2006-2007 Concert Reviews

Ian Parker last visited Vernon several years ago as a promising student; he returned last Wednesday as a master pianist, to open the North Okanagan Community Concert Association's new season at the Performing Arts Centre.

Parker doesn't perform ON the piano, he plays WITH it, and the association's Hamburg Steinway has never been in better hands. Even in the triple fortissimi of Mussorgsky's Great Gate of Kiev there were no harsh notes, and one cannot imagine a greater range of sonorities and tone colours. As Parker commented in one of his very personalized and engaging introductions,
Ravel's orchestration of the Russian composer's Pictures at an Exhibition simply elaborates on the musical palette that is there in the piano original.

From the first notes of the opening Allegro from Clementi's Sonata Opus 25, No. 5, it was apparent that superlative technique could be taken for granted, and full attention paid to interpretation. Precise and understated, the playing had a harpsichord-like dryness very appropriate to its historical period. The following two movements became somewhat more lush, yet the simple beauty of the second movement melody was truly, as marked, Lento e patetico.

Franz Schubert's equally touching vocal lines sang out over Franz Liszt's elaboration of Gretchen am Spinnrade and Auf dem Wasser zu singen. The original piano part is challenging enough in itself, and the transcription gave the impression that the performer had grown another arm and hand! When the trio section began in the second piece, the second Franz rather overwhelmed the elegant simplicity of the first.

Tone colouring is of the essence in Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, and Parker's playing explored every effect from luminescent mist to spooky darkness, building climaxes and sudden shifts of tempo and dynamics in the opening and closing movements that rivalled fireworks. Le Gibet was a total contrast. Its hypnotic "bell" motif was sustained throughout, and its comparative harmonic simplicity required all the special attention to momentum and detail for which Parker will be remembered.

The entire second half of the program was, appropriately, devoted to Mussorgsky's Pictures. There is really nothing in the piano repertoire that can match its combination of programmatic delights and pianistic challenges. Ian Parker made it his own, particularly in Tuileries and Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks. These were particularly suited to his most endearing characteristic as a pianist, an unselfconscious delight in what he is doing.
Without hesitation the capacity audience responded with a standing ovation.

His single encore - Chopin's Mazurka Opus 27 No. 4, provided a savory and deeply satisfying end to a musical feast.
We look forward to many more of his visits to Vernon.

On Wednesday, at the Performing Arts Centre, the London Quartet Cantabile gave new meaning to the word eclectic as they entertained the North Okanagan Community Concert Association and its guests.
Expanding on the traditions of Flanders and Swann, the Swingle Singers, and other ensembles they mentioned in introductory comments, they stitched together an engaging mix of traditional male harmony, jazz, pop, comedy and farce, and left their audience in stitches.
If that combination was not sufficient, they added choreography and vocal orchestration in creative and highly effective ways. The concluding number on the program drew the loudest laughs, and demonstrated the ensemble's amazing range.
As baritone Michael Steffan explained, they were inspired by a 78 recording of Frank Sinatra singing Strangers in the Night. From that starting point, a simple harmonization of a touching ballad, the age of the disc started to show, and skips, cracks, pops, warps - the whole combination of old vinyl - intruded.
Counter-tenor Richard Bryan inspired more tender feelings as he led a straight rendition of Gershwin's Summertime, from Porgy and Bess, even sustaining an endless high C at the conclusion.
Rubber-faced and lithe-bodied tenor Steve Brooks played the buffoon, getting carried away by his riffs in the opening Overture to the Barber of Seville, being unbelievably sinuous in an "instrumental" arrangement of Caravan, but settling into straight solo roles in medleys of Beatles and Presley.
In the latter number, the quartet left the stage and serenaded a front row visitor with Are You Lonesome Tonight? adding jocular insulting lyrics to explain her lone-some state.
Third tenor Mark Fleming provided some stability in the carrying-on, sharing the straight man role with Michael Steffan. However, his down-played version of Weil's Tschaikovsky - a recital of Russian composer names with appropriate stiff-backed efficiency, was equally effective.
Astonishment was appropriate at the ensemble's original survey medley History of Music, in which in the best Star Wars tradition they searched for "the perfect melody". Starting with Gregorian Chant, they whizzed through the centuries, acknowledging Bach, Wagner, and dozens of others with a mix of respect and satire.
An outstanding part of their eclecticism was their capacity to play the audience. Or replay, as they did the ending of the penultimate number from Cats, when our expressions of regret over the end of the concert were not sufficient.
The standing ovations, however, were not stage-managed!

