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Members of Windsor Dance Experience perform Camille Saint-Saens Danse Macabre with Windsor Symphony Orchestra at the Chrysler Theatre Sunday.
Renata Kormendy Ramirez, 6, was appropriately dressed for the WSO Pops concert Sunday at Chrysler Theatre, November 1, 2009.
Deceased bride Sydney Ellwood, 8, was ready for the WSO Pops concert Sunday at Chrysler Theatre, November 1, 2009.
Photographs by: NICK BRANCACCIO, The Windsor Star
Windsor Symphony has Halloween Monster Mash
BY TED SHAW, THE WINDSOR STAR
November 1, 2009
Even the ghouls need a little art.
The witches and the zombies danced among gravestones, and the trolls had a picnic in the cemetery.
Apart from the giant butterflies, it was a monster mash Saturday and Sunday at Windsor Symphony Orchestra's annual Halloween pops concerts at Chrysler Theatre.
Conductor John Morris Russell came out in a floppy sombrero, looking like one of the banditos on Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Actually, he named himself John Russell Zapata, after the famous Mexican revolutionary, for the occasion.
The concerts were titled Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in recognition of the Latin American fiesta at the end of October. It was a perfect fit for WSO's season, called Connections, where links are being made with Windsor's sister communities around the world.
In this case, it was the city of Saltillo, Mexico, and Leamington's Mexican consul, Eusebio del Cueto, and the Windsor Mexican Cultural Centre helped organize the concerts.
The orchestra had the help of several arts groups, as well.
Notably, Join Hands Puppeteers brought along some of their inspired, whimsical creations, including a collection of giant monarch butterflies. These hand-held puppets dressed up the performance of Debussy's Clair de Lune in honour of the fall migration of butterflies from Point Pelee to Central America.
Join Hands, coached by master puppeteer Matthew Romain, also provided live animation in Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King and the Dies Irae segment from Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. For the Berlioz, Romain and his partner Margaret Atkinson created wacky troll costumes, each requiring three people to manipulate.
Following the performance of both the Canadian and Mexican national anthems, a group of merry witches, courtesy Windsor Light Music Theatre, danced to the music of Mussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain. The group included Sharon Hocevar, Kathleen Paterson, Nancy Morand, Vanessa Plourde, and Shawna Zoern.
The delightful Danse Macabre, by Saint-Saens, evoked an equally delightful and magical performance by Windsor Dance eXperience (WDX). This youthful organization under the direction of Tiffany Wentzell has been producing enchanting shows for years at Capitol Theatre, and will perform its annual Christmas show to the music of Trans Siberian Orchestra at the Capitol on Dec. 18 and 19.
A medley of Mexican folk music was accompanied by the colourful Ballet Folklorico Estudiantil, a traditional Latin American dance group from Michigan.
Lionel Walsh, director of the University of Windsor's school of dramatic art, made a cameo appearance as the host of a costume fashion show. Also appearing on the program was Mexican-born actress and teacher, Leonora Ramirez-Kormendy, as the Catrina.
Among the musical selections were two suites from John Williams movie scores — Harry Potter and E.T. The popular song from the 1950s, Tequila!, by Chuck Rio, provided an opportunity for some silly stage business by maestro Russell.
Next up for the orchestra is a benefit performance at Willistead Manor, The Bootlegger's Ball, on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. The event will feature dancing, dinner, casino games, and jazz, all with a flapper-era theme. Tickets $100 are available by calling 519-973-1238, ext. 32.
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