Te confident Schafer is first, his sound that of the new
music of the latter 20th century. Ten a surprise: Tanya Tagaq, Inuit throat singer singing to the orchestra, which takes the part of the usual second female singer, the in- struments echoing her voice as she makes sounds that have never been heard in this hall before. Her body vi- brates with meaning. Her sinuous muscled arms tell the story. She is a poem in motion. Charke’s music is playful, hinting of fiddles and dancing under the midnight sun of her native Cambridge Bay, Nunavut in the high Arctic. Ten it’s on to Vince Ho’s commissioned piece for the deaf percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie. Te musical story seems to parallel his time in Winnipeg: the early years as he worked with an orchestra struggling to regain its feet, the golden period when Vince went north for the inspiration that would become his Arctic Symphony (you can hear the ice in this lyrical movement); the final movement where he is going through the mental adjust- ment to the next, unknown period of his life as his time in Winnipeg comes to an end. It is a beautiful, powerful
The Hub
piece and Evelyn Glennie eloquently expresses Vince’s emotions. Te orchestra is in perfect sync. Te audience has fallen under the spell of the music and bounds to its feet when it is over. Ten Alexander summons up an encore, a salute to New York by Leonard Bernstein, the once avant-garde music sounding almost boring next to the astonishing re- verberations of the Winnipeg piece. After the concert, it was a celebration at the Russian
Tea Room next door, four floors of eclectic décor, finger food, champagne and proud Winnipeggers. It was a wonderful night. It was a wonderful week. Te
streets of Manhattan were crawling with Winnipeggers – you could spot them everywhere because they were the ones talking to strangers in their usual outgoing and friendly manner. You couldn’t help bumping into the folks you hadn’t seen for years at home but who were here to support the WSO. It made the streets of midtown Manhattan seem warm and friendly and very much like a home away from home.
Summer 2014 • 49
Photo by Keith Levit Photography.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80