Night of farewells filled with joy, reverence

We always knew this day would come, and when it ultimately did, it was a joy-filled celebration of world-class talent and decades-long dedication to a musical organization forever changed by that artistry.

Revered Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Gwen Hoebig took her final curtain call Saturday night as the WSO presented the last offering in its Saturday Classic series, the aptly titled Celebrating Gwen Hoebig.

The Vancouver-born musician steps down this month after a remarkable 37-year tenure in her prestigious position; she is just the fourth concertmaster in the WSO’s 77-year history and is among Canada’s longest reigning concertmasters, now passing the proverbial bow to Karl Stobbe.

And what a sendoff it was, with the audience bursting into thunderous applause the moment the violinist took the stage for her first selection, led by WSO maestro Daniel Raiskin.

The emotionally charged night also marked the retirement of longtime orchestra pillars: Jan Kocman after an incredible 51 years as principal flutist; and Yuri Hooker, who first joined the orchestra in 1999, and has served as principal cellist for the past 22 years.

Raiskin paid personal homage to these three beloved musicians following intermission, hailing them as “precious members of the WSO” while adding his own heartfelt benediction: “You have been what the orchestra has become all these years.”

The 115-minute (with intermission) program launched with the WSO première of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante K. Anh. 104 (320e), for which Hoebig was joined by the two musical children she shares with pianist husband David Moroz: cellist Juliana Moroz and violist Alexander (Sasha) Moroz, now establishing professional careers of their own.

This delightfully effervescent musical bonbon — Mozart’s incomplete score was reconstructed in 1989 by Britain composer Philip Wilby — proved an ideal choice, showcasing the simpatico artistry and familial bonds of these three string players.

After Hoebig rendered its gracious opening theme accompanied by her children, we were also given a promise of the future of classical music. Juliana Moroz exuded pure confidence and poise, her silken, honey-sweet tone particularly singing during the one-movement work’s more lyrical passages.

Sasha Moroz provided steady ballast for the cohesive, well-balanced ensemble, nimbly tossing off his virtuosic runs right into his uppermost range with aplomb.

The trio’s entwining of their lines stirred the soul; it was a passing of the torch to the next generation— and event also witnessed by Hoebig’s internationally renowned cellist brother, Desmond Hoebig in town for the auspicious occasion — right before our very eyes.

We were then treated to a second Mozart work, and another WSO première Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, K. Anh. 56 (315f), with Hoebig now joined onstage by David Moroz.

After Raiskin set a brisk pace for the opening Allegro, Hoebig once more delivered its opening theme, while displaying her expansive palette of tonal colours and seamless, lyrical phrasing. Moroz matched her note for note with crisp figuration and trills that sparkled, neatly tossing off his part’s virtuosic demands while infusing his playing with customary finesse.

The slower movement, Andantino: cantabile, was particular highlight, with Raiskin sculpting sound like an artisan while sensitively cueing each section — well in tune with the soloists who brought its languorous themes to life.

Then it was time for the rollicking rondo finale, Allegretto, teeming with ebullient high spirits and packed with rhythmic punch, leading to a triumphant finish and another ovation by the charmed crowd.

The second half of the program featured Hoebig now returned to her first chair as concertmaster, seated among her musical colleagues for Debussy’s La Mer, last performed here in 2016.

Penned between 1903 and 1905, the French composer’s highly impressionist, lushly orchestrated “symphonic sketches” capture the grandeur of the sea, unfolding as three varied movements, from the opening, hushed From Dawn to Noon on the Sea, through to infectious Play of the Waves before majestic closer Dialogue of the Sea.

The maestro’s sensitive approach ensured clarity throughout, as its constantly shifting waves of sound ebbed and flowed like sea tides. Kudos to the rarely spied double harps, as well as the winds that shimmered like sunlight on water.

Sonorous brass were equally matched by a dramatic timpani roll at the top of the finale, as well as such gentler percussion effects as bells and cymbals evoking dancing waves in this ear-pleaser not frequently heard live.

The program rounded out with one of Hoebig’s stated personal favourites, last performed here in 2008: Richard Strauss’s narrative-based symphonic poem Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28, where the fiddle represents the German medieval trickster title character in a series of mischievous adventures.

This performance, ranging from stately themes to shocking dynamic contrasts and pungent dissonances, charmed the senses, while capturing the joy of music that Hoebig has always brought to the stage — and gifted to us throughout her 37 seasons.

As expected, this great Canadian artist, who has left a lasting legacy, garnered one final standing ovation with the entire house now on its feet, cheering for their own musical hero, who will be missed deeply, as the WSO now embarks on its next grand and glorious chapter.

The program repeated Sunday afternoon as the final offering in the Shirley Loewen Sunday Classics series.

holly.harris@shaw.ca