The Calgary Philharmonic and Edmonton Symphony
Orchestras come together once again
By David Sussman, Assistant Principal Oboe
One of the most anticipated concerts for the Calgary Phil musicians this spring is Alberta in Harmony at the end of April, where we perform jointly with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
This is a rare event! We joined forces on Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (Symphony of a Thousand) for the opening of the Jack Singer Hall in Calgary in 1985 and then later for the opening of the Winspear Center in Edmonton in 1997. If my memory serves me correctly, we collaborated with the National Arts Centre Orchestra once when they came through on tour.
A couple of seasons ago, the partnership with the Edmonton Symphony was rekindled, and we performed Mahler’s Third Symphony in both Calgary and Edmonton.
This is a complicated endeavour. For the Mahler 3, Calgary was the ‘lead.’ This means that the Calgary Philharmonic musicians played in the principal positions (i.e. playing the solos) and decidedwho was assigned the other parts. Calgary’s Music Director at the time, Rune Bergmann, chose the program and conducted. The Calgary Philharmonic Chorus also performed and any required extra players came from Calgary. We hosted the Edmonton players for rehearsals, and it was presented in Calgary first and then brought up to Edmonton.
This season, Edmonton is the ‘lead’. The Edmonton Symphony players will play in the principal positions and we will rehearse and present first in Edmonton, followed by the Calgary concert.
With the expanded forces that combining two orchestras brings, it is important to choose repertoire that will benefit from the union. A Mozart symphony would not work so well, but a big Mahler symphony or The Planets by Gustav Holst would sound spectacular.
Why is it so much fun for the performers?
Well, we get to play with superb colleagues for one. The classical music world is not so big, and we may know many players from music school, youth orchestra, summer festivals, or other orchestras we may have played with. It is great fun to reconnect and catch up. We get to hear skilled artistry that can be inspiring.
It is fun to be caught up in the visceral swirl of all that sound. With so many string players, the sound is lush, and players do not have to work hard to produce it.
We get to nerd out and talk shop with other professional players about instruments, reed making, supplies, cases, strings, mallets, teaching, chamber music, etc.
We also get to play in another wonderful hall. The Winspear Centre in Edmonton is designed by the same acoustician that designed the Jack Singer Hall here in Calgary. It has a slightly different but lovely sound. Visually, it has slightly more rounded edges on the basic shoebox shape.
It has been decades since the Calgary Philharmonic embarked on a tour (we visited Austria, Switzerland, France, and Germany with Hans Graf — who also returns to close out this season with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in June — about 25 years ago!). Going up to Edmonton to play is like a ‘lite’ version of a tour. We get to experience a different audience and a different city.
When sports teams from Edmonton and Calgary meet, it is often billed as the Battle of Alberta. For us, it is the opposite of that! Rather than a heated rivalry, we get to work together to produce something of beauty. Truly Alberta in Harmony.
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