Simply grand piano pairing brings audience to its feet

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This article was published 06/03/2022 (1659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

International Women’s Day came three days early this year as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra welcomed back guest conductor Rei Hotoda to help mark its latest (A)bsolute Classics concert. The much-missed musician, who served as the WSO’s assistant conductor between 2006-2009 and is now music director for the Fresno Philharmonic in California, received a heroine’s welcome from Saturday night’s mostly older crowd of 931, with the nearly two-hour program (including intermission) originally slated for Feb. 5.

Hailed by the Spokesman-Review as an “inexhaustible dynamo,” Hotoda teamed with another force of nature, the WSO’s current assistant conductor, Naomi Woo in Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E flat major, trading in their batons for a rarely seen pair of grand pianos to deliver the charming work that brims with sunshine and light.

Before the artists could get down to the matter at hand, the orchestra performed a heartfelt Ukrainian National Anthem, Shche ne vmerla Ukraina, followed by O Canada. Hearing so many in the audience raise their voices in solidarity and song was one of those deeply moving moments– and there have been many this season– that can only be fully experienced live.

Mozart’s confection dated 1779 and reputedly penned for his sister, Maria Anna Mozart, a.k.a. “Nannerl,” offers a buoyant romp through three jocular movements, last heard on this stage in 2015.

Hotoda as the ultimate multi-tasker did yeowoman’s duty throughout, simultaneously conducting the orchestra from her piano (with an assist from concertmaster Gwen Hoebig), including leaping up from her bench between solo piano passages, or energetically waving one arm while playing her notes with the other in a fascinating, completely visceral, all-encompassing performance.

Not to be outdone, Woo is surely one of the most elegant pianists in this city, whose artfully shaped phrasing seems to leave notes lingering in the air long after her fingers have left the keys.

The duo maintained an effective balance between their two egalitarian instruments, navigating the inherent challenges of performing as a cohesive unit despite being physically distanced over nine feet apart owing to the placement of the grands, as they tossed off tightly executed runs and intricate, well-knitted passagework. Their rapport became instantly palpable during the opening Allegro, that saw them (literally) playing off each other as though in playful, spirited dialogue, while often grinning ear to ear at each other from across their instruments. The slower paced Andante became infused with filigree ornamentation while the finale Rondo: Allegro barreled along with rhythmically crisp attack, punctuated by startling, flashes of drama. As expected, the two simpatico artists clearly in tune with each other received a rousing standing ovation as well as a demand for three curtain calls.

The program also included the Manitoba première of American composer/violinist Jessie Montgomery’s Records from a Vanishing City, billed as an autobiographical tone poem inspired by her inheritance of a family friend’s eclectic record collection, while paying homage to the richly diverse music surrounding her time growing up on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The 13-minute work is one that deserves a second listen, intriguing with the composer’s integration of various musical styles, snippets and jazz influences ranging from Coltrane, Davis and Monk, as well as an adaptation of a gentle traditional lullaby from Angola. However, its highly introspective nature didn’t always project as a communicative experience, suffering at times a lack of overall cohesion that might have been mitigated with more rehearsal time, while often feeling a shifting kaleidoscope of amorphous sound and textures.

The evening closed with Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B Flat Major, Op. 38, or Spring Symphony, an admittedly odd choice for a program billed as honouring women artists, with the composer (and nothing against Schumann) famously overshadowing his equally gifted composer wife and long unsung heroine, Clara Wieck thanks to gender biases of the time.

A contribution by the latter, or even another woman artist also relegated to the shadows of her more widely acclaimed brother Felix, Fanny Mendelssohn, would have been welcomed and more apropos for the occasion, while spotlighting these musical trailblazers’ own significant contributions to the classical canon.

Having said all this, Hotoda led the players throughout the four-movement work with gusto and fierce concentration, particularly inspiring an ebullient brass section during the opening movement, Allegro molto vivace, trumpeting the joy and hope of a new season, ultimately leading to the night’s second ovation.

The concert is available on demand via mywso.tv. For tickets or further info, see: wso.ca

holly.harris@shaw.ca