Thursday March 31, 2011

Haydn in London: Orchestra London's Cathedral Series; March 2011
Jean-Philippe Tremblay Conducting

by Brian Hay

Conductor Jean-Philippe Tremblay began the Allegro Assai of Johann Christian Bach's 'Sinfonia in B Flat' ('Overture to Lucia Silla') at a fairly leisurely tempo but soon employed some quick, and very sharp, musical punctuation. The technique served him beautifully through the Andante that forms the second movement of the piece. The wind passages that began the movement had a lovely lyrical flow to them before being crossed sharply by the strings. It made for an exciting performance. This piece was also one of several that placed the emphasis on one or more of Orchestra London's stellar wind players. Jennifer Short's performance of the oboe passages that graced the second movement was ravishingly beautiful.

The musical dialogues that Handel wrote into his Concerto Grosso in G Minor by Handel (Opus 6, No. 6) evoked delicious bits of musical imagery. It's hard (make that impossible) to say whether Handel intended anything like that or not but much of the piece, the third movement in particular, conjured up pictures of people close to one another, some lovers, some simply close friends, sharing thoughts and feelings on a lovely spring evening. Joe Lanza played the solo passages of this piece beautifully. He and the rest of the string players were on every cue so easily and naturally that the music flowed like the leisurely conversation it seemed to have been. The harpsichord continuo played with it added what seemed like a shimmering gloss that only enhanced the impressions of a sun setting over the group.

It was easy to see how the 'Symphony in E Flat' by Carl Friedrich Abel was mistaken for an early work by Mozart. According to Jeffrey Wall's notes Mozart copied out the score and switched the oboe parts for clarinets. Even if he hadn't done that the opening passages of the work alone would have been more than enough to create the confusion. The techniques used in the writing for the string passages that opened the piece are all reflected in several of Mozart's early symphonies. The lively scoring for the wind instruments, especially the use of clarinets (the one touch that was Mozart's), also sounds like it might have been Wolfgang's work.

What an eye opener this was! It doesn't diminish my love for Mozart's work in the least. He was, and always will be, one of a kind.

It does however create more of an awareness for the composers who influenced him. Abel's scoring in this work was beautifully transparent. The strings were always clearly separated from the winds. The Clarinet parts added musical colour piece but also stood strongly in their own right. The piece also had an incredibly strong and lively bassoon part literally racing through it, especially during the second movement. Spencer (Fred) Phillips did a fabulous job on those passages. They came across like a character portrait of the instrument.

The second half opened with a performance of Mendelssohn's 'Fair Melusine Overture'. Conductor Tremblay's sense of dynamics and the way he had the orchestra laid out served this piece exceptionally well. Trumpeters Shawn Spicer and Peter Audet and Percussionist D'Arcy Gray were placed to the left of but slightly behind the violin players. The piece began with some lovely playing from the wind section but was quickly augmented by almost demonic playing from the strings, percussion and trumpets. What a raging storm this seemed like. Wonderful!

Haydn's 'Symphony No. 102 in B Flat. was played with more restraint, at least at through the first two movements. The Largo that opened the symphony and the Allegro Vivace that followed featured gentle playing punctuated by sharp and sudden bursts but there was a sense that everyone was holding back a little. The short Adagio was given a graceful reading before the fervour employed through much of the show was reintroduced in the Menuetto/ Allegro. For the Presto that closed the work Tremblay wound the musicians taut before releasing the fury their passions had built to for a stirring finish. It brought a well earned standing ovation.

Jean-Philippe Tremblay has a fabulous re-pore with the musicians of this orchestra. They respond to his direction and he to them as if they both know where the other is going. There's more to it than that though. They seem to be on the same page with their feelings as to how music should be presented. One thing that separates this orchestra from many is the amount of passion they bring to all of their performances. Another is their willingness to really add something to their interpretations. It's impossible not to be moved by a strong interpretation. Jean-Philippe Tremblay's sense of dynamics puts the 'D' in the word and the musicians respond to it.

It makes for performances that are fresh and exciting. This one certainly was.

This show took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London Ontario on Wednesday March 30, 2011. This review was written to convey an impression of what it was like to be there.

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