The Group of 27 was a bit misleading at their Trinity-St Paul’s concert on Friday night: Much of the time, there were more than 27 musicians on stage. Fortunately, only the numbers were inaccurate in performances remarkable for their force and clarity.
- 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
The best way to think of the Group of 27 is as Toronto’s all-star classical band, made up of some of this city’s most accomplished performers on the younger side of middle age.
These are people used to working with the world’s finest conductors at Roy Thomson Hall and the Four Seasons Centre, yet who have chosen to follow young Toronto conductor Eric Paetkau, the Group’s founder and artistic director.
What we get is a chamber orchestra that plays with the panache and conviction of a full-size symphony orchestra, yet with the transparent sound of a smaller ensemble.
From Paetkau we get an unorthodox approach to programming.
On Friday, the first half of the concert was devoted to 20th and 21st century pieces evocative of nature and birdsong. The second half belonged to Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.
The short Mozart and Haydn symphonies also included violin students from Dixon Hall Music School and Regent Park School of Music who are being mentored by members of the Group of 27.
Paetkau also invited dancer William Yong and TV game show host Adam Growe to add words and movement to the music.
So what did all of this add up to?
As mentioned above, the musicmaking was fantastic. The fresh acoustic makeover of the space now known as Jeanne Lamon Hall is a chamber orchestra’s dream, providing a wonderful resonance and bloom to the sound all the way across the spectrum. The pieces played by the professionals only were impeccably rendered, with Paetkau shaping the music with a balanced combination of sensitivity and dramatic flair.
The first two pieces, rarely heard, were particular treats, showing off the delicate warmth of this ensemble’s strings and pastel colours of its woodwinds: Arthur Honegger’s Pastorale d’été (Summer Pastorale) and three incidental pieces Gerald Finzi wrote for a BBC production of Shakespeare’s Loves Labours Lost right after World War II.
The first half of the concert concluded with Odd Bird Concerto for Bassoon, written by Montreal composer Mathieu Lussier for Friday’s soloist, Nadina Mackie Jacckson.
It is a three-part work reminiscent in shape of a classical cocnerto. The solo part is a true virtuoso showpiece for Mackie Jackson, who demonstrated impressive double-reed chops. But the string-orchestra accompaniment, in contrast, borders on insipid.
The most interesting aspect of the concerto was the opening dialogue in the second movement between the bassoon and symphonic chimes (tubular bells), nicely played by Ed Reifel. But when the strings came in with Reifel’s thematic material, it became clear quickly that interesting musical ideas are in short supply in this score.
The Haydn and Mozart miniatures were a great way for the seven young violin, viola and cello players to play alongside the pros. The evening finished with a stirring interpretation of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.
In fact, it was so stirring that it made me wonder why anyone would even want to hear it performed by a larger ensemble.
Paetkau chose to have Yong dance during Growe’s narrations rather than during the music, which seemed strangely awkward despite Yong’s fluid, evocative movements.
Innovation may be the name of the game, but what really matters is the quality of the musicmaking — something these talented people would not have been able to do better.
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
