Another year has (almost) gone by. Where did the time go? As 2024 draws to a close, it seems like an opportunity to look back on some of the year’s musical events in our little corner of the world.
For me, the year got off on a high note when pianist Eric Lu made his debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre in Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor. A laureate of the 2015 International Chopin Competition and gold medalist of the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition, Lu is an artist whose musical maturity and insight extend far beyond his young age. His luminous tone and depth of feeling made the performance a memorable one. With the excellent acoustics of the Chan Centre, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra also shone under conductor Earl Lee in both the concerto and Beethoven’s PastoralSymphony. How I wish the orchestra would give all their concerts there, rather than in the grand but acoustically problem Orpheum Theatre.
The most significant news in classical music this year has to be the death of conductor Seiji Ozawa, who had been in frail health since his diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. Music director of orchestras in Toronto, San Francisco, Boston, the Vienna State Opera and the Saito Kinen Orchestra, as well as a regular guest conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic, Ozawa left behind a legacy of memorable performances as well as outstanding recordings. A humble man that never thought much about his talent or celebrity, Ozawa had often been overlooked by music critics who perhaps could not get pass his Asian heritage. We should, I think, remember him by how his fellow musicians regarded him. He was beloved by the orchestral musicians who played under him as well as soloists and instrumentalists with whom he regularly collaborated. I regret that I never got to experience his music making in person, but I will always cherish the recordings he left for us in his vast discography.
One statement I read will always remain with me, that Ozawa treated a stagehand with as much courtesy as he did with the most famous musicians. A remarkable man as well as a towering musician indeed. May he Rest in Peace.
A Spring visit to New York allowed me to enjoy Turandot and La Forza del Destino (a first time for me!) at the Metropolitan Opera, and Beethoven’s 5th symphony with the New York Philharmonic. It also afforded me the opportunity to experience the music making of Yannick Nézet-Séguin again, and he did indeed give the Verdian score an exciting and musically insightful reading, in spite of the somewhat dreary and disappointing updating of the staging of this – I have to admit – difficult to stage opera. New York Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden also managed to infused freshness and excitement into Beethoven’s all-too-familiar 5th symphony, a not unremarkable achievement, I feel.
Back in Vancouver, it is always a treat when pianist Rafal Blechacz came to town, and his recital this time brought works of Debussy, Mozart, Szymanowski, and of course Chopin. Blechacz’s recital was followed by memorable performances by Yefim Bronfman, Anna Geniushene and Bruce Liu. I first experienced Bronfman’s music making when he was a teenager, and it is gratifying to know that the power and virtuosity of his playing remain as strong as ever. Incidentally, Bronfman and Bruce Liu gave markedly different interpretations of Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major. I would not want to be without either performance, but it was interesting to compare the interpretation of a musician at the height of his maturity and that of one of today’s young lions of the piano. The one thing about Anna Geniushene’s debut recital was her inspired interpretation of Brahms’ monumental Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 1, in her programme of “Opus 1’s” of Clementi, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Berg, Weinberg, Schumann, and of course Brahms.
A sojourn to Seattle was worthwhile indeed, when the Seattle Symphony performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 3under Singaporean conductor Kahchun Wong, who has been making quite a name for himself as a rising star among young conductors. Wong had all the disparate elements of the complex under control, and he inspired the orchestra throughout this incredible journey through the Mahlerian landscape.
The always excellent Vancouver Cantata Singers under Paula Kremer gave the Vancouver premiere of Amy Beach’s Grand Mass in E-flat Major, with soloists drawn from the ranks of the choir. This is a wonderful work in the late romantic idiom that certainly deserved to be performed and experienced.
Federico Colli is one of those artists who always brings fresh insights into whatever he plays. For his return visit to Vancouver, he performed works by Ligeti, Couperin, Prokofiev, and Ravel. His performance of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin was scintillating!
The highlight of the summer had to be the visit by Sergei Babayan. This towering artist used to be known by many as the teacher of superstar Daniil Trifonov, but he is now very finally known as a great artist and musician in his own right. This time around, he played a highly original programme of transcriptions, from Liszt’s remarkable transcriptions of the lieder of Schubert, to Keith Jarrett’s just as remarkable take on Harold Arlen’s Over the Rainbow. It was a performance of astounding beauty and incredible insight into a wide range of music.
The kickoff of the Fall concert season was a recital by Canada’s own Kevin Chen, who had won every major piano competition he entered. This young artist did not disappoint, and his maturity and musicality shone through in works by Chopin and Liszt. His performance of Liszt’s Réminiscences de Don Juan towered over interpretations of some of today’s far better-known young titans of the keyboard. We would surely be hearing more from this young man.
Spanish pianists Martin Garcia Garcia made his Vancouver debut in October, with a programme of Chopin, Mompou and Albeniz. His interpretation of Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie was the most remarkable one I have heard in a long time, not only for the beauty of his sound, but for the logic he infused into this complex work. He also made a strong case for Chopin’s rarely (never) played Sonata No. 1 in C minor. I was also grateful for introducing me to Mompou’s highly interesting Variations on a theme by Chopin, a highly original set of variations on the familiar Prelude in A Major, Op. 28, No. 7. His playing of selections from Albeniz’s Iberia Suitewas, not surprisingly, to the manner born.
Vadym Kholodenko returned with another remarkable performance of works by Byrd, Saariaho, Beethoven and Chopin.
As much as the entire recital was memorable, I will always remember his interpretation of William Byrd’s First Pavan and Galliard and John Come Kiss Me Now, for the stunning beauty and variety of his sound as well as how well he made these pieces worked on the modern piano. Kholodenko’s playing reminded me of Glenn Gould’s recording of works by Byrd and Orlando Gibbons -- I can think of no higher compliment.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the Vancouver Cantata Singers’ moving, inspired and inspiring performance at their annual Christmas Reprise at Holy Rosary Cathedral.
Paula Kremer led the singers in Christmas and Christmas-inspired works, familiar and new, and the choir was in excellent voice throughout the performance. From the opening Ave Maria by Bruckner to Franz Biebl’s setting of the same prayer, it was as if the voices of the choir rose to every corner of the cathedral like incense during Mass. The choir’s performance of Sally Beamish’s In the Stillness and Ola Gjeilo’s Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium) moved me greatly with the music’s inherent emotions as well as the richness of the sound of the choir’s voices.
It is a sad fact that audiences for many live performances have diminished since the pandemic. I hope these memories of concerts be a reminder that no online or recorded performance could ever replace the intimacy, immediacy, excitement, and magic of experiencing a performance live.