Review: Calgary Phil an exceptional partner for talented guest pianist Stewart Goodyear

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To open its new season, the Calgary Philharmonic began by picking up a thread from the previous season. Last winter’s concerts featured Holst’s The Planets. The new season began in a similar planetary fashion with a performance of Canadian (Calgary-born) composer Zosha di Castri’s Long is the Journey, Short is the Memory, a work for chorus and orchestra commemorating the moon landing of 1969.

The work is not just another Canadian commission. This work was first presented at the BBC Proms in 2019 and commemorates both the first lunar landing and the first soft landing on the dark side of the moon by Chinese scientists, called Chang’e 4 for the Chinese moon goddess. Given the complexity of the score, the 16-minute work has had only its initial performance at the Proms. Calgary is host to the second performance of this most remarkable piece.

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The enigmatic title refers to the fact that although much was made of the moon landing in 1969, there has been less follow-up than might be expected: Short is the Memory. While the idea is tantalizing, it must be asked: How can this be rendered in musical terms? Scored for a big orchestra, much percussion, and other-worldly, high-lying writing with pungent dissonances, the piece taps into the lexicology of sound effects associated with space, with the unknown, with wonderment and awe, and with things that come out of nowhere — a soundscape for a movie. Star Trek on steroids, so to speak.

The writing for the chorus is especially difficult, and it was impressive that the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus could prepare this score, so unusual is the writing. But handle it they did, and with aplomb. The orchestral playing was also commendable; the large orchestral forces were guided with a sure hand by Naomi Woo, the guest conductor for the evening. Impressive in its effect, this modern work was well received, although several hearings would be needed to fully grasp the complexities of the music.

The overall title for the concert was Nordic Nights, a reference more to the Nordic origins of Grieg and Sibelius than the nocturnal sound of the music. In fact, both works are among the least overtly Nordic by the two composers, even as they are two of the most popular pieces they composed.

Stewart Goodyear was the pianist for the Grieg concerto. The strong applause he received upon entering the stage was a reflection of the audience’s memory of the last time he appeared with the orchestra. With his large hands and fleet playing, he had no difficulty with the virtuoso requirements of this never-fail concerto. The audience loved his performance and gave him the strongest possible applause at the end.

For my taste, the orchestra was occasionally too strong in some of the big passages, the brass overwhelming the piano in places. Goodyear’s performance was, for me, right on the money without being exceptionally memorable.