Concert Review
Hometown Heroes
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Centennial Concert Hall
Attendance: 928
By Holly Harris
Everyone loves a hometown hero and so the Winnipeg Symphony
Orchestra set out to explore exactly who -- and what -- that means in
its wild pops season-opener, Hometown Heroes, led by witty
Cleveland-based conductor Carl Topilow.
Local sports announcer and voice of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Ron Arnst
introduced the show as a "tribute to sporting heroes of our city
and our time," a promising concept that suggested a gently
unfolding program of inspiring music and thoughtful commentary. What
we got instead was a rapid, wacky descent down the rabbit hole that
increasingly felt like an out-of-body experience.
Pops concerts are not known for their cutting-edge repertoire, and
Friday night's program began with a tame offering of various Olympic
fanfares, triumphant movie themes (Ben-Hur, Rocky, Chariots
of Fire), and a nifty Canadian march medley arranged by pops guru
Jeff Tyzik. A 12-minute CFL Grey Cup medley (2006) became a
mind-stumper, as the WSO accompanied a live projection of historical
football film footage with a grab-bag score ranging from Copland to
Wagner.
Then it was time for Winnipeg Free Press humour columnist
Doug Speirs to make his WSO debut, joining forces with Arnst to
provide a "concert cast" narration of Beethoven's Symphony
No. 5. Coached by pinch maestra Rei Hotoda, the team provided a
blow-by-blow account of the Reality Orchestra Match (The Struggle
for Survival in the Jungle of the Orchestral World), pitting the
mettle of Topilow against the keen forces of the musicians.
One of the best gags all night was seeing "injured" bass
player Steve Hamilton limping offstage as Arnst declared, "the
bassists are loaded." You bet it was corny, but Spike Jones would
have loved it.
Those still fuming over the CBC dropping its fabled Hockey
Night in Canada theme could console themselves as Manitoba Moose
mascot Mick E. Moose led the players through a lively (albeit surreal)
rendition of Doris Claman's iconic jingle.
In the midst of all these antics came a heartfelt performance by
young
Winnipeg
tenor Byung Yoon, who sang Through the Eyes of Love (Ice
Castles) and Go the Distance (Hercules) with
warmth and sincerity.
The show ended with the Title March from Superman, with
Topilow garbed in a puffy he-man costume, before a rousing encore of
the Blue Bombers Fight Song.
What became clear as this oddball evening progressed was that the
true hometown heroes were the WSO musicians themselves. To paraphrase
Freddie Mercury, they are the champions, bravely gritting their teeth
and proffering their own gifts while extolling the virtues of others.
holly.harris@shaw.ca
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