Saturday, February 20, 2010

Niagara Symphony gets set to have some good Canadian fun this weekend

The Niagara Symphony is all set and ready to go this weekend with the third Pops! concert of the current season, with John Morris Russell returning for his final appearance with the Symphony this season. The concert, aptly titled "Winter Carnival", features guest artist Mary Lou Fallis, soprano. Many of the selections on the programme will be taken from her successful 1997 CD "Primadonna on a Moose" for Opening Day Records.

I met Mary Lou many years ago when I was hosting an entertainment-based interview show on CKTB Radio in St. Catharines, and she was appearing at the time with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall. I remember this wonderful wit, reminiscent of the grande dame of musical comedy, Anna Russell, who also spent much of her life in Canada. The show Mary Lou was doing at the time was the first of her Primadonna shows, based on her own life as a singer. She has done two sequels as well as other one-woman shows based on the music of Mozart and Bach.

The material from her Primadonna on a Moose CD is largely culled from Canadian parlour songs popular around the turn of the last century, with most if not all largely forgotten today save for her CD and concert performances of some of the material. Some of the songs you'll hear this weekend include two of my personal favourites: "Lacrosse, Our Own National Game" and "Oh, What a Difference Since the Hydro Came." Plan also to join in on the Great Canadian Sing-along that closes the programme, which includes such favourites as "Alouette" and of course, "O Canada".

The rest of the programme is similarly themed, with music ranging from Arnaud's Olympic Fanfare to the Skater's Waltz by Walteuful and the Overture from La veuve by Calixa Lavalee, who wrote the music to "O Canada", of course. So there will be a lot of familiar material and even more that isn't really all that familiar, but will be fun to listen to all the same.

This will be the final appearance for John Morris Russell, as he conducted his Masters performance earlier in the season, so that means we have two conductors having auditioned the requisite two times, and one more performance each for Bradley Thachuk and Diane Wittry. Russell is presently Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, so he is the one conductor living the closest to the Niagara Region at the present time. All four candidates would have to make some choices as to what to do should they win the competition to lead the Niagara Symphony starting next season, as they all live outside the area. I would think Russell likely could keep both posts if he wanted to, since it is a few hours' drive away, but with the other three, there is either serious commute time or the realization something has to give if they are to assume the post here. I suspect whatever way this goes, we likely won't have a full-time conductor living here in the area in the foreseeable future, but we might be surprised once the decision has been made who the next conductor will be.

So, another weekend of music-making for the musicians and form-filling for the audience members awaits, but it should all be worthwhile in the end. If nothing else, we get to see four uniquely different conductors and they get to see what a fine orchestra we have and what a fine area they and us choose to call home. If you don't have your tickets yet for the Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon performance, call the Brock box office at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.

Let the winter fun begin!

February 20th, 2010.

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