The Outdoors Symphony

On Monday, I was invited to join a friend of mine at Hawrelak Park to watch the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra play live in the third day of the "Symphony Under the Sky" Festival. The performance we saw included a wide range of pieces, from jazzy swing music to the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song. Playing along with the orchestra on several of the pieces was P.J. Perry on the saxophone.

It was an odd experience hearing a symphony outdoors, particular as we had lawn seats. The entire atmosphere was much more relaxed than an ordinary symphony performance with the musicians even wearing long sleeve t-shirts instead of the standard formal wear. It was pretty neat, particularly because it seems like a nice way to introduce a new audience to this style of music.

The outdoor setting can also add an interesting variability as the musicians are forced to deal with the weather. For example, scattered amongst the orchestra pit were quite a few heat lamps that had been used earlier in the weekend to combat low temperatures. However, Mother Nature decided to save something particularly special for the pianist who, in the middle of a solo, was forced to awkwardly and continuously switch between playing and preventing his sheet music from flying away. Eventually, the wind won the battle, and there was nothing more for him to do aside from grin and slump forward in mock despair while paper fluttered around him. At least it got a roar of laughter (and understanding) from the audience.

As mentioned earlier, one of the pieces played was the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song, which was used as a preface for a little fun: an entry into CBC's theme song contest by the ESO's composer-in-residence, John Estacio. As such, the regular conductor, Bob Bernhardt, stepped aside so that John could conduct his own piece, "Powerplay Fanfare." I have to say, I was pretty impressed (but I will say it sounds much better with an actual orchestra). The composer said he was trying to capture the spectacle of sport and competition, and I would say he accomplished that goal. It probably helped that he conducted the piece while wearing an Oilers jersey. Oh, and it was a Ryan Smyth jersey of course.

It will be interesting to see how well this piece does in the competition, because I think most people will want the song to have an identifiable "riff" as most sports theme songs do. For example, consider the Monday Night Football theme (note: it is a crime that I can't find the old TSN Sportsdesk theme on youtube). I think it would be hard to argue that part of the appeal of the old song was how "hummable" it was. Having said that, I do really like this entry.

I do also want to applaud the conductor, Bob Bernhardt, for really getting into the event, and enjoying every second of it. Not only did was his banter with the crowd quite amusing, but he also had a lot of fun with the setting. For example, while conducting the old Hockey Night in Canada theme, he used a mini-hockey stick instead of his baton. He also initiated a second rendition of John Estacio's piece, in which Bob led the crowd to add some extra percussion to the piece by pounding the ground and clapping.

The concert ended with a rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" which apparently is the traditional way to end the festival. Tthe audience is even encouraged to bring bells to play along with the performance. One of the gentlemen in front of me had brought a saw blade which he held using a screwdriver as its axle. By hitting the saw with a metal hammer he certainly did well to accomplish that church-tower bell sound. The Royal Canadian Artillery also got involved, by firing cannons in time with the orchestra so as to add a little something extra to the performance. What can I say, but that it was pretty cool.