Live Review: Canzona - St. John Passion (March 24th 2013)

St. John Passion
Canzona
Westminster United Church
March 24^th 2013
Four stars

Reviewed by Paul R. McCulloch

Canzona’s 2012-13 season came to a satisfying close with a powerful performance of J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion at Westminster United Church. The Passion, an apt selection for a concert on Palm Sunday, featured an impressive cast of soloists alongside the MusikBarock Ensemble, all ably conducted by Canzona’s Artistic Director Henry Engbrecht.

The Passion depicts the events leading up to the death of Jesus Christ as narrated by an Evangelist, here portrayed by promising young tenor Jan van der Hooft. Baritones Mel Braun, Kris Kornelson and Stephen Haiko – as Jesus, Pontius Pilate and Simon Peter respectively – rounded out the main cast. While Bach’s work was written in German, the program included an extensive translation of the text, which greatly enhanced audience members’ appreciation of the piece.

Van der Hooft’s performance was the highlight of the evening; he conveyed intense and often harrowing emotions with near-perfect diction and impeccable tone.  Braun’s sonorous voice and authoritative presence made him well-suited to the role of Christ.

An ambitious undertaking, the concert featured many of Canzona’s members at their finest. Sarah Kirsch was captivating as a young believer with “I follow thee also,” her joyous soprano soaring to the rafters of Westminster Church. Kornelson was particularly strong as Pilate, his expansive and versatile rendition perfectly capturing the character’s constant emotional dilemmas. Alto Kirsten Schellenberg’s voice was gorgeously-shaded and heavy with feeling as she echoed Christ’s final words, “It is accomplished.”

 

Marni Enns had perhaps the most poignant aria of the night; over delicate flute and oboe, she imbued a proclamation of Christ’s death, “Dissolve then, heart, in floods of tears,” with exquisite and heartbreaking sorrow. The MusikBarock Ensemble, featuring some of the finest chamber musicians in the city, provided masterful support for the vocalists.

The audience was invited to participate in the performance during two sections of the work. Coached before the concert by Engbrecht, those present were able to display their vocal skills and express the words of the Passion in its original language. The joined voices of the chorus and a remarkably capable congregation resonated throughout the venue and allowed one to connect with Bach’s masterpiece on a more intimate and personal level.

Live Review: Shanghai Quartet (April 6th 2013)

Shanghai Quartet
Virtuosi Concerts
Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall
April 6^th 2013
Four and a half stars

Reviewed by Paul R. McCulloch

There are few better ways to end a season of a chamber music concert series than with a captivating performance by the Shanghai Quartet. The internationally-renowned string ensemble’s recital capped off Virtuosi Concerts’ 2012-13 season and also marked the Quartet’s thirtieth anniversary since its formation in 1983. The series’ Artistic Director Harry Strub noted that Virtuosi had spent the past ten years in a process to get the ensemble to perform in Winnipeg, making the evening feel even more celebratory. The Quartet – Weigang Lei and Yi-Wen Jiang on violin, Honggang Li on viola, and Nicholas Tsavaras on cello – thrilled a packed-to-the-rafters Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall with a display of flawless musicianship paired with a delightful sense of humour.

The Quartet opened with Haydn’s jubilant Quartet No. 53 in D major, Op. 64, No. 5, a piece frequently referred to as “The Lark Quartet” for its light and easygoing nature. Opening movement Allegro moderato’s smooth, effortless harmonies immediately won over the audience, with the sweet and golden-hued tones of Adagio cantabile and Menuetto allegretto only further enchanting listeners. Lei’s versatile violin and Tzavaras’ sonorous cello were particularly impressive in the passionate Finale vivace, where the four performers’ strokes and plucks created a thrilling mosaic.

Shostakovich’s dramatic Quartet No. 6 in G major, Op. 101 further confirmed the Quartet’s musical gifts in a more emotionally-varied piece. Li showed great sensitivity during the subdued, waltz-like Moderato con moto, and the ensemble’s skillful navigation of Lento – Allegretto’s hairpin shifts in mood and tempo was superb.

