| BORIS BROTT |
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| To quote Alex (in the film, A Clockwork Orange), "Luvly, luvly, Ludwig Van!" I had occasion on Saturday, December 7/02, at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton, to hear for the first time the wonderful National Academy Orchestra (NAO) at the 4th Annual Brott Autumn Music Festival. The NAO was founded by now renowned Boris Brott, O.C., in 1988, and in 1999 it was recognized and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Canadian Heritage as a national school for music students. This season�s festival began on September 29, with this particular concert, Beethoven�s Legacy, being the fifth part of the Passport to Beethoven series. Mr. Brott, a Montr�al native of Russian extraction and Officer of the Order of Canada, is a former conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and five other orchestras in Canada. The �rebel with a baton� has also served as Assistant Conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, as well as being the music director and/or conductor for numerous major orchestras around the world. In familiarizing myself with orchestral terms, I learned that �philharmonic�, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, simply means �fond of music�. Certain orchestras, such as the NAO, apparently have neither a �symphony� nor �philharmonic� designation. The pieces performed that evening were Finlandia, a tone, or symphonic, poem for orchestra, op. 26, composed by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), followed by Cello Concerto in A minor, op. 129, by R. Schumann (1810-56), Tchaikovsky�s Rococo Variations and Pezzo Capricisio, and Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 36, by Ludwig Van Beethoven. A featured player marking her d�but with the NAO that evening was 22-year-old Haligonian celloist Denise Djokic. Ms. Djokic has been playing the cello for 14 years, and despite her lack of enthusiasm for this particular venue, gave a spectacular, emotion-filled performance of the above-mentioned Tchaikovsky selections. The contrast of facial expressions � the self-conscious, little-girl smile when settling into position, and the fierce, furrowed brow alternating with looks of pure joy while playing � would certainly belie her particular abilities as being merely �philharmonic�. Denise is already well-known globally, having opened for rock group Train at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Mr. Brott temporarily relinquished his position to apprentice Peter Dundjerski, who conducted a portion of Beethoven�s Symphony No. 2. The program pamphlet referred to Peter as being born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, �where he foolishly entered the music profession, hoping to become a millionaire�. While it is not difficult to see why the more physically expressive Boris conducted the more �rocking� passages, the obviously bashful Mr. Dundjerski did a splendid job on the mellower portion of the symphony. The remaining concerts of the festival are Passport to Beethoven: Martin Beaver Meets Beethoven at Christ�s Church Cathedral, on Saturday, December 14, and Handel�s Messiah at Hamilton Place on December 16. |
| BROTT AUTUMN MUSIC FESTIVAL - 2002 - HAMILTON, ONTARIO "BEETHOVEN'S LEGACY" - PASSPORT TO BEETHOVEN SERIES |
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