Email to a friend Printer friendly Font: * * * * Via Dolorosa, or way of sorrow, is a moving and quiet work evoking the suffering of Christ. Swan uses moody violas and cellos to open the work and create the sorrowful mood, then fills in the sound with the violins. After a long section of tension creation, he provides a beautiful resolution before moving into augmented fourths, intended to portray the betrayal of Christ. Full, deep notes from the basses, meanwhile, add an ominous sense.

The work has some lovely melodies, even if it does bog down a bit in repetition near the end, but it’s generally a strong work that fulfills its evocative intent. What will be a highlight of the SSO season followed. Three members of the Royal Conservatory of Music faculty stepped onto the stage to perform the solos in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C major, opus 56. This was beautifully played by symphony and soloists, with an excellent balance of sound.

After an opening from the SSO, David Hetherington on cello was the first to play, shortly joined by Marie Berard on violin and then David Louie on piano. All three are highly acclaimed and accomplished musicians. Hetherington, a member of the Toronto symphony, plays with a rare delicacy and clarity, and owned a particularly beautiful solo in the Largo.

Canadian Opera Company concertmaster Berard, clad in a gorgeous red gown (the gentlemen wore tuxedos), elegantly handled the difficult runs Beethoven penned for the violin. She is a marvelous violinist to hear and to watch. David Louie, described by one reviewer as a “pianistic sensation,” was nothing short of brilliant on the aging Steinway, equally handling delicate passages and great chords with power, speed and style. It was fabulous, tightly performed and thoroughly enjoyable.