A capacity crowd cheered Loretta Bell-Hardy at the Performing Arts Centre last Saturday for her role in bringing Ben Heppner to Vernon, with the sponsorship of the North Okanagan Community Concert Association. The cheering was a basic warmup for the rave reception that followed for Mr. Heppner and his accompanist Craig Rutenberg.

In his personable commentaries on the program, Heppner described his recital as a "sampler" of the various songs in his repertoire. What he demonstrated were the difficulties in "coming down" from the demanding heldentenor voice to sing traditional folk ballads and parlour songs.

His commentaries noticeably helped in refocusing his voice. The interpretation of the opening Plough Boy - one of five settings by Benjamin Britten - suggested that the simple country lad had achieved heroic deeds. With The Foggy, Foggy Dew, however, Heppner adopted a conversational, intimate tone totally in character with romantic reminiscence.

Although his grand operatic style drew the loudest applause, it was the subtler interpretations that revealed his great artistry. The second Sibelius selection (in Swedish), translated as The Girl returned from meeting her lover, combined gentleness with restrained passion. In contrast to the more dramatic numbers, his perfect diction carried to the back of the auditorium.

Subtlety was the essence of Craig Rutenberg's performance as well. Whether the songs were written for piano or orchestral accompaniment in reduction, Rutenberg brought out every nuance. Although the Steinway lid was fully raised, the balance between voice and piano was always impeccable.

Rather than blow us away with BIG Wagner selections, Heppner chose the gentle aria from Die Walkure, translated from the German as Winter storms give way to Spring. Here his lyric tenor shone through, with enough chest resonance to project even the lower notes. Securely refocused, he filled the hall, the reception areas, and likely the chilled park outside with a passionate Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot. The applause almost matched him in volume.

Among the concluding Parlour Songs, Oley Speaks' Sylvia had equal impact with much less exertion, helped by Heppner's reminiscence of sharing it with an actual Sylvia many years ago.

The evening will certainly be remembered as a highlight of NOCCA's second fifty years, and one that will hopefully be repeated on Heppner's next tour of his home province. Of special assistance to memory were the glossy programs with translations from Russian, Swedish, German and Italian, with extensive biographical material on both performers.

They detoured by way of California, part of their two-month concert tour which takes them next to Calgary and other points east.
And entertain they did, in ways unique to their 36-year tradition. They could rely simply on their youthful energy and enthusiasm to win over audiences, but they set a much higher standard. While the pure and unified sound of their treble voices matches any children's ensemble in the world, it was the alto section which was most special at Sunday's concert.
Including, apparently, one of the youngest members of the choir, it provided a solid and harmonious base for each piece in the widely varied program, ranging in colour from the trumpet-like chest tone of a Lapland song to the most delicate and refined pianissimo.
For the first set, the choir filed onto standard bleachers, and with great finesse shared sacred pieces that would challenge any adult choir. The contemporary polyphony of Hassler's Cantate Domino, full of dynamic and melodic contrasts, contained beautiful shadings of vocal colour and harmony. A familiar selection from Borodin's Prince Igor was perfectly lyric and expressive.
Following the first intermission, the choir returned to an empty stage (except for grand piano) and added movement and drama to its program. Rachmaninoff's Italian Polka provided opportunity for vocalizations worthy of the Swingle Singers, and a lot of fun for everyone. In Glinka's Passing Song, a touch of drama was added with an implied romance.
They next went international, inviting the audience to join in Vive L'Amour (spelled differently in the program) in the best Canadien fashion. A haunting solo voice soared over an American spiritual, Bound for Glory, and led the entire ensemble as it danced and sang a Maori chant.
Unfortunately for a reviewer, several of the selections were not, as promised, listed on the program, and the announcer spoke so close to the microphone that her words were muffled - so some of the best remain nameless.
There was no question about the final set, however - a variety of Russian folksongs performed in full costume with movement and percussion to match (and a balalaika in one number). It was if a showcase full of Russian dolls had come to life, and the brilliant colours and constant movement transformed the stage into a musical jewel box.
Founder and conductor Ludmilla Stebenjkova remained offstage for much of the program, but her vital influence was everywhere, in the precision and vitality of the singing, and the singular appropriateness of every detail of costuming and staging.
Pianist Vladimir Potapof provided secure accompaniment for the half of the program which was not a capella, and bridged the intervals with a Prokofiev Toccata and a contemporary Russian piece (also not mentioned on the program).
The enthusiasm of the audience guaranteed a welcome for the Little Eagles on their next tour, hopefully sooner than the last visit 14 years ago.

