On January 27, 2000, the National Arts Centre paid tribute to Mr. Southam by renaming the Opera Hall, calling it Southam Hall in his honour. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, the late Honourable Mitchell Sharp, former Board Vice-Chair, Paul Hébert, NAC Orchestra Concertmaster Walter Prystawski and NAC Board Chair David Leighton paid tribute to Mr. Southam before a large audience of family, friends and supporters.
Since 1969, the same male English voice has been heard prior to every performance, saying, “ Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats in Southam hall. ” This voice has particular significance because it is that of Gordon Hamilton Southam, the NAC’s founding father. Mr. Southam was the federal Centennial project coordinator for the establishment of the NAC, and the Centre’s first Director General and CEO.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The circumstances surrounding the 39th Symphony are shrouded in mystery. It took Mozart about 20 days to write this work– yet it wasn’t a commission and he had no real reason to write it. He was by all accounts a very practical man and would not have written it to fulfill some inner creative need. Demand for Mozart’s work was waning in Vienna – he was in dire straits and writing friends begging for loans. He was also busy caring for an ailing wife, giving piano lessons and writing other works at the same time.
The completed work was not the least bit mediocre; this along with two other symphonies he composed during the summer of 1788 (No. 40 in G minor, and No. 41 in C major (Jupiter)) are, in modern times, considered masterpieces and performed often.
Mozart died at 35 and although there are lots of theories bandied about as to why the work was written, it is quite possible that he never heard Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 performed in his lifetime.
Listen to Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
ArtsAlive.ca publishes a weekly blog entry that highlights a work of music from NACmusicbox.ca accompanied by an historical anecdote. The featured music also can be found on NACmusicbox.ca in “Popular Selections”.
The NAC has had many distinguished visitors over the years. In fact, we keep an Official Guest Book containing the signatures and commentaries by heads of state, dignitaries, artists who have visited or performed at the National Arts Centre since 1969. Here are some of the comments by our distinguished guests over the years:
“The National Arts Centre is a dream centre to be proud of. I have many wonderful memories; great operas, beautiful dance and fascinating theatre. Long may you reign. – Your devoted fan.” (Maureen Forrester)
“It is always a joy to come back to dance at the NAC where the music sounds so wonderful and there are so many friends backstage.” (Karen Kain)
“It has been a special privilege to perform so often at the NAC, and I have ever so many warm memories stretching back nearly to the first year.” (Anton Kuerti)
“A million wonderful memories.” (Shirley Douglas)
A visit that took place April 14, 1972, by Richard Nixon, then President of the United States, certainly left a lasting impression. Minutes before the President made his entrance to the Salon, several journalists were anxiously awaiting his arrival. Two of them were sitting on a coffee table and, when one of them stood up, the table tipped over and made a loud bang. Nixon’s security people were positioned in the Salon, and mistook the bang for a gun shot. In a flash, they produced their guns from their long coats, much to everyone’s surprise.
Despite the brevity of his visit, Nixon requested that a hotline be installed, to give him ready access to the White House in Washington. The installation of the special phone was done in the small room adjoining the Salon, which to this day bears the nickname “the Nixon Room”.
There have been visits from 16 foreign heads of state since the NAC’s opening in 1969, the first of whom was the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now Russia), Alexi Kosygin, on October 19, 1971.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip visited the National Arts Centre on three occasions, in 1967, 1977 and in 1982.
Another royal visit to the NAC was made by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Princess Diana on October 29, 1991. In addition, Their Majesties, King Beaudoin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium visited the NAC on September 20, 1977. Also, His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor visited the NAC on November 14, 1981.
Although we can’t (yet) claim to have entertained a Pope, this photo will attest that Pope John Paul II drew crowds gathered to the NAC, as he waved from his boat on the Rideau Canal on September 20, 1984.
Maggie Morrison, SMI 2010 Participant
Maggie Morrison, participant in the NAC Orchestra‘s Young Artists Program, offers a reflection on her musical journey as part of this year’s Summer Music Institute:
As musicians it is our responsibility to interpret and decipher what composers ask of us.
When I found out that I was placed in the Vaughan Williams C minor Piano Quintet I was unsure of what to expect. I didn’t know the piece and as it turned out, not many people did.
