Young gold medalists shine brilliantly with the Vancouver Symphony

For its 27th annual Young Artists Competition, the Vancouver Symphony has expanded its horizons, making its quest for the best musicians a national one. The rewards for the winners are much higher than ever with $1,000 going to the bronze medalists, $3,000 to the silver medalists, and $5,000 to the gold medalists plus the opportunity to solo with the orchestra under the direction of Salvador Brotons.

So, the top prizewinners from the contest played their auditioned pieces with the hometown band on Saturday, January 22nd at Skyview Concert Hall. It was a veritable feast for the ears to hear flutist Nikka Gershman-Pepper, violinist Ezekiel Sokoloff, and pianist David Choi perform challenging works. Their polished interpretations were not dampened by the sparse attendance in the hall due to the still raging pandemic. In fact, the soloists – all teenagers – showed a high-degree of artistry that belied their years. Hopefully, their amazing performances were heard by a much larger crowd in the livestream broadcast.

The concert began with an outstanding rendition by Gershman-Pepper of the first movement of Saverio Mercadante’s Concerto No. 2 in E minor for Flute and String Orchestra. Swaying slightly as she played, the 14-year-old flutist gracefully expressed the piece with a beautiful, assured tone. She showed excellent breath-control by presenting a line strongly the first time and softly the second. Especially impressive was her cadenza where she flawlessly interspersed low notes in the midst of a series of higher ones and built the dynamics into an exciting forte. After finishing the piece with a thrilling final forte, she was rewarded with enthusiastic applause.

Next on the program came Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 2 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, which was superbly played by Sokoloff (age 16). After creating the dusky yet lyric opening statement, he deftly dug into the fast and almost wild lines that followed lickety-split. The barrage rapid tonal changes against the orchestra had a mercurial quality that sparkled. Sokoloff delivered the second lyrical passage incisively before impeccably launching into another rocketing, sometimes dissonant, and technically devilish section – making it all look as easy as pie – and finished the piece with defiant pizzicatos. Awesome!

Choi closed out the first half of the concert with an exceptional performance of Liszt’s Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major for Piano and Orchestra. Choi, who is only 14 years old, brilliantly conveyed the virtuosic fireworks of this piece with fantastic control of the dynamics and an unbelievable ability to organically slow the pace and accelerate thrillingly. He executed the splashiest and flashiest of passages with ease yet never called attention to himself. He excelled with the rhapsodic themes and expertly wove the sound with the orchestra. With the orchestra rising to the occasion, Choi brought the finale of this piece to a triumphant crescendo that resonated into cheers from the audience.

After intermission, the orchestra delved into Elgar’s “Variations on an Original Theme” aka “Enigma Variations.” Urged on by Broton’s emotive conducting (all from memory), the orchestra had its most success with heart-felt theme of the famous Nimrod variation (9), the rollicking Troyte variation (7), and the last variation (14) with its majestic swells and accelerando to the finale. The violins were a bit ragged in the H.D.S.-P. variation (2), but the ensemble recovered in the next variation (3), in which the bassoons elicited humorous, wiggly, upward phrases. Solos by violist Angelika Furtwangler, cellist Dieter Ratzlaf, and clarinetist Igor Shakhman were highlights of the later variations. Some of the variations needed to be tauter in order to create more contrast, for example, between variations that are playful and delicate and others that are boisterous. Still, with Brotons coaxing, the ensemble transported listeners to Elgar’s unique musical concoction – with a glimpse into his family and circle of friends. Cheers!

Callaway puts plenty of sparkle into the Vancouver Symphony's holiday concert

The Vancouver Symphony’s holiday concert with Liz Callaway glowed with homecoming atmosphere on Saturday evening (December 11). Patrons of the orchestra enthusiastically greeted the musicians with applause in Skyview Concert Hall for the first time since the pandemic shut down that venue in March of 2020. Because of a ban on outside vendors by the school district, the orchestra performed its first two concerts of the season in Portland’s Newmark Theatre and the Cowlitz Ballroom of the ilani Casino. So, it was heartening to see the auditorium at about two-thirds capacity, and there must have been a good-sized crowd online. They received an outstanding show by Callaway and the orchestra under the direction of Salvador Brotons.

Seasonal decorations, including Christmas lights wrapped around a double-bass, poinsettias lining the front of the stage, and greenery draped around the rail of the conductor’s podium, added to the concert’s festive mood. Brotons gave Callaway a rousing introduction, and she launched into “Something’s Coming” from "West Side Story." Next came a lively, pop-styled arrangement of “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” with principal trumpet Bruce Dunn adding some extra licks.

Flavoring her selections with humorous anecdotes, Callaway recalled singing Grizabella for five years in “Cats” and how fun it is to sing it now “without whiskers.” She gave “Memory” a terrific climax at the end, which elicited sustained applause from the audience. Callaway followed that with “Broadway Baby” from “Follies” and the snippet of lines that she sang in her first Broadway show, “Merrily We Roll Along,” which, she also noted, closed after two weeks.

Acknowledging her longtime collaboration with Stephen Sondheim, who recently passed away, Callaway gave a passionate performance of “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music.” She closed out the first half of the program with two signature numbers – “Once Upon a December” and “Journey to the Past” – that she has made famous in the Disney animated film “Anastasia:”.” That combo brought down the house, resulting in a standing ovation.

After intermission, Callaway sang a splashy arrangement of “Joy to the World” to a pulsating beat. She also gave poignancy to “Grown-Up Christmas List,” then jolted us with a bracing “Jingle Bells” in a refreshing arrangement by Jack Gold and Marty Paich that required some tricky meters and modulations. She wound things up with “God Bless My Family,” which was written by her sister Ann Hampton Callaway and contains a beautiful message, and finally a soothing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that I am sure had some online listeners reaching for a glass of eggnog.

The concert opened with Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess: Selections for Orchestra” in a superb arrangement by Robert Russell Bennet that put the spotlight on various members of the orchestra and a fun exchange between the woodwinds and the brass when they played “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” The orchestra served a delectable slice of Viennese pieces with Suppe’s “Poet and Peasant Overture,” Strauss Jr’s “Emperor Waltz” – both of which featured fine solos by principal cellist Dieter Ratzlaf. After transitioning to Strauss Jr’s lighthearted “Tritsch-Tratsch Polka,” the orchestra wrapped up the evening with the Strauss Sr’s “Radetzky March” in which Brotons got the entire audience clapping rhythmically with gusto.