{"id":113009,"date":"2025-03-27T10:17:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T14:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=113009"},"modified":"2025-03-27T11:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:02:07","slug":"scrutiny-angela-hewitt-and-toronto-symphony-orchestra-offer-thoughtful-takes-on-chopin-mendelssohn-masterworks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/03\/27\/scrutiny-angela-hewitt-and-toronto-symphony-orchestra-offer-thoughtful-takes-on-chopin-mendelssohn-masterworks\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Angela Hewitt And Toronto Symphony Orchestra Offer Thoughtful Takes On Mozart, Mendelssohn Masterworks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pianist
L: Pianist Angela Hewitt (Photo: Keith Saunders); R: conductor Marta Gardoli\u0144ska (Photo courtesy of the Artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Reicha, Overture in D Major; Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467; Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”). Marta Gardoli\u0144ska, conductor; Angela Hewitt, piano. March 26, 2025, Roy Thomson Hall. Repeats March 27, 29 (Roy Thomson Hall), and March 30 (George Weston Recital Hall). Ticket holders to Thursday\u2019s concert can hear Hewitt with the TSO Chamber Soloists perform Mozart\u2019s Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Winds at 6:45 p.m. Tickets here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMasterworks\u201d is often used as a marketing term to promote concert programs to the general audience. At its heart, a masterwork is a piece of great music that has withstood the test of time. In glancing over season brochures, I think the term is sometimes loosely applied.<\/p>\n

However, this is not the case with Mozart\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, a work that is, without a doubt, a masterpiece.<\/p>\n

Of the great compendia of piano repertoire, three stand out \u2014 Bach\u2019s Well-Tempered Clavier, Beethoven\u2019s piano sonatas, and Mozart\u2019s piano concertos. In the later collection, No. 21 along with No. 20 in D minor are the most well known.<\/p>\n

Angela Hewitt<\/strong>\u2019s performance of this concerto, No. 21, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is part of her ambitious “Mozart Odyssey,” a project in which she will perform all of Mozart\u2019s piano concertos over the course of 2024 to 2026. No stranger to milestone projects, Hewitt completed \u201cThe Bach Odyssey\u201d, in which she performed all of Bach\u2019s keyboard works.<\/p>\n

We often think of a concerto as a duel between the soloist and the orchestra. In this concerto, Mozart\u2019s craftsmanship and the interpretation of tonight\u2019s musicians elicited a much more friendly affair, akin to a collaboration of a chamber ensemble.<\/p>\n

Led by Marta Gardoli\u0144ska<\/strong>, the orchestra, itself was slightly smaller, with fewer string players. Hewitt engaged in delightful musical dialogue with the orchestra \u2014 particularly with the winds. She often cast glances or made subtle arm gestures in their direction to reinforce the musical connection.<\/p>\n

The second movement, with its famous melodic theme featured in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan, was delicate without being overly precious. Some pianists take a slower (Andante) tempo, which risks making it overly sentimental. In my view, Hewitt’s interpretation struck the right balance. It was still very poetic.<\/p>\n

Excellent pianism was on display, especially in the third movement. The virtuosic passages always sparkled with clarity and effortlessness.<\/p>\n

This evening\u2019s performance showcased why Hewitt is an intelligent, thoughtful, and masterful artist. Hewitt\u2019s frequent performances in Toronto have made her a local favourite. The audience leapt to its feet in a standing ovation, and in return, we were treated to the Aria movement from Bach\u2019s Goldberg Variations as an encore.<\/p>\n

Mendelssohn\u2019s Symphony No. 3<\/h3>\n

After intermission, more wind and string players filled the stage to perform Mendelssohn\u2019s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 (\u201cScottish\u201d). The composition was inspired by Mendelssohn\u2019s trip to Scotland, and in particular, a visit to the ruined chapel of Holyrood Castle near Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

The opening melody, referred to as the “Holyrood Castle” theme, rises and falls in a manner that evokes the arches of the chapel\u2019s windows, creating a musical reflection of its architecture. The viola section, accompanied by the winds, introduced this opening melody with a secure and present sound that left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n

Performed without breaks between movements, the symphony\u2019s two outer movements provide a solid anchor, while the second (Vivace non troppo) and third (Adagio) movements offer contrasts.<\/p>\n

Gardoli\u0144ska\u2019s direction was precise and efficient, to which the orchestra responded well and delivered a committed and dynamic performance. The orchestra was in fine form, and I was particularly taken by the wind section. Principal clarinetist Eric Abramovitz<\/strong>\u2019s clarinet solo in the second movement left me breathless.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

The program began with Anton Reicha’s Overture in D major, a work notable for being one of the first orchestral pieces in quintuple time (5\/8). Unfortunately, the piece didn\u2019t leave a lasting impression on me.<\/p>\n

One final note: Canadian patriotism was proudly on display with the singing of ‘O Canada’ to open the concert. Angela Hewitt also stood out in a stunning red dress, complemented by matching shoes.<\/p>\n

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Angela Hewitt performed Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a program that also included Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":113013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,76,19,875,47,52,63,1],"tags":[286,20814,41739,5644],"yst_prominent_words":[12147,9227,8079,6630,6843,6674,6826,6683,6827,6825],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-03-27T101553.709.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-toJ","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113009"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113018,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113009\/revisions\/113018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113009"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=113009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}