New Brunswick Youth Orchestra tunes up for Titan anniversary show
Complex and epic symphony to be performed in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton
The New Brunswick Youth Orchestra is mounting a "titanic" performance to mark its 60th anniversary.
The orchestra is scheduled to present Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, also known as the Titan symphony, on Saturday in Moncton.
Titan is a very complex piece that requires a large orchestra, said maestro Tony Delgado.
The NBYO has assembled 112 musicians for the occasion, which he believes is the largest performance group in the orchestra's history.
The anniversary concert includes a new instrument for the orchestra — a contrabassoon, purchased with funds from an anonymous donation last summer.
"We wanted to do something new for the provincial audience," said Delgado, adding that this Mahler symphony has never been played in New Brunswick.
The music is 137 years old, but sounds like a modern movie soundtrack, he said.
"It's such a great piece of music.… It's really epic. I call it Star Wars-like."
A direct line exists from Mahler to film composers such as John Williams, said Delgado.
Williams scored Star Wars and numerous other iconic soundtracks for films, including Jaws, Superman, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and the first three in the Harry Potter franchise.
The music is very evocative, lena Tenass, principal trombonist, said.
Her instrument conveys strength, confidence and victory in the piece, she said, but each time she has played this music she has felt something new.
"You have all these different emotions — excitement, adrenaline, fear, romance," she said.
Each of the four movements is very different, said Tenass.
When Mahler debuted the symphony, the program indicated the first movement was inspired by nature walks in the forest surrounding the "little shack" in which he composed, in Vienna, said Delgado.
The second movement was based on a traditional Austrian folk dance called the Ländler, predecessor of the waltz.
The third movement is a funeral march that begins with a variation of the old nursery song, Frère Jacques. Mahler lost several of his siblings at a very early age, Delgado said, "so he takes you to a very dark place."
The final movement forges on to a place of celebration and triumph.
"By the end, he overcomes all difficulties — and that's why he's a titan," said Delgado, who is eager for audiences to feel the energy of the music.
For Tenass, the greatest challenge of the performance is patience. Her instrument isn't heard in many parts of the symphony.
The upside is she has "VIP seating" as part of the orchestra to hear the rest.
"It's more enjoyment than anything," she said.
Tenass was 12 when she joined NBYO and has been a member for six years.
Each year she has felt more confident in her playing and music has helped her cope with difficulties in life, she said.
In that way, she feels a connection to Mahler.
Music is "one of those things that can get everyone together and gather everyone around," she said.
Tenass plans to pursue a career in music, noted Delgado, as many NBYO members have before her.
The Grade 12 student at Moncton High School is auditioning for university music programs and been accepted to a couple of them already, he said.
Typically, NBYO members are students in grade school or post-secondary programs, aged 11 to their early 20s.
NBYO is scheduled to perform the Titan symphony in Moncton on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Tidal Church.
Another performance is planned for Saint John on Feb. 9 at the Imperial Theatre. And a show in Fredericton is set for March 23 at the Currie Center.
The Fredericton performance will include a second act of pop music, called We Will Rock You.
With files from Information Morning