Dvorák’s Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105 tied together a subtle theme of the evening – namely, a journey through several centuries of violin music, from ‘grandfather’ Haydn to his modern successors. Adagio ma non troppo – Allegreo appassionato featured Jiang’s deft, expressive bow work as well as gorgeous pizzicato by Tzavaras. The romantic Lento e molto cantabile was also a highlight, a change in pace prior to the demanding and energetic Allegro ma non troppo, which grew in intensity before culminating in one final, triumphant flourish.

It seemed as if the Quartet had finished for the evening, but after a sustained standing ovation and plenty of cheers from a smitten audience, the ensemble returned to the stage to express their appreciation with a truly special encore: an arrangement by Jiang of a Chinese folk song about a shepherd searching for his lost love. The wistful and highly evocative piece, inspired by the vast steppes of China’s northern provinces, was more than one could ask for.

Live Review: Reiner Trio (March 30th 2013)

Reiner Trio

Virtuosi Concerts
Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall
March 30^th 2013
Four stars

Reviewed by Paul R. McCulloch

On Saturday night, the Montreal-based Reiner Trio – violinist Laurence Kayaleh, cellist Elizabeth Dolin and pianist Paul Stewart – gave Virtuosi Concerts patrons the opportunity to hear some rarely-heard pieces, all by Slavic composers. The evening was just what the doctor ordered for a seemingly interminable winter in which the trio’s performances, so full of energy and life, were enthusiastically welcomed by the Winnipeg audience.

Stewart introduced Rachmaninoff’s Trio elegiaque No. 1 in G minor, a dramatic and emotional start to what would prove to be an immensely satisfying program, with a nod to the work’s elusive origins – the piece was written in the last decade of the 19^th century and went virtually unnoticed until 1947, when its first edition was finally published.

Needless to say, it was a thrill to hear. Kayaleh and Dolin’s urgent strings played both with and against Stewart’s versatile piano, which navigated the piece’s countless twists and turns with flair and ease. Each artist alone seemed to be an organic extension of their instrument; together, the musicians’ chemistry was magical.    

The intelligently-structured program gave each artist the chance to showcase their abilities both individually and within the context of a trio. Stewart and Dolin came together on Chopin’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 65, which the composers collaborated on with, and dedicated the piece to, cellist Auguste Franchomme. The opening Allegro moderato established a dialogue between the two instruments, Stewart’s nimble piano lines rising to meet Dolin’s dulcet cello tones as the two began an exquisitely-composed courtship. Scherzo – allegro con brio, which incorporated elements of a mazurka – a nod to Chopin’s Polish heritage – featured beautifully complex and full-bodied work from Dolin, who captured the uniquely modern style and spirit of the movement.

Largo, a love duet between two instruments, was romantic and delightful; Stewart’s melodious piano played the part of a shy gentleman resolved to win the heart of the headstrong woman embodied by Dolin’s cello, a quest fulfilled in the movement’s final, gorgeous, faded notes. No sooner had the audience caught their breath than the duo surged forward into the lively Finale – Allegro, in which dazzling bow-work and richly-hued piano built toward a triumphant and ovation-worthy finish.

Kayaleh joined Stewart for an exceptional rendition of Dvorák’s Four Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75. These “four little jewels,” as the violinist described them in an introduction, demonstrated Kayaleh’s impressive range and intuitive command of her instrument. She made the agile and powerful rhythms of Allegro maestoso come alive, mesmerized the audience during the extraordinary Allegro appassionato – a movement that concluded with a dazzling display of pizzicato – and, over Stewart’s fluid piano, brought the intricate melancholy of Larghetto to a place of pure emotion.

The trio came together once more for Anton Arensky’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32. Stewart noted that the Russian composer wrote the piece two years after his pupil Rachmaninoff’s death and dedicated it to the memory of cellist Karl Davydov. Arensky’s work fittingly contained a breadth of moods and textures representative of a lifetime. Scherzo – Allegro molto featured a ‘music box’ texture, a light, playful feel and brisk tempo, whereas Elegia – Adagio, an elegy for Davydov, was mournful and touching. All this led to the energetic Finale – Allegro non troppo, where violin and cello sang together as the three players raced forward to the piece’s – and the evening’s – stunning close. Regrettably, no encore was offered.

