Ex-maestro ‘was really the champion of the WSO’

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This article was published 13/07/2022 (1545 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bramwell Tovey, who was the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s music director from 1989 to 2001 and helped found the Winnipeg New Music Festival, died Tuesday at his home in Barrington, R.I.

Tovey was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in 2019, according to a release by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was its principal conductor and artistic director.

Tovey had undergone surgery shortly after his cancer diagnosis in Boston but the sarcoma returned in January. Tovey died one day after his 69th birthday, surrounded by his family.

Richard Turner, the WSO’s principal harpist during Tovey’s tenure, said, “the Winnipeg symphony was his orchestra” and that the London-born conductor set a high standard for his successors.

“He was really the champion of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, something really special. He really felt for the organization and that made a big difference,” Turner said Wednesday.

“He was passionate about the music, that was first and foremost for him, and it really didn’t matter what music. When asked what was his favourite piece, he replied, well, whatever piece he was conducting at the moment.”

Daniel Raiskin, the WSO’s music director and one of Tovey’s successors who have had the task of living up to his reputation, said in a statement that Tovey impact on the symphony continues to be felt and his passion and selfless approach will serve as an inspiration.

“We lost the best of the best,” Raiskin said in a statement. “Rest in peace, dear Maestro.”

In a statement from the WSO, it praised Tovey’s work in the community, which often included performing on his own or with orchestra members at seniors’ homes.

“He was noted for bringing the same level of commitment and enthusiasm to outreach and education concerts as he did to the great symphonic masterworks bringing to each a human touch and a profound love of music. He will be deeply missed by audiences and musicians alike.”

Tracy Dahl, the Winnipeg soprano and vocal instructor, paid tribute to Tovey, who was a close friend as well as conducting many of her performances.

“You were so gracious and supportive as I walked through cancer. I owe the last 10 years of my singing to your constant faith in me,” she posted on Facebook. “Thank you for your gift of friendship and joy in making music from Gershwin to Mahler.”

Tovey conducted the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra after leaving Winnipeg, and earned Grammy and Juno awards leading the orchestra and his longtime friend, James Ehnes, the Brandon-born violinist on a 1996 album.

Tovey also took his baton all over the world for the past two decades, conducting the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and starting in 2018 in London, where he grew up, leading the BBC Concert Orchestra as its principal conductor.

“He was a musicians’ conductor whose warmth sense of humour and artistic leadership will be sorely missed.” Bill Chandler, the orchestra’s director said in a statement Wednesday.

Turner says Tovey will be remembered for his devotion to new music and new ideas. Those were combined together when he helped found the Winnipeg New Music Festival in 1992 with Glenn Buhr, the WSO’s composer-in-residence at the time.

“To me, the definition of a legacy is something that lives past you, and you think about he’s been gone from the job here 22 years and it’s still going strong, his successors have all been passionate about it and it’s attracted those people,” he said. “To go through that volume of music and he learned it all — he wasn’t faking it — that was very impressive.”

Alan.Small@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @AlanDSmall