Trumpeting in a captivating performance

The performance by guest artist Jens Lindemann at the Regina Symphony Orchestra’s Dreaming of the Masters concert on Saturday was a celebration of the trumpet and the many facets of that instrument.

Lindemann’s virtuosic playing of three different trumpets throughout the work Dreaming of the Masters III, which was written for him and his many talents by Canadian composer Allan Gilliland, was well received by the audience at the Conexus Arts Centre.

The performer had the audience engaged soon after walking on stage, taking the microphone for an entertaining introduction. First, he spoke in a German accent for several moments before the Edmonton product, now based in Los Angeles, revealed he was feigning it, to quite a bit of audience laughter.

Lindemann, who has received accolades around the world and achieved many accomplishments as a musician, continued to share his sense of humour. He remarked, among other jokes, that the presence of a drum set on the stage with the symphony orchestra didn’t mean it was “the apocalypse” and he handed Maestro Victor Sawa his instrument to hold while he rolled up his sleeves before performing.

Certainly the approach — not to mention the music — was something of a departure from the standard fare at the RSO’s Mosaic Masterworks series concerts, and not only because of the drum set’s inclusion.

Gilliland wrote the Dreaming of the Masters series — I is a clarinet concerto and II is a piano concerto — to highlight soloists comfortable in both classical and jazz styles, and giving the performer the option to improvise. Featuring a wide variety of influences, it showcased beautifully Lindemann and the incredible range and diversity made possible by the three different trumpets he switched between.

It also included opportunities for members of the RSO’s brass section to shine and even involved participation by some members of the audience. The soloist and the orchestra seemed to completely captivate the attention of many of the those in attendance on Saturday evening and the fun and high-energy work received enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation.

After finishing it, Lindemann returned to the stage for an encore with the RSO, performing a version of rock band Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever, orchestrated and also featuring the use of multiple kinds of trumpets. While again an unusual inclusion at a Masterworks concert, the lovely piece was an enjoyable extra treat of Lindemann’s incredible playing.

While the guest soloist was definitely an entertaining character on top of his great talent, the RSO’s resident entertaining character, music director and conductor Sawa, was also in fine form. He elicited lots of laughter with his comments before the other two works on the evening’s program.

In describing the overture — Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s A Hero’s Song — Sawa referenced goulash and other Eastern European foods, to chuckles from the crowd, before the orchestra launched into the lovely symphonic poem.

And, post-intermission, Sawa’s extended comparison of the three movements of 19th-century composer Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D minor to “three seasons” in Saskatchewan got a lot of laughs, especially as the maestro elaborated by correlating the dominance of winter in the province to the beautiful work’s prominent main musical theme.

While, considering the diverse styles of music represented, it was a rather eclectic program, Dreaming of the Masters was also a great evening of fantastic musicmaking in Regina featuring a world-class soloist who grew up in Western Canada, as well as the significant talents of the home orchestra.