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Windsor Symphony Orchestra conductor John Morris Russell speaks to the audience prior to performing intimate classics at Assumption Chapel Friday.
Photograph by: Scott Webster, The Windsor Star, The Windsor Star
Chamber series off to a rapturous start
BY TED SHAW, THE WINDSOR STAR
October 24, 2009
There should have been a sign outside Assumption University Chapel on Friday: American spoken here.
The Windsor Symphony Orchestra opened its chamber series, Intimate Classics, Friday with performances of 20th century American masterpieces by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Ernest Bloch.
The centrepiece was Bloch's magnificent Concerto Grosso No. 1 for Strings and Piano.
This work dating from 1925 was Swiss-born Bloch's first composition after taking up American citizenship. It employs elements of the 17th century concerti grossi of Handel and others, yet written in the musical language of the 20th century.
The WSO under the baton of John Morris Russell captured the work's emotional ups and downs, from the sombre Dirge of the second movement to the uplifting dances of the third movement.
The capstone of the work, however, is the rapturous Fugue of the fourth movement, performed brilliantly by the orchestra. Several solo passages featured the talents of concertmaster Lillian Scheirich, assistant principal second violin Michele Dumoulin, principal violist Roman Kosarev, and cellist Peter Wiebe.
The opening half of the concert contained two of the most popular American works in the repertory -- Barber's Adagio for Strings and Copland's Appalachian Spring.
The Adagio has been used in no fewer than 17 movies, notably Platoon. Its expressive and tonal beauty marks it as an ideal complement to scenes of tragedy and remorse. Those tonalities came through in a shimmering way in the acoustics of Assumption Chapel.
The performance of Copland's Pulitzer Prize-winning composition featured his original ballet orchestration -- strings, piano, and three woodwinds.
Again, the work provided a showcase for several core members of the orchestra -- flutist Jean-Francois Rompre, clarinetist Margaret Gillie, bassoonist Eric Varner, and pianist Mark Payne.
The next instalment in the Intimate Classics series is on Nov. 20. Violin virtuoso Marc Destrube will lead the WSO in a performance of Vivaldi's beloved Four Seasons. For ticket information, call 519-252-6579, or go online to www.mywso.ca.
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