It was both intimidating and thrilling to be given a work that was largely unknown to most of the classical world. My group immediately decided that it was our responsibility to introduce it to our audience as a piece that they would want to get to know more intimately.
Rehearsals were fueled with different ideas and approaches. Sometimes they lead us to enlightenment. Sometimes they lead us to “break time”… It was often a struggle to decide which path to take.
We finally agreed to take inspiration from English tradition: country landscape, wild running horses, afternoon parties, as well as different eras of church music (Gregorian chant, chorale, and boys’ choir).
In particular, we found the second movement to be an exceptionally challenging quest. But in the end, we arrived at what we felt was most natural and sincere.
It was an amazing experience to take a fresh piece of music and be given the opportunity to make it ours. After the long journey we delivered a performance that was both beautiful and meaningful.
John Weinzweig
In the 1940’s it was inconceivable to make a living in Canada as a professional composer. The man who did more than anyone else to change that was John Weinzweig.
Weinzweig taught a whole generation of composers at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and at the University of Toronto. Some of his notable students were R. Murray Schafer, Harry Somers, Srul Irving Glick, John Beckwith, Harry Freedman, and Peter Paul Koprowski.
Weinzweig also helped found the Canadian Music Centre and the Canadian League of Composers. The idea of the CLC was to support composers, much like the Group of Seven 30 years earlier in Canadian art.
Weinzweig started his Divertimento series in 1946 with the first for flute and strings, and ended more than fifty years later with the twelfth. Divertimento No. 1 (for flute and strings) won a Silver Medal at the Olympics in England in 1948, when they were still giving out medals for cultural works!
His unofficial title of the Dean of Canadian Composers was well earned, but he received the Order of Canada in 1974 to officially recognize his efforts in enriching Canada’s musical life.
Listen to Weinzweig’s Divertimento No. 1 (for Flute and String Orchestra)
ArtsAlive.ca publishes a weekly blog entry that highlights a work of music from NACmusicbox.ca accompanied by an historical anecdote. The featured music also can be found on NACmusicbox.ca in “Popular Selections”.
The show goes on rain or shine!
I love summer in Ottawa. We’re lucky to live in a city that relishes life in the summer heat as much as we tolerate our harsh and rugged winters. We’ve got some great beaches and rivers and lakes to cool down in. There are patios aplenty for an after-work beverage. And of course there is one great festival after another come the beginning of June.
The National Arts Centre and the National Capital Commisson are pleased to add to the outdoor music-listening landscape with our free Orchestras in the Park series, running July 22-25 in LeBreton Flats Park (psst… that’s next week!)
We have four spectacular free concerts with themes from opera to Gershwin and fantastic guest artists like Nikki Yanofsky and Isabel Bayrakdarian.
Oh, and did I mention the concerts are FREE?
The concerts go ahead rain or shine (you know… that whole thing about how the show must go on?) so come prepared! Bring your family, bring the dogs, bring a picnic, bike down to the park—whatever you do, just get there and enjoy the music.
New this year: text your vote! In a history-making move for a major Canadian orchestra YOU the audience will get to choose between two pieces for the encore for the July 24th concert by voting through text messaging on your cell phones. Participate in this great initiative by bringing your cell phone to the concert (OK folks, be sure to turn it OFF or on SILENT MODE during the performance) and voting using the instructions in the program booklet (standard text messaging rates may apply).
Continuing a great tradition from last year’s concerts we are running a Photo Contest during Orchestras in the Park this year. There are several different categories and you could win some great prizes from the NAC. Not to mention the honour of being in the company of folks like this and this. It’s easy to enter our contest—see the rules here and don’t forget to bring your camera to the park!
The first unofficial performance at the National Arts Centre took place on March 20, 1967, before the construction of the Centre had even been completed. The Stratford Festival Company was in town for a performance at the Capitol Theatre and were given a tour of the NAC site. While being shown the Opera (now Southam Hall), two Stratford cast members stepped out onto the Opera stage – such as it was at that point in its construction – and gave an impromptu performance of a Gilbert and Sullivan tune to an audience of construction workers.
