OSO tribute to ‘old friends’ finishes on exciting notes

The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra invited Old Friends for dinner at Kelowna Community Theatre on Friday night.

The get-together went so well that the reunion continued in Penticton on Saturday and in Vernon on Sunday.

The Old Friends were Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Although they lived many years apart, this Masterworks IV concert tied the two composers together with a Brahms’ tribute to Hadyn although ironically, scholars later determined that Hadyn didn’t produce the work on which the tribute is based.

The appetizer for this three-course concert was Symphony No. 103 in E flat major, the 11th of 12 London symphonies composed by Haydn. Written in 1794-95, it was nicknamed The Drum Roll after a long roll on the timpani in the introduction.

Considered his penultimate symphony, it shows Hadyn’s most sophisticated style and instrumentation, said conductor Rosemary Thomson in her preface.

It is a delightful mix of energetic technical work and slow melodic interludes, combining elements of waltz, minuet and Croatian folk songs.

A highlight was acting concertmaster Susan Schaffer’s exquisite quasi-solo piece in the second movement, rich and full as the other violinists join in. Light airy moments are juxtaposed with sweeping orchestration as you truly appreciate the intricacies, the crisp and clear breaks between the bursts of flying fingers and bows. And to wrap it up, a bookend of timpani.

Dessert was next with a delectable tray of sweet treats in Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn composed in 1873.

Now also called the Saint Anthony Variations, it can be confusing for new audiences who don’t when to applaud since there is a march-like theme, then eight variations and a triumphant full-orchestra finale, all separated by brief pauses.

The work was published in two versions: one for two pianos and the other, better known, for orchestra. It is often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music.

After the intermission, Thomson introduced “the meat and potatoes, or really tough tofu, I guess.”

When she asked guest pianist Ian Parker what he wanted to perform, Parker paused “for a second-and-ahalf” and said his favourite masterpiece: Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor.

Composed in 1854-58, it was Brahms’ first three-movement concerto of any kind when it was transformed from a proposed sonata for two pianos into a four-movement symphony. Then it became a concerto and Brahms continued to make revisions after its premiere.

Parker has performed with top Canadian and U.S. orchestras with this, his fourth appearance with the OSO. During his introduction, he noted “the big, big, beefiness of this piece with its thick romantic texture.”

Described as “an enthusiastic recitalist,” Parker was exciting to watch as he hunched over the piano, shaking his head, nodding and swaying in time to the music.

At times, his stiff fingers rapidly pounded the keys, shaking his hands by his sides after an intense flurry of notes. At other times, his hands slowly caressed the keys as if his fingers were making love to this beautiful melody.

The key word in the introduction was a “conversation” between the piano and orchestra with both playing equal parts rather than the orchestra accompanying the pianist. Each fed off the other.

In the final movement, Parker was off and running, bouncing up and down on the piano bench, his cheeks shaking, his head nodding to his flashing hands as if to encourage his fingers to move even faster.

Sometimes, the notes took on the character of a waterfall. Then, it was like a team of jackhammers, right hand crossing over the left to hit the lower notes, both hands rising high into the air. It was dramatic. It was thrilling. And 500 in the audience jumped to their feet for a sustained standing ovation.