The concert marked a return engagement for Pine with the Vancouver Symphony. She last soloed with the local band in May of 2022, delivering an impressive performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto. So, this time around, it was not surprising when she wheeled to center stage on a motorized scooter and transferred to a chair on a slightly raised platform.
The award-winning violinist wasted no time establishing a strong and rich tone in the opening statement of the Mendelssohn. Riveting high notes enhanced the lyrical melodic line, and her exchange of phrases with the orchestra sounded terrific. In the lovely second movement, Pine created a slight sense of melancholy that was supported as if by a gentle breeze. The third movement was all brightness and light – with a lightening quick final section in which Pine’s fingers seemed to dance.
Speaking of dance, Pine followed the immediate standing ovation with a medley of Scottish fiddling tunes. The flowed in a sequence of dances known as March-Strathspey-Reel or MSR. Each one had delightfully tricky rhythms, but the last one, the Reel, really showed off fleet fingerwork by Pine.
Shostakovich finished his Tenth Symphony right after the death of Josef Stalin in 1953. Since the Stalin and his party had heavily criticized Shostakovich’s music, including the censure, in 1948, of his Ninth Symphony, he had pretty much stopped composing symphonies. So with Stalin’s passing, the composer felt liberated, and unloaded a lot of thoughts and emotions into Symphony No. 10.
The piece has been characterized by some as “pessimistic optimism,” and the orchestra, guided by Brotons, expressed that transition extremely well, starting cellos and double basses delving into the moody, dark, and haunting passage at the very beginning of the first movement (Moderato). Other sections of the orchestra jointly built a quiet tension that just erupted into a tremendous crescendo before dying away to a lone piccolo. The violent slashes of sound in the second movement (Allegro), did suggest – as Brotons noted in his introductory remarks – Stalin punching about. The third (Allegretto) contained an awkward waltz – as if people were trying to loosen up and remember how to have fun. The fourth (Andante – Allegro) carried Shostakovich’s musical monogram, DSCH, in an insistently repetitive pattern – Brotons likened it to the words “this is myself” – that transitioned into the fast, triumphant, and joyful finale.
The orchestra rose to the many challenging elements of the Tenth Symphony to successfully convey its emotional weight. Among the many highlights were the glowing sound of the horns, led by principal Dan Partridge, the evocative playing of bassoonist Kahayla Rapolla and assistant principal oboist Nicholas Thompson, the subtle sound of principal clarinetist Igor Shakhman, the flutists – principal Rachel Rencher, Corrie Cook, and Darren Cook (also on piccolo), and the unified sound of the strings, led by concertmaster Eva Richey, with extra kudos for excelling in the fast passages. Outstanding conducting by Brotons brought out the best.
Before the concert began, Hal Abrams, Director of Development, told the audience that in just a few weeks (from the time of the previous concert in late September) more than enough money had been raised to match a $200,000 challenge from a small group of donors. That kind of fundraising really boosts the outreach programs of the orchestra. I did see more young people in the audience, which is an excellent sign that the orchestra’s efforts to work with schools is having a positive effect. So things are looking positive in many ways for the VSO.
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