestra played solidly under King's energetic direction throughout this work. Fluid, extended phrases laid the perfect groundwork for the vocal line above.

Overall, however, the MCO had an uneven outing. The opening Symphony No. 6 by Johann Christian Bach seemed to catch them unprepared, as they struggled to keep up with King's precise handling.

The ensemble fared better in the overture to Handel's opera Ottone. The stately processional, followed by a tidy fugal section, were both succinct and clean. There was some lovely solo work by oboists Douglas Bairstow and Bill Bonness and the harpsichord touches added authentic texture.

Taylor returned for the moving Dove Sei, from Handel's' Rodelinda, a work he recorded some years ago. Standing with a haunted look on his face, he sank right into the role. The aria opened with a powerful recitative, then moved seamlessly into the more gentle familiar melody. High notes seemed to be there for Taylor to pick out of the air with no hint of strain or effort, retaining the same fullness and body as the lower register.

The evening concluded with two arias from Handel's Giulio Cesare. As Ptolemy, Cleopatra's villainous brother, Taylor summoned up tangible disdain in L'empio, sl'eale, indegno. Employing baritone accents for effect, Taylor thrilled the crowd with his dramatic rendering, filling the hall with his surprisingly powerful voice.
For Domero, he emerged with hair loose and flowing, using facial expressions and gestures to enhance the potently invigorating performance.

In her welcoming remarks, MCO president Sandi Mielitz proudly revealed that subscription sales were up 15 per cent this year. With concerts of this quality, it is easy to understand why.

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Angela Cheng bright jewel in Canada's piano crown

Fri, 7 Oct 2005
by Holly Harris
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Michael Lankester, conductor
Angela Cheng, piano
Westminster United Church, Wednesday, Oct 5
Attendance: 750

If Canada's rich legacy of pianists were a crown, acclaimed performer Angela Cheng would surely be one of its brightest jewels. In her first appearance with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra since 1997, the soloist was featured in the kickoff to the MCO's 34th season Wednesday night, ably led by British guest conductor Michael Lankester.

Cheng's fearless interpretation of Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1, in C minor, for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, Op. 35 showed her virtuosic chops in an electrifying performance. Her alternating sense of power and lightness brought out the texture of this timeless work, with an innate sense of pacing that drove hard.
Of particular note was the fourth movement, Allegro con brio. Described by Lankester as "pure raucous entertainment," the pianist's performance proved to be a tour de force, as she steamed her way right through the cadenza to a breathless finale.

As the recording artist for the soundtrack of that delicious theatrical production The Overcoat (seen in Winnipeg a few years back), Cheng knows this work cold.
It's not easy existing, as it were, in the shadows, but MCO principal trumpet Brian Sykora showed himself to be an ideal partner, asserting himself without overpowering the piano. His lovely muted solo in the second movement bled naturally into a sombre dialogue with Cheng, with a tone that was pure and tasteful. After the excitement of Shostakovich, Mozart's refined Divertimento in B flat (K137) felt a bit anti-climatic. Nevertheless, Lankester steered us through a crisp and buoyant interpretation.

This was a divertimento with backbone.

As the MCO continues its search for a new music director, in what is invariably The Big Audition, Lankester showed that he is a contender worthy of consideration.

The audience of 750 clearly enjoyed his theatrical dynamism, whooping and cheering their approval in response.

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MCO's 2008/09 season is sponsored by The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
Support has been received from Media sponsors The Winnipeg Free Press, CBC Radio One 990,
CBC Radio Two 98.3, Golden West Radio & Shaw Cable. MCO's Chamber Chatter newsletter
is sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Heartstrings gala
sponsor: Mackenzie Financial Corporation.

© 2008 Manitoba Chamber Orchestra