THE GAZETTE (Arthur Kaptainis)
This is a good year for the McGill Symphony Orchestra. Climaxes were as cataclysmic as could be imagined, yet with no tonal distortion or lapse in rhythmic thrust. Solos by bass Taras Kulish were dark and resonant, while the gentlemen of the Ganymède vocal ensemble and the McGill University Chorus offered support that seemed imported from the motherland. Diction was so clear that the listener got the sense of Yevtushenko’s harrowing reflections on the massacre at Babi Yar without reading the translation (and transliteration) provided.There were many fine instrumental interludes. Horns were steady and the tuba soloist evoked an atmosphere of foreboding. Strings were vivid. Not a moment sagged. Hauser conducted from memory, and like a master.
This is a good year for the McGill Symphony Orchestra. Climaxes were as cataclysmic as could be imagined, yet with no tonal distortion or lapse in rhythmic thrust. Solos by bass Taras Kulish were dark and resonant, while the gentlemen of the Ganymède vocal ensemble and the McGill University Chorus offered support that seemed imported from the motherland. Diction was so clear that the listener got the sense of Yevtushenko’s harrowing reflections on the massacre at Babi Yar without reading the translation (and transliteration) provided.There were many fine instrumental interludes. Horns were steady and the tuba soloist evoked an atmosphere of foreboding. Strings were vivid. Not a moment sagged. Hauser conducted from memory, and like a master.