People can go on about the genius of Mozart all they want. But be lucky enough to sit through something like the first performance of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Mozart@257 Festival, and words are no longer necessary.
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There was a lot of special going on at Roy Thomson Hall on Wednesday evening.
The context was the first of four programmes – laid out over seven concerts – in the Symphony’s annual tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose birthday is coming up on the 27th.
The Salzburg-born composer is supposed to be a guaranteed draw at the box office, but Torontonians, perhaps still caught up in post-holiday stupor, didn’t notice. The empty seats were conspicuous at Wednesday’s Afterworks performance, an intermissionless, 90-minute format that begins at 6:30 p.m.
That’s really too bad, because these 90 minutes were like a sampling menu not only of what makes the music of Mozart immortal, but of what sort of artist it takes to make it truly come to life.
Afterworks concerts also come with commentary from master of ceremonies, CBC Radio 2 host Tom Allen, who has a knack for introducing the music in a lighthearted yet informative way.
Besides Mozart’s music itself, the biggest star of the evening was Canadian Opera Company music director Johannes Debus, making his début with the Toronto Symphony. From the first notes to the last, the conductor showed off a light touch and a penchant for dancing.
He was also a consummate accompanist to the programme’s two soloists: American pianist Jeremy Denk and British Columbia-born soprano Layla Claire. The soloists were always in lock-step with the ensemble as Debus made the most of how Mozart loved to trade melodic riffs between different musicians on stage.
Denk was a treat in the C Major Piano Concerto No. 21, K467. He brought humour and lyricism to the music – and he found something interesting to say every time one of his fingers touched the keyboard.
The soloist brought his own cadenzas, in which he was clearly having a bit of fun without ever breaching the envelope of good taste.
With Debus’s cooperation this well-worn piece of music sounded fresh, alluring and full of life.
The same can be said for Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, the “Haffner”, K385. It was a pleasure to hear the absolute clarity of the orchestral balance, the delicately highlighted colours from a woodwind here, or a cello there. And it was hilarious to see Debus conduct the violins with his eyebrows in the second movement.
The orchestra itself was sounding excellent. The violins have found a golden tone that can almost be described as luxurious – and there was only about half the number of orchestral players on stage for the Mozart programme.
Speaking of luxurious, Layla Claire’s voice should probably be declared a national treasure. Her ample, clear, flexible soprano has power as well as grace, with a tone coated in addictive, sweet caramel.
Claire also showed off an elegant turn of phrase as she sang “Al desio di chi a’dora” from The Marriage of Figaro and the “Alleluja” from Exsultate, Jubilate. All that was lacking in her interpretations was a heftier dose of drama to truly bring down the house.
On the whole, this evening was an impeccably choreographed, flawlessly rendered ballet, a swirl of colour and movement set to music familiar yet freshly seductive.
If you can, try to catch Thursday’s repeat performance at 2 p.m., which comes with even more musical goodies.
You can go to work anytime, but this kind of musicmaking doesn’t come along that often.
For all the details on Thursday’s concert, click here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
