Double take
Orchestral shows aren’t reserved for the musically trained
Jeanne Fronda, Staff
Photo by Lisa Waldner.
If you don’t know the difference between an adagio, a sonata and an allegro, then that’s perfectly fine. This lack of knowledge about all things orchestral won’t bar you from enjoying symphony shows. Music student Natalia Zielinksi believes a trip to a symphony show is an event that everyone can relish.
“[Music] is really a universal way of telling stories. You can go anywhere on the planet and connect with other people. You can connect with other people and not really speak,” said Zielinski.
“There’s this idea that [going to the symphony] is so expensive and that you get to the [concert hall] in a limousine and then go and get your box seats,” said the musician, a fourth-year faculty of music student at the University of Manitoba. “[Some people] are probably thinking they will not fit in there.”
Zielinksi points out that going to a symphony show is more approachable and accessible than a lot of people perceive it to be, noting that a lot of fans travel to symphony shows the way people do to rock concerts: by public transit.
“Even if people [are curious about the symphony], then just come and see it to figure out whether or not it’s something they would be into,” said the violin student, who will be performing as a featured soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in an upcoming free concert at the Fort Garry campus.
Graduate student Greg McLean agrees that there may be a barrier when it comes to orchestral music reaching more people.
“There are social stigmas attached to symphonic music,” said the faculty of music student, who is studying conducting. “There’s [sometimes] a psychological barrier, but you just have to come in the door and listen to it.”
Perhaps listening to a concerto or two will be made a little easier for some students, since the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the University of Manitoba is not only free, but will also showcase music that is familiar to a lot of people — think Pink Floyd and maybe Brahms’s Lullaby.
“Taking the [Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra] to the university is a bold move,” said McLean.
But if you like Bugs Bunny, then perhaps you’ll enjoy the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the Great Hall. The show will also feature Zielinski as a soloist and its play list includes the familiar Beethoven composition “Symphony #5” and the not-so-familiar “Rosini Overture to Semiramide,” which is an overture to an opera.
“It’s quite lively. Bugs Bunny would like [the overture],” joked McLean, who will be guest conducting the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra along with principal conductor Earl Stafford, who is also the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s music director and principal conductor.
“I think [this show] is an excellent moment and they can strut their stuff,” said McLean. “It’s exciting.”
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performs on Wed. Oct. 26 at 12 noon in the Multipurpose room, located on the second floor of University Centre. Admission is free.
The University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra performs on Thurs. Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. at the Great Hall, located in University College. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
