On May 14, I had the absolute pleasure of watching the Calgary Youth Orchestra and the Cum Vino Cantus Society perform in the beautiful Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University. Featuring talented soloists and breathtaking performances, I was reminded of why I love music so much. Simply put, the concert was moving and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Here’s a taste of my experience at their “Sepulcher of Life” concert.
Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto
Although I listen to a lot of classical music, I don’t know why I’ve never listened to Sibelius before. I should have done so a lot sooner because this piece was something special. Writing music during the late Romantic and early-modern musical period (late 1800’s to early 1900’s), he is renowned for being a famous Finnish composer and violinist. Some of his most popular pieces are Finlandia, The Swan of Tuonela and of course, his violin concerto. Written in 1904, this is Sibelius’ only concerto. A concerto is a type of music which features a soloist and is accompanied by an orchestra. In this case, a winner of the 2016 Frank Simpson Concerto Competition, Yan Li, took to the stage.
She performed the first movement of Sibelius’ violin concerto. The first movement features an extended cadenza – this is the portion of the concerto where the orchestra stops playing and the soloist gets to show off. You can listen to the beginning of the cadenza below and even if you can’t read music, I’m sure you can hear the immense skill that it takes for someone to play this piece. I was blown away by how easy it seemed for Yan. Conveying feelings of fiery passion and heavy remorse, both the soloist and the orchestra did a phenomenal job of keeping the audience captivated.
Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto
Unlike Sibelius, I have listened to Elgar’s music before and got to play a part of his Enigma Variations, one of his most famous pieces. This English composer also wrote the Pomp and Circumstance March, a.k.a. the iconic graduation march music. You’ll know exactly what I’m talking about once you hear it. If you’ve always wondered what the name for this piece is, you’re welcome.
Anyway, the concert featured another of Elgar’s gems – his cello concerto. Did you know that the premiere of this piece was actually a disaster? It turns out that the performers did not have adequate rehearsal time and as a result, the premiere ended up being a flop. This was not the case for Solina Lee – it was clear that she put in the time and effort and it paid off in stellar performance.
Compared to the violin, the cello has a much deeper and darker tone. This hits you immediately in the opening chords of the piece. The opening features a technique called multiple stopping. This means when multiple notes are played at the same time on a string instrument. I don’t know how else to describe the sound except that it is resonant and heart wrenching. Although Elgar’s cello concerto has a much more contemplative nature compared to the previous piece, it requires the same technical skill and musicianship. Solina impressed me with her virtuosity and her expression.
As the last note of cello concerto echoed across the concert hall, there was a moment of silence before applause erupted from the audience. The only word in my mind was “wow” and I’m sure this sentiment was reflected by everyone as the audience got up for intermission. This was only the first half of the show and I couldn’t want to hear what was to come.
“Sepulcher of Life” by Christos Hatzis
Being the feature piece of the concert, Sepulcher of Life did not disappoint. “Sepulcher” is another name for a tomb and judging just by the name of the piece, I know that it would be interesting. The conductor, Edmond Agopian, explained how the piece featured unorthodox musical directions. While typical musical directions are adagio (slow) or dolce (sweetly), Christos Hatzis used adjectives like apocalyptic and exalted. Surely enough, the piece was haunting, surreal, and yet, celebratory and angelic.
As a Greek-Canadian composer, Hatzis initially drew inspiration from his heritage to write this piece. The piece is based on encomia (plural of encomium, a song of praise) that are sung in Greek Orthodox churches during Good Friday. He had begun working on the piece a few months prior to a trip to Egypt. However, after a trip to the Great Pyramid of Giza, he started rewriting the piece from scratch and incorporating his experiences: Middle-Eastern influences and a story of Christ ascending the Great Pyramid as part of an initiation test. (https://www.musiccentre.ca/node/28520)
A highlight of the piece was the second movement “Encomium”. The choral part was put into our programs and we were invited to sing along with the choir. This was intended by the composer and I think it’s a clever way to engage the audience. It also ties directly back to his inspiration of the encomia that are sung during Good Friday. Speaking of singing, the piece also featured two spectacular soloists: Michelle Minke, who sings soprano, and Chenelle Roberts, who sings alto.
I got shivers as the choir and orchestra played together. There is something indescribable about the strength of voices and instruments filling a concert hall. I was honestly speechless once the concert was finished and I had to take some time to gather my thoughts on all the amazing music that I got to listen to.
It was my first time hearing the Calgary Youth Orchestra (CYO) and the Cum Vino Cantus Society perform. The CYO is composed of musicians from age 14-24 and I am even more impressed because to me, they are on par with a professional ensemble. I am studying music in university in the coming September and this concert reminded me of how great music can be – for the audience to enjoy, for the performers to challenge themselves, and for arts and culture scene to be showcased in Calgary.
To learn more about the Calgary Youth Orchestra, please visit this link.
Make sure to also check out Kandace and Danielle’s interviews with the soloists, Yan Li and Solina Lee!