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Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, Oak Bay High School
November 16, 2019
A funny thing happened to me on my way to the Dave Dunnet Theatre to hear the Civic Orchestra.
Although, to be perfectly honest, it wasn't actually on the way to the theatre, nor was it particularly amusing.
Allow me to start again.
Some two decades ago, when I saw from the 1999-2000 season brochure that the Civic Orchestra were tackling a Bruckner symphony (the seventh) my initial reaction was frank disbelief, tempered with a certain amount of excitement. In the event both feelings were justified: the symphony was a major undertaking (and the programme it concluded was very long, with the Bruckner beginning at 9:30) and, to be frank, the Civic of twenty years ago was not really up to the task, although, bless their hearts, they gave it all they had. I cannot link to my review, as that was written "in another place" (as each of the UK Houses of Parliament refers to the other house), but I can quote one sentence: "there were moments of great power and beauty, there were also moments over which I shall draw a tasteful veil".
It is worth pointing out, though, that in 2000 the orchestra was in its second year with George Corwin as Music Director, following two years under János Sándor; both conductors greatly improved playing standards — I also pointed out that "I cannot imagine the Civic of a few years ago managing to get through the piece at all" — and that improvement continues to this day.
So it was entirely reasonable to expect their 2019 Bruckner to be rather finer than their 2000 Bruckner, as indeed proved to be the case — of which more below.
Despite the fact that I had been anticipating this concert for months and despite the fact that I also knew full well that Civic concerts begin at 2 p.m., somehow I had mentally scheduled my journey to Oak Bay High to arrive in time for a 2:30 start (in its defence, my subconscious points out that this is a far more common time for afternoon concerts in Victoria). So when I looked at the clock and realised that, as it was now 1:40, I had precisely twenty minutes to get changed, make a journey that would usually take around a quarter of an hour, park, walk to the theatre, pick up my ticket and find a seat, panic ensued.
I think that the air in my car ceased to have a blue tinge somewhere in the vicinity of Hillside Mall, approximately halfway between MiV Towers and the school, and somehow, thanks to the lady who, seeing me desperately scrabble around on the ticket desk, returned to find my ticket for me — i wish I knew her name, I'd like to thank her personally — I managed to enter the auditorium literally seconds before Brian Wismath gave the downbeat for the opening work on the programme, Mendelssohn's overture Ruy Blas.
And I was immediately struck by two things: firstly, just how good the orchestra was sounding, secondly that, insofar as I can recall, I had never heard this particular Mendelssohnian gem before.
One of the metrics I have used over the years to assess the improvement of our various non-professional orchestras is to see how long it takes to "play themselves in". When I first started to review such organisations it was usual to accept that the first piece or pieces would effectively be sacrificial, there for the orchestra to relax and concentrate on tuning and ensemble; by the final work they would be playing at their best.
In the case of the Civic (nor are they alone in this) they are now "on" from the very first bar; in this case bold strings and woodwind in conjunction with excellent brass chords.
Wismath directed a weighty and exciting performance with fine sound from all sections of the orchestra. Even in my still slightly shell-shocked state I could tell quality when I heard it.
Alexander Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia arguably did not quite conform to the programme's title (Romantic Europe) but Borodin's inimitable gift for slightly exotic melody was well to the fore in a nicely paced performance which featured some excellent solo work from concertmaster Raya Fridman, clarinetist Marcus Durrant and flutist Mary Jill McCulloch.
I must confess that Brahms' two overtures both tend to go on a little too long for my tastes and that, in particular, the Tragic Overture can often come across as merely grumpy or petulant.
Fortunately, neither was the case in this instance. After an impressively dramatic opening, Wismath kept a firm grip on the music, building to a most impressive climax and a trenchant close.
And so to the main event. Quite why Bruckner's Symphony No.6 is played less frequently than some of its siblings is hard to say. It is the last of Bruckner's symphonies not to employ Wagner tubas (I gather the four used in the Seventh back in 2000 were borrowed from Vancouver); it is, next to its companion works, fairly short; and it has some good tunes.
Wismath showed from the outset that he has the measure of the piece, setting a good tempo, evincing fine playing from the cellos and horns and building a good, eminently Brucknerian sound. The second subject was played with a commendable sweep, even though string intonation in the fussier, repetitious passages (one of the many elements in which Bruckner shows himself to be the true symphonic heir of Schubert, particularly of the "Great C major") was not always as accurate as one could have wished. The coda was impressive and led to a massive final chord.
The slow movement was excellent, well-paced and finely contoured. The scherzo, taken at a fairly brisk tempo, featured propulsive cellos and basses, chirping winds and more powerful brass; the perky introduction to the trio, with its pizzicato strings introducing the horns, was also nicely done.
The finale, also taken at a fine, flowing tempo, with crisp brass interjections, brought the symphony to a resounding conclusion.
While I will admit that I did feel the orchestra was, perhaps "stagnating" is too strong a word, let us say "spinning its wheels" a little during the five-year interregnum between the retirement of George Corwin and the appointment of Brian Wismath, recent concerts have demonstrated to at least this listener's satisfaction that their upward trajectory has been resumed and that the Civic are, once again, in safe hands.
And while my afternoon certainly began badly, it ended splendidly.
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