 

The concert was recorded by CBC Radio 2 for broadcast on In Concert on Sunday, June 30^th 2013.

20 Best Albums of 2012: #4 - #1

4. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange 

Don't let its smooth aesthetic fool you: Channel Orange is an incredibly complex record, both a highly personal chronicle and a series of vignettes about a disparate group of individuals in Southern California. Ocean has made a wholly satisfying work that rewards repeat listens, if only for songs like "Sweet Life" and "Thinkin Bout You" that feel timeless and current at once without really trying.

 

 

3. Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra, Theatre is Evil

Theatre is Evil could be seen as one of the year's most important, and most notable, albums for the way Palmer's raising $1.2 million dollars via Kickstarter to fund the record kindled a fervent discussion about the future of the music industry and the meaning of artistry in general. But such a title wouldn’t mean a thing if she didn’t have the songs to back it up. Running the gamut from the blissful pop of "Melody Dean" and "Want It Back" to the intimacy of "Trout Heart Replica" and "The Bed Song", Theatre is Evil is so unabashedly emotional that it's a wonder it doesn't burst open at the seams. Palmer and her Grant Theft Orchestra compatriots Michael McQuilkin, Chad Raines and Jherek Bischoff create a album full of thrilling twists and turns anchored by impeccable musicianship. If there ever was a 'feel-everything' record, it's this one.

 

 

2. David Byrne & St. Vincent, Love This Giant

The first thing one notices about Love This Giant is how unpretentious and fun it sounds. The second thing one notices is how intricate and intellectual its lyrics and arrangements are. The album takes its title from a Walt Whitman poem of the same name, and the album resonates with many of Whitman’s themes – the power of nature, the complexity of relationships, and the constant presence of humanity. Byrne and Clark walk a delicate tightrope between accessible and avant-garde, and while the care they put into Love This Giant alongside the sheer joy of collaborating may not be wholly apparent at first, the more one listens to the record, the more one takes away from it, and the more one falls in love.

 

 

1. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

The Idler Wheel sounds like nothing else I listened to this year - and, at the risk of making a broad statement - nothing else I've ever heard, from the hiss of steam pipes that propels “Jonathan” to the incisive metaphors of "Werewolf" and the delirious bliss of album closer "Hot Knife." Apple has created a singular and visceral work of genius that drags the listener into its emotionally uncompromising world, making one feel as if they're witnessing the act of the album's creation every time they press repeat.



Live Review: Sonia Chan (March 2nd 2013)

Sonia Chan
Virtuosi Concerts
Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall
March 2^nd 2013
Four and a half stars

Reviewed by Paul R. McCulloch

It’s always a treat to hear the pure sound of the piano unaccompanied by strings or woodwinds. On March 2^nd, Canadian pianist Sonia Chan reminded an enraptured audience at the Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall of her instrument’s potent ability. With a style at once polished and genuine, Chan took emotional pieces and made them her own.

The evening began with Bach-Busoni’s Wachet auf, ruft unds die Stimme, BWV645, which began quietly and then blossomed into a more lively middle section filled with dazzling high register runs and leaps from one octave to another. Chan’s passionate interpretation and technical virtuosity were immediately apparent. After the last notes of the Bach-Busoni, Chan leapt uninterrupted into Haydn’s Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:51, which featured spellbinding passages in the Allegro before settling into a more contemplative mood with the melodic Adagio and finishing off with a nimble and delightful Finale – Presto.

Her next selections, Chopin’s first two Impromptus – No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 29 and No. 2 in F-sharp major, Op. 36, were a joy to hear. Chan’s love for the Polish composer showed in the way she made the pieces’ dark, powerful melodies her own. Chan then treated the audience to a fiery performance of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, a selection added to the program in place of the final two Impromptus.

Chan noted after the concert that her inclusion of the Ballade was a personal choice inspired by ‘stormy’ feelings and the piece’s defiant, courageous tone. The change made the evening feel like an intensely personal and intimate encounter, a conversation between artist, composer and audience.

