ON STAGE
What: A Greeting From Denmark
Where: victoriasymphony.ca
When: Premieres Thursday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Free (donations accepted)
Adjusting with little notice to ever-changing COVID-19-related protocols is no easy task, but it can sometimes yield something original and worthy in its own right.
A Greeting From Denmark is evidence of that. The Victoria Symphony presentation, which premi猫res tonight on victoriasymphony.ca, is a valentine to Victoria from music director Christian Kluxen. The conductor, who has been stationed in his native Denmark for the past year, used a program of music from Denmark as a way of reconnecting with his colleagues and audience on 91原创 Island, while sharing a bit of his homeland with his adopted one.
鈥淗e left once the lockdown started in March, fearing that he might not be able to get back to Denmark, but he has been very active in the programming of this virtual season over Zoom,鈥� said associate conductor Giuseppe Pietraroia, who has been overseeing orchestra activities with concertmaster Terence Tam in Kluxen鈥檚 absence.
The orchestra was under Pietraroia鈥檚 baton for the taping of A Greeting From Denmark several weeks ago. The finished product will include the 40-minute performance, along with several additions, including a video address from Kluxen.
Kluxen has appeared on camera during several virtual performances by the Victoria Symphony, but he wanted to up his presence on A Greeting From Denmark. While he has been programming the symphony remotely since October, in previous years, he would spend up to five months here during the symphony鈥檚 season.
Pietraroia said the symphony has had a good response to its virtual season, which runs until the end of June. 鈥淚 think a lot of people are really appreciative. You have to stay vibrant, you have to keep a connection with your audience, and this is one way we can do it.鈥�
But he said not having an in-person connection with the ensemble has been difficult for Kluxen. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been here a few years and he has built those relationships. You don鈥檛 want to lose that. You don鈥檛 want have to start over again.鈥�
Pietraroia described the program as 鈥渁 musical postcard鈥� from Kluxen, as several substantial pieces from Scandinavia are included. Kluxen chose music by the Danish String Quartet for its vivid evocation of Scandinavian folk music, while composer Carl Nielsen鈥檚 Suite for String Orchestra was included because of Nielsen鈥檚 long-held reputation as the national composer of Denmark.
Kluxen asked his childhood friend Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen, a violinist with the Danish String Quartet, to arrange a suite of folk songs from Denmark鈥檚 Faroe Islands for the program, and the results were surprisingly 91原创, Pietraroia said with a laugh. The two friends will appear together in the video premi猫ring today.
鈥淲hen we were playing it, at one point one of the tunes could have been from a Nova Scotian kitchen party,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a charming piece, very colourful. A very lively piece as well.鈥�
The symphony recently taped an upcoming performance on the stage of the Royal Theatre, its longtime home (recent performances were taped at either the University of Victoria鈥檚 Farquhar Auditorium or at Christ Church Cathedral). Going back into the Royal Theatre, whose stage has been redesigned to accommodate an increased number of socially distanced orchestra members, was inspiring as a step in the right direction, Pietraroia said.
But much more will have to change before the old-fashioned feelings return, he added 鈥� namely, audiences.
鈥淭he biggest difference is not having an audience there. You feel the audience, you feel the energy when you come out and feel it during a performance. When you鈥檙e performing for a bunch of cameras, you finish 鈥� and there鈥檚 nothing. There鈥檚 no applause, there鈥檚 no sort of reaction. I didn鈥檛 realize how nerve-wracking it would be to play for an empty hall, and only cameras.鈥�
