Some words have such broad definitions that we miss some of the possibilities. That’s what I experienced last night at the Toronto Summer Music Concert titled “Tradition”. We don’t always get the opportunity to reflect upon this process nor to see it enacted before our eyes.

Part of it shows up in the Festival’s commitment to its Academy, passing the torch from the experienced virtuoso to the younger musical talents coming to Toronto every summer to listen and learn. I wish it were possible to see every minute of this remarkable festival, even if I’d miss the nuances experienced by the artists taking part in such an apprenticeship. Yes a lot of this goes over my head.

And then there was the program:
Gabriela Lena Frank: Four Folk Songs
Iman Habibi: Relics
Jerry Bock: “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof (arr. Kelly Hall-Tompkins)
Jerry Bock: “Fiddler Rhapsody and Scherzo” from Fiddler on the Roof (arr. Oran Eldor)
–intermission–
Dvořák: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 87, B. 162

For me it was a concert that problematized the idea of newness, reminding one of the complexity of influence, as though I glimpsed oral cultures where children were taught stories and songs, to pass on to successive generations. And of course there’s the magic when one culture encounters another, ideally in friendship rather than in enmity (where the word “tradition” may sometimes have negative connotations and impacts), let alone in the music of the oppressed or refugees who have left their homes behind, their art a precious reminder of what they’ve lost.

When I look at a festival schedule it’s guesswork as to what will work, what will be fun, what will be comprehensible. I feel I hit the jackpot with this one even if Walter Hall wasn’t full, possibly because of access issues announced through the courtesy of email telling us that the elevator might not be working, and the kind offer of last-minute refunds to those prevented from getting downstairs to the performance space. That reminder hits home for me, a lifetime arthritis sufferer who is currently in remission but at one time might have been daunted by an elevator on the fritz. And this also reminded me of the inter-generational aspect of traditions even as it suggested a barrier rather than free access.

We began in a modernist place with Four Folk Songs, the compositions bringing us elements of Latin music via a boldly dissonant sound world employing violin (Kelly Hall-Tompkins, who introduced the pieces), cello (Matthew Zalkind) and piano (Philip Chiu).

Kelly spoke of the influence of composers such as Bartok or Shostakovich, perhaps suggesting that for the listener one of our inevitable tendencies is to seek connections, to in effect place a new work into a recognizable musical tradition. We can’t fully understand something we’ve never heard without in some respect understanding where it fits into what came before. I suppose we do that every time we hear something new, whether we realize it or not. Traditions function as markers or even as pigeon holes. At one time this might have been for the purpose of classification, yet tonight we were in the sort of place that seems to break down barriers and invite crossover and dialogue.

Our next exploration seemed much more of a demonstration of oral culture, in the back and forth exchanges in Iman Habibi’s Relics, a duo between Matthew’s cello and Barry Schiffman’s viola.

The five brief pieces sometimes would elicit giggles around me for its wit and clever imitative rhetoric, a kind of call and response that seemed primal and pre-verbal, leading us to an explosion of applause at the end for Habibi, who was in attendance. I want to hear more from this eloquent young composer.

The following section included some of the most touching moments of the evening, watching members of the audience embrace the unexpected. No this wasn’t the usual white male Jewish fiddler. For thirteen months on Broadway Kelly Hall-Tompkins was the “Fiddler,” as violin soloist for the Bartlett Sher production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” with numerous solos written especially for her, for over 500 performances. This time Kelly was in the centre of the stage rather than supporting a show.

Kelly played the first part with Philip in support, including one passage where I was tempted to loudly sing the word “tradition” (as in the song) in response to a passage in the piano. I wondered if this was one of the meanings the concert programmers had in mind when they assembled the concert. I saw heads swaying, heard some humming along. The melodies from this Broadway show have permeated our culture. Norman Jewison’s film of the musical is one of my mom’s favorites, preserved in her PVR. For the second part we heard a brilliant solo virtuoso display, Kelly at times seeming to play two parts, as she’d hit brilliant melodic passages, plus lower notes resembling bass on the lower strings.

After intermission we were in a different place again, listening to Jennifer Frautschi introducing and then playing the Dvorak Piano Quartet, alongside cellist Matthew, violist Barry and pianist Philip. While Jennifer spoke of a possible competition between players (at a children’s concert earlier in the festival), it speaks to the way ensembles work, that while section leaders may be trained to make a big sound, yet in chamber music such displays of ego become a liability. We heard wonderfully cohesive playing from the quartet, Philip emerging for the last movement for some bravura playing but always in support of the other three. As Jennifer rightly observed, Dvorak had a spectacular gift for melody, displayed perfectly on this occasion at the boundary between folk and art music. I think Dvorak is under-rated.

The festival continues for another week until July 29th. For further information: https://torontosummermusic.com/