English Elegance – Saint John

For the first concert of its season, Symphony New Brunswick welcomes much sought after guest conductor Mélanie Léonard and award winning Canadian cellist, Shauna Rolston in a majestic program showcasing the works of England’s most celebrated composers. This concert, titled English Elegance, will feature the monumental Elgar Cello Concerto, Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony and Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten. Guest conductor Mélanie Léonard describes the music on this program as being “romantic, virtuostic, reflective and as powerful in all of its epic moments as it is in its graceful subtlety.” The concert begins with Estonian composer Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten, an evocative work written in response to the death of notable British composer Benjamin Britten. The work is an example of Part’s tintinnabuli style, a simple style influenced by the composer’s mystical experiences with chant music. The Elgar Cello Concerto is a work that possesses the deeply personal expression of a man whose attitudes were changed upside down following World War I. Elgar spent much of the war years in near depression, mourning not only the devastation that had overtaken Europe but also how far his sympathies laid from the world as it had evolved. Despite this, he still managed to write this rich and noble work, which would turn out to be his last and most reputable work.

The concert will close with Vaughan Williams’ serene Fifth Symphony, a work that stands at the summit of the composer’s achievements. This work conforms to the most common image of Ralph William, that
of a comfortable English pastoralist. Mélanie Leonard has guest conducted with a number of orchestras including the Toronto Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, among others. Leonard says she is thrilled to be coming to the Maritimes to conduct Symphony New Brunswick. “I fell in love with the Maritimes a few years back, while I was on tour and came back as part of my summer travels. From Miscou Island to the Bay of Fundy…everywhere I went, I was welcomed so warmly! To have the chance to perform works that have for equal the beauty of your landscapes with Symphony New Brunswick is an immense honor. “

“A musical way for me to add my grain of salt to your ocean shores.” Leonard adds.

English Elegance Concert details :
October 15 in Moncton at the Capitol Theatre at 7:30 pm
October 16 in Fredericton at the Playhouse at 7:30
October 17 in Saint John at the Imperial Theatre at 7:30