Review: Vancouver Symphony ushers in the holidays with Columbia Dance, David Shifrin, and Farkhad Khudyev

Paul Quackenbush Photography

A festive spirit filled the air Sunday afternoon (December 15) at Skyview Concert Hall, which was packed to the gills for the Vancouver Symphony’s annual Holiday Concert. The orchestra treated concertgoers to an eclectic program of ballet music with dancing provided by Columbia Dance, music for clarinet and orchestra that featured David Shifrin, plus a mix of orchestral gems and seasonal favorites. Guest conductor Farkhad Khudyev led the music with panache. The sold-out concert buzzed with an energetic vibe could be felt before any note was played, and it acquired a heightened level after All Classical Radio CEO and President Suzanne Nance stepped on to the stage as the evening’s emcee. That’s because she announced that Rene Flemming would be appearing with the orchestra at the Vancouver Arts and Music Festival in the summer. Yes, America’s most popular diva will sing this summer with the hometown band!

After that bombshell announcement, Nance skillfully directed the audience attention to the program, which included a Suite from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Students from Columbia Dance deftly pirouetted and executed an array of lovely movements across the extension at the front of the stage. Although limited by the area they could use, the dancers (ages 12-18) captivated the audience with style and grace. All of the dancers exhibited excellent technique, and the prima dancer, in the role of Odette, displayed supreme elegance – especially when she moved backwards while on the tips of her toes.

Director Becky Moore deserved kudos for getting sets of dancers (up to eight at a time) on and off the stage area without any mishaps. She also arranged several tableaus that beautifully set the end of a movement. The orchestra, under Khudyev, supported the dancers with great sensitivity.

The concert spotlighted Shifrin in three colorful pieces that showed why he is considered one of America’s greatest clarinetists. “Circus,” a new piece written by Khudyev’s older brother, Eldar Hudiyev, received it Northwest premiere with Shifrin transitioning from a gentle, ethereal melody to a boisterous, Klezmer-like romp that ended on a wild high note.

Next came “Viktor’s Tale,” which John Williams wrote for the 2004 movie “The Terminal.” In that film, Tom Hanks portrayed an Eastern European man who becomes stuck in an airline terminal, because of a military coup in his homeland. Shifrin dug into the quirky and slightly humorous twists and turns of the melody with verve, which elicited a sense of the predicament that Hanks’ character endured.

For the final number in Shifrin’s set, “Blues” from “An American in Paris” by Italian composer Michele Mangani, concertgoers erupted into applause after recognizing the big opening glissando imitated the first bars from “Rhapsody in Blue.” With a bluesy swagger, Shifrin then expressed several themes that the trumpet has in “American in Paris,” and ended the piece on a stratospheric high note that brought down the house.

Suzanne Nance kicked off the second half of the concert with a heartwarming rendition of “Adeste Fideles” (“O Come All Ye Faithful”) in an arrangement for soprano and orchestra by her husband Desmond Earley.

“Dances in the Canebrakes” by Florence Price (and orchestrated by William Grant Still) paid tribute to our nation’s African-American experience with gentle and pleasant themes. The “Light Cavalry Overture” by Franz von Suppé launched the concert with a famous, crowd-pleasing calls from the trumpets.

In a nod to the season, the orchestra played Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival,” which cycled through eight Christmas carols plus “Jingle Bells” and concluded by delightfully mashing together “Adeste Fideles” with “Joy to the World.” Another Anderson concoction, the ever popular “Sleigh Ride” received a spirited performance from the local band with Khudyev adding some humorous gestures from the podium.

The concert concluded with two fun bon mots from Vienna. The first was Johann Strauss Jr’s “Tristch-Tratsch Polka,” which allowed orchestra members to shout a “Whoo Hoo.” The second was Johann Strauss Sr’s “Radetzky March,” in which the audience enthusiastically clapped along with the music – as guided by Khudyev.

Khudyev has terrific musical instincts and communicated well with the orchestra and the audience. Sometimes he showed a silly playfulness that was just perfect for a particular passage. It would be great to see him return to the podium some day in the future.