This past week’s stirring performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral” marked the finale of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra season with grandeur and flourish. The program (heard on June 11) at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall saw the TSO joining forces with Toronto Mendelsohn Choir under the direction of Jean-Sebastien Vallée, and soloists soprano Golda Shultz, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, tenor Saimir Pirgu and bass Jongmin Park. It is no small managerial feat to direct, produce, stage, manage and conduct musical forces on this scale. Co-ordination of every nuance is well within the range of Conductor Gimeno’s impressive, internationally acclaimed skillset. Torontonians take great pride in their TSO music director and its musicians.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.
Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
TSO performances have begun with “O Canada” as of late, played and sung by orchestra and the audience. Consider the visual and emotional effect of adding an additional 170 singers to the mix. The Toronto Mendelsohn Choir sat above the orchestra, filling the choir loft. The choir bracketed the performance by opening with the national anthem and closing the evening with the choral contributions in the 4th movement of the Beethoven symphony. Orchestra, choir and the audience’s singing in unison mirrored the theme of the evening and the message of the symphony.
After this patriotic introduction came the main event—Beethoven’s Ninth. The dramatic opening movement, Allegro ma non troppo bears consideration of some historical context. As described by Norman Lebrecht at slippedisc.com, “It is important to appreciate the circumstances of the 9th’s creation, to grasp the misery of the creator. He is in constant pain, short of money, fearing betrayal by those closest to him, cut off from them by his now-total deafness.” How could such misery inspire creation of such joy?
Soloists Golda Shultz, Ema Nikolovska, Saimir Pirgu & Jongmin Park with the Toronto Mendelsohn Choir.
Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The first movement opened with powerful declaratory statements delivered by shimmering strings and contrasting winds; a musical conversation. The effect was breathtaking as fragments fit together like perfectly matched puzzle pieces under Gimeno’s trademark elegant direction. With the grace of a dancer, he holds the baton like a bow in his right hand, the left hand also translating movement into sound, proactively.
Memorable playing included exceptional tone quality of the entire cello section and as always, the brilliance of Concert Master Jonathan Crow’s heartwarming performance. There were many opportunities for each of the string sections to shine, and so they all did. As did the brass and winds, later singled out by Gimeno for multiple standing ovations.
There was little pause between the third and fourth movements. The program notes indicated the entire concert would last no more than 1 hour and 7 minutes—a daunting and ambitious timetable to meet with precision. By the fourth, final, movement the energy of the orchestra, the conductor and the audience had been tapped. Beethoven builds tension by layering texture in instrumentation. Spoiler alert—more texture was on the way as the movements progressed.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Toronto Mendelsohn Choir.
Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The stage had been set for the soloists and choir to join the orchestra and sing the “Ode to Joy” set to the words of Friedrich Schiller’s poem. Most of the choir members are volunteers, whose passion to sing was unleashed with exuberance lending a well-placed triumphant aura to the final movement. The effect was heavenly.
As the fourth movement progressed to a close, a lambent warm glow blanketed the audience. The blending of words and music produced a profound, uplifting conclusion to the concert and to the season.
To learn more about Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-27 season visit www.tso.ca
