Artistry in sync

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This article was published 15/09/2023 (1100 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Renowned Israeli-Ukrainian violinist Vadim Gluzman marked a triumphant return to the Centennial Concert Hall stage Thursday night, as he appeared locally — finally — alongside his longtime chum, maestro Daniel Raiskin, for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural concert, launching its newly minted Thursday Classics series.

The internationally acclaimed artist, who currently serves as distinguished artist in residence at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory, had been slated to appear here back in 2021, with the COVID-cancelled concert one of the many causalities of the global pandemic. Gluzman made his official WSO debut on March 12, 2022; however, the originally billed Raiskin then needed to tend to urgent family matters in Kharkiv during the earliest days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The aptly titled concert — Opening Night with Gluzman and Dvořák — allowed listeners to witness the two musicians’ simpatico artistry, their palpable trust clearly the bedrock of their music-making.

This became immediately evident during Gluzman’s first offering: Max Bruch’s Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra, last performed here in 2018.

His eyes often closed in fierce concentration, the soloist immediately displayed his expressive artistry during the opening Vorspiel: Allegro moderato, performed on the night’s second star — his gleaming 1690 “ex-Leopold Auer” Stradivari, an instrument several centuries older than his selected repertoire.

An evening highlight proved to be Gluzman’s luminous interpretation of the Adagio movement, in which he gracefully sculpted each of his arching, lyrical phrases with a pure singing tone.

Then it was time for more pyrotechnics in the Finale: Allegro energico, with Gluzman tossing off rapid-fire runs and blazing double stops as if it were child’s play.

Raiskin matched him note for note with each orchestral tutti entry, leading to the night’s first standing ovation, with cries of bravo from the enthralled audience of 1,213 people.

However, the icing on the cake was Bloch’s Baal Shem (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life), Suite for Violin & Orchestra, right in tune with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which began at sundown on Friday, Sept. 15. Remarkably, local music lovers haven’t heard this work performed here since 1980.

With this music so clearly in his blood and bones, Gluzman, who splits his time between Israel and the United States, delivered a deeply felt opening Vidui, referring to the confessional section of the Jewish Yom Kippur ritual, his violin evoking the cantorial strains of liturgical chant.

The even better-known Nigun featured the artist’s instrument often engaged in conversation with the orchestra, before ending with the joyous Simhat Torah, brimming with dancelike rhythms and infectious energy of the Jewish holiday, marking the beginning of the Torah/Bible readings for a new year.

Once again, the beaming Gluzman, warmly embraced by Raiskin, received another standing ovation.

The 135-minute program opened with Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau) from Ma vlast, its opening bubbling winds — including principal flutist Jan Kocman, celebrating his astonishing 50th anniversary with the orchestra this season — suggesting the river’s waves.

Under Raiskin’s sensitive baton, this beloved symphonic poem swept through Bohemian mountains and Czech countryside, before its sonic waves finally ebb away in the city of Prague.

The evening wrapped up with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B 163, its opening Allegro con brio brought to life by the players with gusto. The following Adagio featured WSO concertmaster Gwen Hoebig — also marking a significant milestone in her 36th season onstage — delivering an expressive solo, followed by a lovely, lyrical Allegretto grazioso — molto vivace, led with relish by the maestro.

Kudos to the orchestra’s top brass for really going for it during their heart-pumping fanfare, which launches the finale, Allegro ma non troppo, in which the joy of those performing this beloved composer’s work was palpable.

In response to more thunderous applause, Raiskin announced a surprise encore: Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, No. 1, Op. 46, one of those rousing crowd-pleasers the WSO is able to easily whip out of its repertoire, capping the night with ebullient high spirits while trumpeting the auspicious beginning of the orchestra’s 76th season.

holly.harris@shaw.ca