Monday February 7, 2011

Brian Jackson: The Music in His Life
Orchestra London: The Pops Series; February 2011

by Brian Hay

Conductor Brian Jackson dedicated the show to Bev Petch, a volunteer who passed away not long ago. This lady had a long tenure on Orchestra London's Volunteer Committee. I never met her personally but from what I've heard that was my loss. She apparently had a love of music and Orchestra London that knew few bounds. One of her great joys lay in sharing the delight they bring through their performances. This concert was a the perfect tribute to her because, for about two and a half hours, sharing the warmth, joy and pure delight that music has to offer was exactly what the musicians of Orchestra London did.

There was an array of delights delivered in a variety of musical styles. The 'Pirates of Penzance Overture' (which began the show) and 'Selections from Carousel' celebrated show tunes. An unannounced performance of one of the themes from 'Gone With the Wind' paid homage to film scores. Leopold Stokowski's arrangement of Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D Minor' was a fabulous showcase for the demonic side of string playing. The work from the violin players was magnificent in this piece. A wonderful rendition of the the middle movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto showcased the sublime aspect of music. Graham Lord's performance of the solo part was exquisite.

Rousing performances of Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance March Number Four' and Eric Coates 'Calling All Workers March' revealed the great depth in music that's often considered light. The reading of the 'Ballet' from the first act of Tchaikovsky's was sweet and playful. Ronald Royer's 'Pops Overture' was a delight for the ears. This piece featured an excellent dialogue between the different sections of the orchestra. Royer himself was in the audience and received the ovation he deserved. Robert Farnon's 'State Occasion or Westminster Waltz' was played with great reverence.

'Nimrod' from Elgar's 'Enigma Variations' was given an unannounced performance. This showed yet another facet of all that can be and is sublime in music. Elgar, in addition to being a wonderful composer, was also a consummate master of the art of orchestration. His use of tones and methods of blending their various colours and shadings is second to very few. If there's one complaint it's that hearing this performance of this piece made me long to see this orchestra to do a reading of his choral orchestration of Hubert Parry's 'Jerusalem'. That would be glorious. But enough of that. This writing is about what was there.

Seeing some of this music performed live provided valuable insights. Stokowski's arrangements were popular in his time but now are often dismissed as indulgent or excessive. They're neither. He took Bach's structures and found ways to illustrate various sides of their character through the different sections of an orchestra. Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance' suffers from the reputation of being shallow. Anyone who believes that needs to hear it done well in live performance. In a good live performance (like this one) the mysteries about why the piece is so inspiring evaporate.

Nothing was played in the order it was listed in but that was nothing to worry about. Dvorak's music caught the plane to Prague that everyone else missed. But none of this was bad. Jackson kept everyone informed and used the discrepancies as a source of entertainment. Both his Conducting and his commentary were a pleasure to watch and listen to. He has a dynamic that makes the orchestra jump. The orchestra, led this time by Associate Concertmaster Mary Elizabeth Brown, played with a mix of passion and precision that was near to perfection much of the time and perfect for the rest. Mary Elizabeth herself was hot. She led and played with a mix of panache and discipline that only the most accomplished and dedicated musicians can manage. And she loved every second. Her smiles and radiance were like sunbeams that filled and captivated the hall.

Bev couldn't have had a better tribute. What a great concert.

This show took place at Centennial Hall in London Ontario on Sunday February 6, 2011. This review was written with the intent of showing what it was like to be there.

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