Concert Season
Past Concerts
Concert Season
2009-2010 Season Reviews & Letters
Masterworks I - BIG BANG
October 16-18, 2009
Prelude to Die MeisterSinger, Wagner; Romantic Concerto, Schneider; Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky; Enigma Variations IX: Nimrod, Elgar
Guest: Arnold Draper, piano
Vernon - Big Bang ~"nothing like Wagner to wake up the music after a hot Okanagan summer..Edmund House on a single French horn was positively debilitating...The horn assembles you in its call...You had me at the second movement(of the Romantic Concerto). It opened with a slow penetrating conversation between Schneider, pianist Arnold Draper and myself... I don't know how you could have improved on Sunday's show" ~ Read more in the Oct Vernon review
Penticton - Symphony Starts New Season ~ "We are blessed to have outstanding musical talent right here in the Okanagan. Popular Kelowna pianist Arnold Draper performed Ernst Schneider's Romantic Piano Concerto...played with lovely lyrical melodic lines and executed energetic surging chord passages with ease and bravura" ~ Read more in the Oct Penticton review
Kelowna -50th Symphony Season Starts with a Bang ~"Ms. Thomson has achieved a rapport with the group and conducts them with aplomb and artistry....Schneider's Romantic Concerto more than lived up to expectations... given a fantastic performance by our own Arnold Draper...exceeded the challenge by his brilliant pianistic work" ~ Read more in the Oct Kelowna review
Masterworks II - MASTERS OF MELODY
November 21-22, 2009
The Schubert Birds, Colgrass; Concerto for Flute, Harp & Orchestra, Mozart; Symphony No. 3, D200, Schubert
Guests: Lorna McGhee, flute; Heidi Krutzen, harp
Kelowna ~ Symphony Nearly Flawless ~ The music of Mozart is unmistakable, full of grace, charm, wit and joy.. The soloists Heidi Krutzen, harp and Lorna Mc Ghee, flute, both from Vancouver, were outstanding. They captured the style completely and made it sound simple. They tackled the virtuoso passages with ease, playing as one...with the overall musicality of their playing gave us a memorable experience...The entire evening was an emotional high, due largely to the expressive conducting of Rosemary Thomson, which, at times, left me breathless." ~Read more in the Nov Kelowna review
Vernon ~ Here's to Symbiotic Friendships ~ "they made the piccolos and violins into birds. Even the horns had some nice bird moments... McGhee on her flute sustains high notes on a feather and Krutzen's captivating warm sound and clean finger work on harp is an art form in itself to watch. She peeks through her regal harp strings as her friend finishes her own phrase with a trill or two. " ~ Read more in the Nov Vernon review
A PIPING HOT CHRISTMAS
December 18-20, 2009
A Christmas Festival, Anderson; Pipers Entrance and Cape Caval Steam Train; Little Drummer Boy, trad; Messiah Selections: Pifa, Come Unto Him, Rejoice Greatly, Handel; The First Noel, trad.; Amazing Grace, trad; The Road to the Isles, trad; Eine Kleine Wienerfolly, Finley; Sleigh Ride, Anderson; Frosty the Snowman, trad; Hark! The Herald, trad.
Guests: Kelowna Pipe Band, Kristopher Watt, Pipe Major; Tracy Fehr, soprano
Penticton ~ Concert Mixes Bagpipes with Christmas ~ "the pipes could be heard approaching from the distance making their way through the lobby into the concert hall to join the drummers on stage... Thompson stepped down from her podium and sang He Shall Feed His Flock from Messiah together with Okanagan soprano Tracy Fehr. From the same oratorio, Fehr performed the aria Rejoice Greatly, executing the graceful coloratura passages beautifully. Looking stunning in her grey and purple silk robe Fehr also gave an entertaining rendition of Finley's Eine Kleine Wiener Folly," ~ Read more in the Dec Penticton review
Vernon ~ Shepherds Heed the Call ~ " I don't think a bah-hum-bug'er could have survived the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra's sold-out Christmas celebration...The blend of the strings with the pipes was enchanting. Deep, rich and full. I think the conjuring up of such a presentation is nothing short of a gift... Maestra Thomson sang with soprano Tracy Fehr in a selection from Handel's Messiah. Fehr so beautifully added a third selection: "Rejoice O daughter of Zion, for thy king cometh unto thee" ~ Read more in the Dec Vernon review
Masterworks III - OUR FUTURE
January 23-24, 2010
Child Play, Gellman; Songs of the Lights, Raminsh; Concerto for Two Violins, BWV1043, J.S.Bach; Concerto for Timpani and Strings, Rosauro; Masquerade Suite, Khachaturian
Guests: Alicia & Colleen Venables, violins; Dominique Bernath, timpani; Candesca Vocal Ensemble, Alexandra Babbel, director; Youth Symphony of the Okanagan, Imant Raminsh, director; Night Owl Orchestra, Sheila French, director
Masterworks IV - HAPPY BIRTHDAY OSO!
March 25-27, 2010
Symphony No. 94, Haydn; Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin; Sheep May Safely Graze, J.S.Bach; Turkish March from The Ruin Of Athens, Beethoven; L'Arlesienne Suite #2, Bizet; Waltz from the Sleeping Beauty Ballet, Tchaikovsky
Guests: Rolf Berstch, conductor & piano; Leonard Camplin, conductor; Douglas sanford, conductor
THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER EXPERIENCE
April 10-11, 2010
Guests: Michael Hope, vocalist; Melina Moore, soprano
HOW CANADA CAME TO BE - educational series
April12-14, 2010
Guests: Rhonda Draper & The Glenmore Grizzly Bear Singers
Masterworks V - ODE TO JOY
May 7-9, 2010
Quaternity, Raminsh; Symphony No. 9, Beethoven
Guests: Randall Jakobsh, baritone; Peter Collins, tenor; Judith Forst, mezzo; Heidi Muendel, soprano
Kelowna ~ OSO Ends Season on a High Note ~ "(Ramnish's) Quaternity: A Cantata of Seasons was commissioned by the OSO and partners for the world premiere...I found this to be one of his best (compositions)..moved from melodic sweeping phrases to shimmering strings, to strong pulsating rhythms and climaxes...Beethoven's Ninth Symphony...offers a complete musical experience...under the expressive conducting of Rosemary Thomson, the orchestra and chorus(105 singers) really shone" ~ Read more in the May Kelowna review
Penticton ~ Truly Memorable Performance ~ "Rosemary Thomson has been successful in selecting suitable repertoire for the orchestra and attracting an increasing number of fans...The soloists shone in their renditions of the wonderful verses...the choir joined in with energy and enthusiasm..shouts of bravo rewarded them ~ Read more in the May Penticton review
Vernon ~ Here's to Many More Seasons ~ "Most significant is the standard of performance she (Rosemary Thomson) inspires in those she directs and conducts...Vernon-born bass/baritone soloist Randall Jakobsh and Toronto-based Pavarotti-styled tenor Peter Collins sang with passion and precision...when all four soloists sang together the harmonious balance held the audience spellbound...the entire fourth movement (of the Beethoven Symphony #9) and the second, the witty, satirical scherzo, were played so perfectly that the orchestra might well have been mistaken for the Vienna Philharmonic" ~ Read more in the May Vernon review
