A tale of two haute cultural evenings
Call this a tale of two cultural galas within the final days of September. Both turned out to be enchanted evenings, but here’s the big difference. One went smoothly, exactly as it had been planned for months. The other survived a last-minute cancellation that could have proved disastrous but wound up with a surprise happy ending.
Each featured big-name artists in close-up and lavish treats for highend supporters.
When the final scores were in, both major arts organizations savoured victory in two key categories: artistic success and a much-needed financial boost of close to half a million dollars.
On Monday at the Four Seasons Toronto, the Stratford Festival presented its Legacy Award to Colm Feore at an intimate sit-down dinner punctuated by classy live music performances, hilarious and revealing speeches and insightful video presentations.
Four nights earlier, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra gave a gala concert at Roy Thomson Hall followed by a lavish dinner at the RitzCarlton Hotel. The big attraction was meant to be legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman playing Bruch’s violin concerto.
But just days before the event came word from New York that the 70-year-old Perlman, who recently had surgery, would not be able to perform in Toronto.
“My gall bladder refused to cooperate,” he explained to his former protege, TSO music director Peter Oundjian.
There was hardly any chance of landing a star violinist to replace Perlman, especially in the busiest time of year for classical music stars.
Enter a saviour: Pinchas Zukerman, the departed music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, who had been Oundjian’s mentor in his student days. Luckily the TSO event was on the one night of the year when Zukerman’s schedule was flexible. He called Dallas to say he couldn’t get there in time for a planned rehearsal.
Zukerman not only thrilled the crowd playing the Bruch concerto. He explained that saying yes in an emergency was something you do “for friends and family.”
Feore, meanwhile, not only showed up to receive his award at the Stratford gala; he offered revealing insights not only about his astoundingly versatile Stratford career but his iconic roles as Glenn Gould on the big screen and Pierre Trudeau on the small screen.
With ticket prices starting at $1,000 a plate or $10,000 for a table of 10, expectations were high. And this was a classy, polished and wellpaced evening from start to finish, which is not a surprise when you have Karen Kain as emcee and Barry Avrich producing.
The most hilarious moments came in a satirical medley of songs per- formed by actors Juan Chioran, Scott Wentworth and Geraint Wyn Davies, who clearly enjoyed roasting Feore by mocking his quirks, such as sharpening knives and talking all night.
Presenting the award, festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino shared insights going back to the days when, as a struggling young actor sitting in at rehearsals, he offered suggestions to Feore, already a leading man, on how he could improve his performance.
Accepting the award, Feore alluded to his most memorable failures as well as his greatest successes. He shared a few secrets, including one about his wife, director Donna Feore: “When she thinks I’m full of it, she says so.”
Noting that he is a trifle young compared to previous winners of this award, including Christopher Plummer and Maggie Smith, who defy expectations by continuing to work at over 80, Feore joked that if he can do the same he hopes to win this award a second time.
That’s one of the rare challenges that could be out of reach even for the astonishing Mr. Feore. mknelman@thestar.ca