Ioannides and Vancouver Symphony make the most of surround sound in Respighi’s “Pines of Rome”

Philippe Quint and Sarah Ioannides | Photo by Paul Quackenbush

In sports, there are rivalries between cities and all sorts of groups of people, but the music world is more of a collaborative affair, and in that spirit, the Vancouver Symphony made the most of its concert (November 4) with conductor Sarah Ioannides, who is the Music Director of Symphony Tacoma and guest artist, violinist Philippe Quint. They teamed up with the local band at Skyview Concert Hall to deliver excellent performances works by Corigliano, Ravel, Debussy, Vaughn Williams, and Respighi, but it was the latter’s “The Pines of Rome” that really stood out with a memorable surround sound effect.

The concert marked a return engagement for Ioannides, who made a terrific impression when she debuted with the orchestra in January of 2021, even though that was an online-only performance. This time, she got to strut her stuff in front of a live audience, and the results were spectacular, especially for Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome” where Ioannides and company painted colorful scenes with their sonic palette. The first movement, Pines of the Villa Borghese, set things in motion with children’s gleeful teasing and songs. The Pines near a Catacomb evoked a musty, dark, and solemn site with lots with the bass clarinet rumbling in the basement. The Pines of the Janiculum elicited birds with trilling violins and an ultra-smooth sound from principal clarinetist Igor Shakhman. The Pines of the Appian Way created the impression of a Roman legion trudging towards the listeners, but it was the positioning of trumpets behind the audience and Ioannides precise gestures as she turned to signal them to create a glowing, electrifying finale in surround sound that brought the house down.

John Corigilano’s “Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra” from his score for “The Red Violin” movie, received an outstanding rendition by Quint and the VSO. Quint coaxed beautiful high tones from his Stradivarius that contributed to the wonderfully mysterious atmosphere at the beginning of the piece. Later Quint summoned whispery high tones that were just gorgeous, and at the end of the piece he created a sequence of rising tones that could be heard above the emotional fray from the orchestra.

The piece brought back pleasant memories of the story in which the violin, over several centuries, journeyed over continents and cultures, surviving lots of turbulent moments. The orchestra, under Ioannides did a marvelous job of stirring up turbulent passages. The haunting solos by principal flutist Rachel Rencher and principal oboist Alan Juza contributed to the dramatic nature of the music.

I was not convinced of Quint’s playing of Ravel’s “Tizgane.” He skipped some of the high notes during the first part of the piece, which involves very tricky gypsy-inspired passages. Then after the orchestra joined in, he ran rough-shod over a lot his part, especially when high notes were involved. They were not cleanly played. He displayed a very emotional, physically involved style, but the results should have been more eloquently stated and polished. Instead, they sounded very uneven and unsteady.

Debussy’s Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun” provided a lovely respite for concertgoers in the second half of the program. The orchestra, with Rencher and the horns leading the way, conveyed the languid and lush mood of the piece outstandingly. That balance of sound between the orchestral sections also enhanced the impressionistic quality of the music.

The concert opened with the Overture to Vaugh Williams “Wasps,” which began with a vigorous buzz like the insects before breaking into a festive British tune and then a hymn-like melody. The two were meshed together and made a snappy, upbeat statement that aptly set up the rest of the concert.