'Overture to a Fairy Tale' by Oskar Morawetz and 'Sinfonie Singulière' by Franz Berwald

John Russell Morris: Conducting — Joseph Lanza: Violin

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto: Orchestra London Ovation Series
John Morris Russell: Conductor
Joseph Lanza: Violin

Saturday April 17, 2010 — Centennial Hall, London, Ontario

by Brian Hay

Joseph Lanza gave an impassioned reading of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. But more on that later … there's other ground to cover.

The program consisted of three works. The first was the 'Overture to a Fairy Tale' by the Twentieth Century Canadian Composer, Oskar Morawetz. With John Morris Russell at the helm the Orchestra delivered a reading that was spirited and, at the right moments, nicely restrained. The string players wove their share of the tapestry nicely. The wind players put their bits in place with great care and meticulous attention to detail. All this was executed with subtlety and restraint. The fragments intertwined until they came together in a resounding crescendos that revealed the riches of the piece.

The size of the Horn Section was doubled for this piece and the Percussionist has a prominent role. When (Conductor) Russell loosed the tether and let the orchestra run wild it meant something. But, he only let things go until the instant they threatened to turn chaotic. He always reined it in at the right moment (though he liked cutting it really really close). It was very effective, very dramatic and thoroughly satisfying.

The next work on the program was the Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn. This reading was impassioned one. (Conductor) Russell applied more restraint but not at the expense of the drama in the piece. He pulled the orchestra together very tightly during the subtle bits. Those were understated deliciously. He countered it by giving them huge amounts of musical space during the crescendos. The musicians responded to that by playing with gusto.

Joseph Lanza showed again how important his presence is to this orchestra. The reading he gave to the solo part was nothing short of spectacular. He ran through the technical hurdles easily. (Or at least he appeared to. The really good ones don't often reveal how hard they're working). The most important thing though is the feeling he brought to the work. His playing was an impassioned labour of love that showed the joy in each and every note. He had that instrument singing. That was especially true during the lovely Andante that forms the second movement. It was a very emotional performance.

The final work on the program was the 'Sinfonie Singulière' by Franz Adolf Berwald. That piece had a very lush character. The Brass Section included trumpets and trombones. The number of horns was doubled to four. The work had a wider dynamic range than either the Violin Concerto or the 'Overture to a Fairy Tale'. Berwald's scoring, as large as it was, was also transparent enough to allow that. The reading Morris gave it allowed the orchestra to play as if there was no tomorrow. Which was exactly what they did.

This piece featured several segments that called for the sections and individual players to each perform fragmented bits that would come together as a much larger whole. The wind players pulled their parts off beautifully. The string players responded with the flair of people meeting and enjoying a challenge. The tiny segments always felt as if they were leading to something. The crescendos were large, well ordered tapestries, delicately woven but immensely strong and impeccably clear. It was a powerful work and an excellent bit of music making.

This concert provided (yet) another example of the orchestra's importance to the community. Mendelssohn's concerto didn't need an introduction but the other two pieces were another matter. Before performing them (Conductor) Russell gave voice to the questions their anonymity raised. He explained the musical workings of the Overture by Morawetz. He pointed out the fact that Berwald's writing foreshadowed that of Anton Bruckner. (It also brought some of Mahler's work to mind but that's another topic). After that, some of the fun lay in watching for the things he and Jeffrey Wall (in his excellent notes) had drawn attention to.

It was an excellent (and informative) show.

This line is a spacer.

This cell is a spacer.