THE FALL 2023 CLASSICAL CONCERT SEASON PREVIEW

After the challenging pandemic years, the 2023-2024 concert season appears set to reinforce the same sense of normality that magically came to be last season. As time has crept by, however, things do feel slightly different. While the core of ‘traditional’ artist programming certainly remains, one cannot help but notice the transition from a reliance on many much-loved artists of the 20th century (who can now be rightly honoured for their past contributions) to a new generation of vital young soloists, conductors and ensembles which capture the spirit of this century. What is unquestionable is that Vancouver maintains a range and variety in classical music offerings that are enviable by any international standard and which will fully satisfy both traditional and younger audiences. In what follows, we appraise the concerts for this fall season.

A central fulcrum of any city’s musical activity is its symphony orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is no exception. Here the recent trend is for the VSO to split concerts almost equally between traditional ‘masterworks’ concerts and a variety of ‘pop classic’ and general interest concerts. There are also special ‘celebrity’ concerts, and the season starts off with one: Yo-Yo Ma playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in early September. There is also a series with the VSO Chamber Players and a pair of New Music concerts at the Annex.

Maestro Otto Tausk carries this season’s programming fairly conservatively yet with a seeming penchant for the big and spectacular. Such works include Verdi’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Saint-Saens ‘Organ’ symphony, Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, with Mahler’s Sixth Symphony at the beginning of the season and the composer’s Das Lied von der Erde at the end. As part of the new tradition, we also see four younger female conductors – Anna Rakitina, Tianyi Lu, Shiyeon Sung, and Gemma New. On the other side, we look forward to the concerts by a trio of long standing and pioneering American maestros: Gerard Schwartz, Leonard Slatkin, and JoAnne Falletta.

Tausk’s Mahler 6 starts things off in mid-September, followed by an exciting American programme conducted by Gerard Schwarz at month’s end. David Diamond’s Symphony No. 4 and Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto are featured, with the accomplished Karen Gomyo as the soloist. Two concerts in mid-October feature artists we have seen many times. Violinist Sarah Chang returns to play one of her favourites – the Bruch concerto – while esteemed Canadian pianist Louis Lortie performs Rachmaninoff’s 4th Concerto. Young conductor Anna Rakatina attempts Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony in the former.

Then, we have works of some spectacle: Verdi’s Requiem at the beginning of November, followed by Saint-Saens’ ‘Organ’ Symphony a week later. The appearance in the latter of young pianist Yeol Um Son (playing Mozart) is also of considerable interest. The great British cellist Steven Isserlis arrives at the end of the month to perform the Elgar Concerto, while Tausk carries its sombre mood forward to Bruckner’s 7th Symphony. We are absolutely delighted to have JoAnne Falletta, long-standing conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and one of the truly-pioneering female conductors (alongside Marin Alsop), give us a completely ‘French’ programme in early December. The VSO Christmas festivities take over after that. It is worthwhile noting the appearance of stunning violinist Augustin Hadelich and the remarkable young American pianist Eric Lu in the spring.

Under the discerning eye of artistic director Leila Getz, the Vancouver Recital Society has always found the most promising young musicians to exhibit alongside the world’s most celebrated established artists, and has achieved an enviable international reputation. This year just tumbles forth with young artists just beginning their ascent to greatness. They have all won major competitions recently, and should be thrilling to see. The ‘mature’ anchor of the fall concerts is probably cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (at a mere 24 years old) who has already received vast international acclaim and who makes his fourth visit to VRS in late October. Before that, we have the two young pianists Jaeden Izik Dzurko (Sept 10) and Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula (Oct 15). The former hails from Salmon Arm, BC and has degrees from both Juilliard and UBC. They are followed by the Cheng Duo, cello and piano (Oct 22). Concerts by young British violist Timothy Ridout and much-heralded pianist Tony Siqi Yun comprise November. The VRS does welcome back some very established artists in the spring, the undoubted highlight being Paul Lewis’ 4-concert traversal of Schubert’s sonatas (May 11-17).

We have long been accustomed to visits from the world’s most celebrated ensembles under the auspices of Vancouver’s Friends of Chamber Music. One of the organization’s staples, the Emerson Quartet, sadly gave its farewell concert last year, leaving only two other long-standing ensembles for this season: the Han-Finckel-Setzer Trio and the Takacs Quartet (December). The Takacs perform Schubert’s last string quartet. The winds of change are apparent here: 4 young ensembles make their debut over the year. The Busch Trio is the first and appears in November. Many great Czech ensembles have appeared for the society, and the season starts off in mid-October with the Zemlinsky Quartet playing Zemlinsky: the young Bennewitz Quartet performs in the spring. Two weeks after the Zemlinsky opener, we have a more traditional choice: the conscientious Mandelring Quartet. For more chamber music in September, one might note the onetime visit of the young Stuttgart-based Eliot Quartet on the 22nd at the Unitarian Church.

