The Arts

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Celebration of WSO’s wind players

By: Holly Harris

Posted: 01/14/2012 2:41 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

THE Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra celebrated its own Friday night, showcasing four of its principal wind players in its latest Masterworks concert, Mozart and Schubert.

Theprogramfeatured:PatriciaEvans (horn), Bede Hanley (oboe), Alexandra Eastley (bassoon) and Micah Heilbrunn (clarinet) performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major, K. 297b — a charming little gem not played by the orchestra — amazingly — since 1983. American maestro/violinist Andrew Grams leads the orchestra for the pair of weekend concerts.

Composed in 1778, the Austrian composer’s three-movement work recalls the good-natured buoyancy of his likespirited serenades, perfectly crafted to please the ear while spinning endlessly inventive thematic material. This is light-hearted music that puts a lilt in the step that one wishes to hear again, soon. The four musicians play as equals, taking turns soloing and accompanying the other, while exhibiting the unique capabilities of their respective instruments.

The quartet’s rapport with each other became immediately evident during the opening movement, Allegro. The ensemble immediately created the sense they have been playing together for a long time, and in a sense, they have. It’s also heartening to see the strong support the orchestra gives to its family members, some grinning ear to ear when their colleagues took the stage.

Hanley is a wonderfully gifted soloist in his own right, effortlessly sailing above the others with every entry fluid and precise. His lightly executed trills and skipping runs were always spot on — particularly during the third themeand- variations movement — making this notoriously difficult instrument appear so easy.

Evans, as well, tastefully held back throughout the work, yet emerged with swelling crescendos when it became time for her to shine.

The bassoon is one of those unsung heroes of the orchestra, relegated to the back of the band with precious few solo lines of note. Eastley showed us the noble beauty and versatility of this instrument, particularly during the Adagio that flows like a languid aria.

Heilbrunn, too, possesses a beautifully singing tone and clearly articulated touch. However, at times, he became perilously close to being overshadowed by the orchestra during the Allegro that greater projection would easily have fixed.

The second half of the program featured Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, also known as the "Great." Grams led the orchestra through the four movements with a unique conducting style that saw him at times crouching nearly to the floor, others shaking his fist in the air to wring out sound.

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