Sinfonia 2: Elemental

Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra | January 11, 2025

Reviewed by Than Brown

The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (NSO) concert on January 11th was a performance of duality, showcasing contemporary and historical sounds, and contrasting devotional and secular aesthetics. This was fitting for an orchestra at a crossroads. After over 30 years with the orchestra, conductor Marc David is stepping down and the NSO is working with new conductors in anticipation of filling David’s position. This latest performance was conducted by Simon Rivard, a younger conductor who has worked with orchestras internationally and across Canada.

The concert opened with Devotion by Kati Agócs. This contemporary piece moved between concordant harmony and sonic exploration, before finally coming to rest. The crowd was enthusiastic—a trend that would continue throughout the night. The sold out recital hall was brimming with attentive patrons. Though it was a comfortably large space, it was a cozy, intimate experience when compared to the large halls orchestras often play in.

Rebel’s Les Éléments, the second piece of the night, cemented a trend of musical dichotomy. It opened with a full, dissonant chord, kicking off a tonally wide-ranging twenty-five minutes of music. Such avant-garde moments were satisfying as someone who does not regularly listen to orchestral music, as they added a level of intrigue. I can imagine someone more versed in the style, with a better understanding of its conventions and expectations, might find this creativity even more rewarding.

Conductor Simon Rivard had quite a winsome manner as he introduced the pieces during breaks in the music. His love for the music shone through, and he had a comfortable way of speaking with the audience.

Rivard’s introduction of the various pieces also gave time for the orchestra to reconfigure as needed. Musicians came, went, and moved. For instance, the keyboardist moved over to a harpsichord at one point, and instruments like an extra cello and bass were added. This helped contribute to the range of sounds experienced over the night. I was pleased to see a number of musicians I knew from other settings. We have a delightfully versatile music community here in St. John’s, and one may see the same musicians playing in bands downtown also performing in the orchestra.

The tone was pacified a little with Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro in B minor. This piece by Vivaldi, we were told, relates to the composer’s role as a Catholic priest. In the Baroque era, a separation was made between secular and religious music. The secular aesthetic was more sonically adventurous. Religious music, meanwhile, stuck with that era’s known standards of musical beauty. The NSO’s performance of this piece, likely written for Holy Week, was beautiful indeed.

The night’s themes of duality were brought home in Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. This final piece fuses 2oth and 18th century aesthetics. The NSO paid close attention to the critical details of this performance, and brought the night to a close on a satisfying note. The audience stood in applause. We had experienced highs and lows, dissonance and consonance, avant-garde creativity and devotional beauty. These separate concepts, while theoretically opposed, felt cohesive and harmonious. Perhaps this can be seen as a comforting message: while the NSO may be changing conductors and entering a new era, they will remain the province’s same beloved orchestra.

Than Brown is a musician and academic based in St. John’s, NL. They are a masters student at MUN, and are currently finishing a folklore thesis on traditional music and social media. She also plays mandolin, and is involved in widening space for marginalized identities in the folk scene.

 

January, 2025