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The Pops concert on June 25th with conductor Everly was great and the 3 soloist were also amazing with lots of life and spirit. It is good to be back for live concerts after the 2 year cancellations due to the covid outbreak. We will certainly look forward to some future concerts at the NAC as the sound quality is so much better than an outdoor concert-Fred Crossan
Orchestra was in top form. Vocalists were very good. All in all another very pleasant evening with the Pops!
A brilliant evening of music, wonderful performance enhanced by the choir and soloists, the acoustics were magic and we all were radiantly happy sitting back and listening
Although the orchestra was a little loud in the beginning, the evening was a joyful experience, a return to normal, to the audience having a good time, listening to old time musicals. Many members in the mostly older audience remembered these musicals. I certainly did, with Brigadoon and My fair lady. The singers had lovely voices, were very professional and especially did not take themselves too seriously, they also seemed to be having a good time. My first experience going to a Pops in person evening was uplifting. My daughter also enjoyed it.
It was so wonderful to be able to enjoy the experience of live music at the NAC once again. We invited friends to join us which made the evening even more special! We love Jack Everly and the Broadway music played by the orchestra and sung by the choir and the guest performers was amazing!
It was wonderful to get back to the NAC with a Pops performance by the National Arts Centre Orchestra and conductor, Jack Everly. Treasures all! The music was wonderful, the information provided interesting. Since I don't own a smart phone I was without any program information. My seat mates had a smart phone but apparently only got a list of performers names with no actual program information. It was nice to see many people wearing masks - I actually wish they were still required.
Had a wonderful time at the concert last Friday! It was great to be back in an in-person concert. Only suggestion is maybe having a program available at the entrances that people can look at as I wasn't sure if there was an intermission or not and I didn't see anything on the web-based program (scanned QR code).
What a wonderful concert; it was great to hear classical music in person again. After listening to Mahler orchestration, I know where John Williams got some of his ideas for Star Wars. The Wynston Maraillas composition was fun and whimsical and was a nice light diversion on a warm spring evening (or at least it made the evening feel wqrm until we stepped outside after the concert and felt the drop in Ottawa's temperature).
We had few expectations for the Marsalis Tuba Concerto. Some jazz musicians write really far out classical works that are hard to listen to. This was not one of them. Lots of melody as well as lots of virtuoso playing by the NACO's rather shy principal tuba player and lots of energy from the orchestra. Mailer's First Symphony on the other hand is well known. This performance, with the NACO augmented by fifty young musicians, was brilliant and exciting. Probably the best I have ever heard it played. It was clear that everyone agreed, with repeated standing ovations at the end. It was clear that there are still many concert goers who are not yet ready to return. Southam Hall was less than half full. Nearly everyone in the audience wore a mask, though it is now recommended rather than required. I certainly don't enjoy wearing a mask during a concert but the pandemic is far from over.
All Mahler’s symphonies are meteoric. The man was a musical genius. The NAC orchestra were magnificent - 7 trombones, 9 horns, 4 trumpets etc wonderful. Kudos to Karen Donnelly - her clarity and sound are amazing. Really well done. The Tuba concerto was executed by Chris Lee excellently as you would expect. He is a fine musician. My only criticism and one that was voiced by a few of my ‘brass’ buddies who were dotted around the auditorium was volume. At times I simply struggled to hear the tuba (front row of the mezzanine). Maybe Shelley had the orchestra turned up too ‘loud’ but the tuba was indistinct in several passages.
Deux belles découvertes, en particulier un percussionniste extraordinaire, puis une belle interprétation du Sacre du printemps. Belle soirée.
The Rite of Spring by the NACO and a world premiere of an amazing percussion piece were incredible. A night in one million, only ruined by an annoying couple who refused to shut up and either talked loudly between pieces or stage whispered throughout. An absolute event destroyer.
Storgards, the conductor, was superb, the NAC orchestra was at its best, the program was just right
NACO concerts are always enjoyable ... it's a great orchestra. The May 20th concert with Charles Richard Hamelin was a good set up piece for the Bruckner 6. NACO is a great orchestra and always plays well for Storgards but the Bruckner is a 'big' piece and this performance was special. Thanks.
The concert was excellent. I would have appreciated it more if the conductor had spoken a little about the pieces. Something brief about the context of each piece, the composers frame of mind, etc.
As a tribute to Peter Jennings it was superb......enjoyed Glass No.13 As a tribute to Ukraine......moving
It was wonderful to be back at Southam Hall to enjoy the sublime and energetic playing of the NACO and its musical guests. The NACO has become so innovative and accessible under Alexander Shelley who gives such a wonderful introduction to the music played in the concert and brings new approaches to music by inviting avant garde guests like Rao who recited (or slammed) a poem for a few minutes. The most enjoyable part for me was the playing of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9, which was shunned by the Stalinist regime, and the playing of music to commiserate with the Ukrainian people suffering and dying under the Russian invasion. It was great to see many young people showing up for the show too.
I am not a fan of Glass and found this as dreary and repetitive as his usual stuff. My wife dragged me out hoping this new piece might be different. Our two other guests felt the same way.
The NAC orchestra gave brilliant performances of challenging music. I particularly liked the contrast between the two major works that were both written in 1945. However one small complaint regarding the microphone used by the conductor as well as Yao. Three of us, including one younger woman of 35, had major problems with the microphone which was used by the guest artist Yeo. It sounded as if the volume was turned up and resulted in an echo effect. Similar problems when Alexander Shelley used his microphone although we did understand more of his speech.
The orchestra was perfect: Ehnes is a master. Did not really enjoy first two pieces (why a poem at a concert?). The other pieces were wonderful, notably the Glass. Audience is another thing. Should not permit beverages, notably wine, in the concert hall. A concert is not a movie or a hockey game. Maybe someone could explain to the public that one does not applaud between movements. Education does not hinder enthusiasm....
