A tour of remembrance, performance and education is how Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra describes this, it’s fifth visit to the UK in it’s 45 year history. Consisting of 5 main concerts and numerous other smaller shows and educational events their performance at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 25th October is a notable addition to the Classics calendar.
It’s one-hundred years since World War One commenced, one hundred-years since thousands of Canadians came to our shores to help fight in the name of the British Empire. It is this commitment from young Canadians and the legacy that their dedication has left behind that internationally renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman wants to pay tribute to, and what a powerful tribute this turned out to be!
With string orchestra assembled on stage and conductor having walked on on to tumultuous applause, the concert began. The evening kicked off with British composer Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Within minutes this heart-wrenching and solemn piece has the audience captivated, and as I look round the hall a Mexican wave like movement spreads as heads are bowed and eyes shut. These people aren’t falling asleep but rather losing themselves in the music!
As a ‘beginner’ at classical music and orchestras I was happily enthralled visually as well as aurally by what was happening on stage but it was apparent that at least for this piece most people enjoyed what they could hear more than what they could see.
In my opinion the passion and visual synchronicity of the members of the orchestra was a sight to behold, and as this piece neared it’s end the more prominent violinists were literally rising out of their seats with the passion they had for what they were playing…a sight that really enriched my experience even if it was missed by most.
Next, and following neatly in the theme of union between the England and Canada is Estacio’s (one of Canada’s most celebrated composers) Brio: Toccata and Fantasy. This a much more upbeat, loud and powerful piece of music and called for the whole orchestra to take their places. Reminiscent of those intense build ups that create the atmosphere perfectly in numerous film scores, the different sections rise and fall before all working together to build up into a resounding conclusion. Then they dissipate, allowing the intensity to subside with silence perfectly replacing sound as each of the instruments become mute with pinpointed accuracy.
The third part of the concert was for me the most awe-inspiring, and the fact I have little to write about it just proves how captivated and thoughtfully speechless I was! Tonight’s Conductor and one of the world’s greatest solo violinist / viola player Pinchas Zukerman really came into his element as he led us through Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Zukerman’s playing is whole-heartedly passionate, masterful and had me and the rest of the audience (their eyes now fully open) transfixed. You can certainly tell why he’s held in such regard. At the end of this performance I was ready for the interval, I needed some minutes to digest.
The final piece of music in tonight’s concert was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Regarded by many as one of the most beautiful pieces written by Beethoven this piece fits nicely in with the ethos of this tour with première concert having been performed to benefit soldiers wounded in the battle of Hanau in 1813. In my opinion the overall feeling was similar to that of the second piece played tonight as Symphony No. 7 was energetic, powerful, even frantic at times.
Throughout most of this piece different sections of the orchestra appear to be having conversations between one another, turn taking rather than collaborating but then before long they marry up, work together and and build to an overwhelming crescendo that ends the evening on a high!
