The Montreal Gazette reviews the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
On February 8, 2013 at the Maison symphonique de Montréal, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) performed John Weinzweig's Edge of the World, Victor Herbert's Cello Concerto No. 2, and Antonin Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 (From the New World).
Montreal Gazette music critic Arthur Kaptanis reviews the OSM's performance:
Aimed primarily at the senior set, morning concerts are not the most obvious forum for OSM first performances. Resident conductor Nathan Brock boldly marched two premières into the Maison symphonique on Friday and made a brilliant case for both.
First up was Edge of the World by the late John Weinzweig, a composer whose name is likely to strike 12-tone terror into those who know it. Yet this Torontonian also wrote film and radio music early in his career, and pretty well, to judge by this superbly evocative seven-minute study in Arctic stillness.
A full-orchestra dissonant blast grabbed our attention at the outset; floating violins and lonely wind ensembles successfully retained it. Apart from its intrinsic (and intrinsically Canadian) virtues, the piece worked splendidly as a showcase for the beauties of the OSM. Brock proved himself a master of the art of conveying stasis with steady forward motion. This score of 1946 would make an excellent calling card for Canadian orchestras on tour. Bravo to Brock for reviving it.
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