The Vancouver Chopin Society has devoted great efforts to presenting recent Chopin Competition winners and has now broadened their focus to pianists that can provide authoritative insights into other composers too. This time, much of the Chopin has to wait until next spring when wonderful pianists Rafal Blechacz, Yefim Bronfman and 2021 Warsaw Chopin Competition winner Bruce Liu appear. The fall concerts are relatively early in the season. A veteran of great distinction Lilya Zilberstein arrives in late September, playing Schubert and Rachmaninoff, followed a month later by the volcanic and much-loved Alexander Gavrylyuk, capping his concert with the demanding Pictures at an Exhibition. The society also co-sponsors a Mozart/CPE Bach fortepiano concert with Melisande McNabney at the end of September.

For those who enjoy music ‘early’, there is the long-standing Music in the Morning series (now increased to 4 days a week at 10:30am), hour-long concerts featuring outstanding Canadian and international chamber groups and soloists, performing at the Vancouver Academy of Music. This year offers one of their most enterprising seasons, featuring two prize-winning string quartets (Viano, Isadore), pianists Jonathan Biss and Marc-Andre Hamelin, violinists Mark Steinberg and Nikki and Timothy Chooi, and cellist Johannes Moser. The season begins in mid-October, with the Isadore Quartet, winners of the 2022 Banff International Competition.

As Early Music Vancouver (EMV) moves strongly past it its 50th year, artistic director Susie LeBlanc has kept a programming profile that balances the traditional and the exploratory. Handel has certainly been the calling card of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra under Alexander Weimann for the past two decades. This time they perform the composer’s early dramatic cantata Apollo e Dafne in the September 15th opener and follow that up with a Messiah in December with the Vancouver Chamber Choir. The co-sponsored Mozart/CPE Bach fortepiano concert with Melisande McNabney mentioned above closes out September. October sees the arrival of Le poème harmonique (with Vincent Dumestre and Anaïs Bertrand, mezzo-soprano) with a veritable feast of 17th century French music, featuring Lully, Delande and Charpentier. Early November brings the ensemble Profeti della Quinta, directed by Elam Rotem, exploring the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque through Salomone Rossi and Claudio Monteverdi. A week later marks the return of members of the accomplished and popular Montreal-based ensemble, Constantinople, who specialize in historical middle eastern music.

Christmas events follow. Three concerts in 2024 deserve obvious attention: the appearance of alto Reginald Mobley, then Elinor Frey playing the Bach Cello Suites (both in January), and finally the return of the illustrious Tallis Scholars in April.

Vancouver Opera’s sole production of the fall is Mozart’s The Magic Flute in mid-October, conducted by Tania Miller, with Audrey Luna as Queen of the Night and Clarence Frazer as Papageno. Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Bizet’s Carmen follow in the spring. Nancy Hermiston and her fine troupe at UBC Opera also stage Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the beginning of November. They follow this up with Cendrillon and Cosi fan tutti in February and April.

As the Vancouver Chamber Choir approaches its 50th anniversary, Music Director Kari Turunen continues to explore new exciting themes and vistas. Their first concert (Sept 22), entitled ‘Mosaic’, features 4 world premieres. Two other staples of the city’s rich choral heritage are the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Vancouver Cantata Singers, each of which have their own seasons, including Christmas concerts, and have often collaborated in the bigger choral events of the city. An equal presence attaches to the Elektra Woman’s Choir. The enthusiastic and accomplished Chor Leoni Men’s Choir also gives a full slate of concerts that might be termed semi-classical, but they are always inspired and the choir has the widest following.

New Music has always had a strong following in the city. Music on Main and Vancouver New Music are the two main presenters, with the Canadian Music Centre – BC as an invaluable go-to resource. Music on Main has a full program over the year, starting with the long-standing Modulus Festival at the beginning of November. After Alessandro Cortini (already sold out), Vancouver New Music has their customary October festival, this time featuring adventurous explorations of the pipe organ – ‘Vox Organi’. Turning Point Ensemble, one of the city’s long-standing performers of cutting-edge music, also has announced their season, starting with a wonderful tribute to Jocelyn Morlock and her close associates (Sept 22/23). Recall that the VSO has a pair of New Music concerts at the Annex too, while Yarilo Contemporary Music has a concert in November.

There is also exciting chamber music available from Vetta Chamber Music, pushing past three decades of performance and guided with strength by Joan Blackman. Vancouver Chamber Music Society is a newer organization that has put together a fine set of concerts with distinguished artists in a variety of different locations. Violinist Stefan Jackiw and the New Orford String Quartet are among the artists appearing this season. West Van’s Kay Meek Centre offers high-level classical concerts within their eclectic offerings and Jennifer West’s Müzewest Concerts offers an attractive and varied 5-concert chamber series. One should not overlook the world-class soloists sponsored by the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society, starting with young, multiple prize-winning Lovro Peretić (Sept 22).

The West Coast Symphony, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and the UBC Symphony all offer adventurous seasons of their own. There are of course a vast number of other events which take place under the auspices of the UBC School of Music, including high quality opera performances and a long-standing staple, the Wednesday Noon Hour concerts. All the UBC listings are on the Chan Centre site.