This relationship was strengthened during Schubert’s Sonata in G major, Op. 78, D.894. The exquisite Molto moderate e cantabile felt like poetry in motion with its smooth, lyrical passages interspersed with delicate waltzes. Andante was heartfelt and dynamic; Chan pulled off fiery cadenzas and feather-light interludes with style, a deftness that carried over into the showstopping Menuetto – Allegro moderato, bringing joy and sorrow together in a heady combination, and the spellbinding Allegretto as finale.

 

The audience rewarded Chan with a sustained standing ovation and many rapturous calls for an encore. In gratitude, she offered a gorgeous selection from Schumann's Kinderszenen. The gentle lullaby served as both a contrast to the dramatic Schubert and a wonderful end to a spectacular concert.

Update 08/05/13: CBC Radio's recording of this amazing concert is now available online.

Recent Book and Music Reviews

I've had several book and concert reviews published in print and on the web in the last few weeks. I figured that it would be best to link to all of them in a single post for ease of access.

I reviewed Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Cafe by Budapest-based American writer M. Henderson Ellis for the Winnipeg Free Press. Keeping Bedlam at Bay is currently a featured book at McNally Robinson Grant Park and displayed alongside some literary heavy hitters (Richard Ford, for instance).You can read my review online here.




 I also reviewed Wise Men by Stuart Nadler, an up-and-coming U.S. literary talent, for the Free Press. Despite its placid cover, the book is a great read and recommended for anyone interested in '60s and '70s America and the tumultuous events that were occuring at the time. You can read my review online here.

Image from vinceho.com.

I was delighted and incredibly honoured to learn that my review of the closing night of this year's New Music Festival has been added to the websites of Composer-in-Residence for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Vincent Ho, and legendary Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

Ho and Glennie collaborated on a highly emotional piece, "From Darkness to Light: A Spiritual Journey," that premiered during the concert. The work, inspired by a friend of Ho's recent battle with cancer, was one of the most moving and powerful pieces I've ever heard.  The Festival as a whole this year was spectacular, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

 

Saturday Spotlight: Slow Club

As seems to be the case with many of my favorite artists, I came across Slow Club entirely by accident. Slow Club, an English indie folk-rock duo comprised of Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson, has been compared to Fleetwood Mac and The White Stripes - the latter comparison has emerged from the fact that Taylor frequently plays drums and Watson frequently plays guitar. (They're not romantically involved, as far as I know, which seems to add to their chemistry rather than detract from it.)

In spring of last year, I was watching a live performance by British band The Clientele on the YouTube channel Bandstand Busking and, once the video was over, clicked on one of the links on the side. It led to this video from the same series, a performance of Slow Club's song "It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful."

Recorded in 2009, the video led me to seek out the band's debut record, Yeah So, released that same year. I really enjoyed the album; everything that I'd liked about the video I watched - the duo's energy, their catchy melodies and lyrics that were charming but not overly sentimental - Yeah So had in spades. My first impressions of the band were reaffirmed as soon as I heard the album's opening track, the wonderful "When I Go."

Slow Club also put out a Christmas EP in 2009 called Christmas, Thanks for Nothing. Despite its pessimistic title, the record featured some festive covers and excellent originals, the best of which was the lovely "Christmas TV."

I then checked out the group's second album Paradise, released only the year before, and what had been a minor infatuation became a serious crush. Slow Club seemed to have grown by leaps and bounds within the short span of two years. "Where I'm Waking" in particular paired one of the best lyrical come-ons in recent memory - "I can see you looking at me / You've got the brains, I've got the body" with an infectious chorus and joyous instrumentation.

If I had come across the band earlier, Paradise would have been a definite contender for my top 10 records of 2011. I felt like Paradise transcended Slow Club's 'indie folk-rock' label with its incorporation of many unusual sonic elements, the burst of saxophone halfway through "Hackney Marsh" and the handclaps and electronic beats in "You, Earth or Ash" among them.

 

It appears that Taylor and Watson are in the process of recording a new album, and I can honestly say it's one of my most anticipated releases of 2013. How I came across Slow Club is a testament, I think, to the important role the internet plays in discovering bands and musicians one probably wouldn't have come across any other way.