Probably jet-lagged, the three seasoned performers, who have been together for 31 years, opened their program with a dynamic rendition of a Shostakovitch Andante.
The unevenness of their performances of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky which followed likely had much to do with fatigue, but there was no question at any time of the security of their ensemble.
Cellist Birgit Erichson was featured in the Shostakovitch, which alternated heart-felt lyric lines with the brittle percussive contrasts so typical of the composer. Her expressive playing projected the power of the writing perfectly, with an impressive range of dynamics and colouring.
NOCCA's Hamburg Steinway found a friend in Gerrit Zitterbart (as the players were not identified by instrument, I assume that is the correct name). He has precisely the touch to make grand use of this piano - at times too grand to preserve balance with the others.
In Beethoven's early Trio in c minor, he was particularly outstanding in the Menuetto; his runs and arpeggios were beautifully articulated. The playful, scherzo-like quality of the piece was caught be all three; there was no question, however, that it was written for piano with string accompaniment.
The piano's dominance also characterized Tchaikovsky's Trio in a minor. After an extended statement of the theme, eleven variations followed (omitting the fugue). The composer's idea of variation consisted of using the thematic material in different dance and interlude forms, so the thematic material began to pall after the first three or four.
Most arresting were the Allegro moderato, which balanced all three instruments in a rousing exchange of decorative melody, a grandly conceived Tempo di Valse, and a Moderato in which the piano's upper octaves gave some of the colouring for which the composer is most acclaimed.
Violinist Ulrich Beetz and Birgit Erichson teamed up in the final variation and coda, projecting the theme in unison while the piano provided elaborate figuration. A concluding Andante con moto - with the notation lugubre - brought the concert to a quiet end.

The Quartango ensemble sent its capacity audience dancing out of the Performing Arts

<>Centre last Wednesday evening, at the final concert of the current series. Montreal-based,this dynamic combo has been making converts to tango around the world, and the glitteringpresence of guest dancers Roxana Calligan and Fabian Belmonte magnified their impact dramatically.<>
    Raised in the Argentinian tango tradition, Roxana and Fabian (as they are known internationally), embody all its gritty refinement. Many in the audience would have watched icedancers at the recent World figure skating championships do their interpretation of tango - but here we were treated to the authentic item.<> Sparking with suppressed passion, as in elaborate courting rituals, the two played out mini dramas that needed no script; Fabian as the tentative lover, Roxana as the controllingtemptress. Fabulous costumes and a full use of stage front added to the impact.
    Founder and bassist Rene Gosselin carried on another dance with his huge instrument- including slaps on its bottom! Each player had his own star turns, but Gosselin's, in Piazzolla's Contrabajeando,  was breathtaking in its musical range and technical virtuosity.<> Pianist/arranger Richard Hunt dominated another Piazzolla selection, Adios Nonino(a tribute to the composer's father) with great pianistic flourishes.
    Works by the famous bandoneonist justifiably made up a third of the program, and Jonathan Goldman maintained

the instrumental tradition admirably.

<> In his introductory remarks, Goldman shared a mini history and short demonstration of the instrument with the startling news that it originated in the Netherlands to provide accompaniment for Lutheran church music. He made the most of its distinctive timbre in several deeply moving solo lines.<> Before starting Milonga del angel, Goldman expressed appreciation for NOCCA's hospitality, particularly president Barbara Angel, and the superlative work of theatre management and staff. The latter's attention to detail was apparent in the striking lighting effect on the back curtain, suggesting a large heart that shifted from blue to red to purple.<> Violinist Charles-Etienne Marchand had his big moment in a lounge-like arrangement of Jacob Gade's Jalousie. This piece apparently brought out the gypsy in him, as he elaborated on the familiar melody with passionate conviction.

A standing ovation brought Quartango back for an encore - Taquila militar, and - half way through the piece - a return visit from Roxanne and Fabian after yet another costume change!

North Okanagan Community Concert Association

2006 - 2007 Season - Concert reviews by Dave Nordstrom