Symphony Sessions Program
THE SYMPHONY SESSIONS / CONCERT INTRODUCTION
When the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra extended the invitation to Steve Bell to perform a concert of his own material accompanied by the Symphony, one of the early challenges was selecting material. The problem was a good one – Bell’s thirteen albums have produced a surfeit of fan favorites that are orchestra worthy. Eventually, Steve and arranger Mike Janzen settled on the songs and running order you will find here as the content for the Symphony Sessions concerts.
If, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding (or in this case, in the performance), then the songs were well chosen indeed. On opening night, this program elicited the acclaim of the conductor, the orchestra and the reviewers, and brought the packed house to its feet for three encores. Audience responses across the country have continued to affirm the power of these compositions to engage the whole person in both reflection and celebration.
FIRST HALF
Burning Ember
From the gentle opening strains of the extended orchestra introduction, through the contemplative middle section and into the majestic finish, this initial Steve Bell composition transports the audience into a space of wonder and receptivity. The substantial poetry of the lyric, the beauty of the melody and the power of the full orchestra draw us in, and set the tone for things to come.
Pleasing To You
Uplifting and joyful, this Bell composition invites us all to a celebration, and reminds us both lyrically and musically that everywhere we look nature points us toward mystery and goodness.
Dark Night of the Soul
Based on the St. John of the Cross poem, “The Dark Night” this lush composition carries us along on the perilous journey of a lover seeking their beloved. Bell’s songwriting helps risk, passion, danger and delight all find a musical home as with the help of the orchestra we go “pressing through the night, without light or guide, save the fire that consumes our hearts…”
This Is Love
The dramatic, anthemic orchestration of a song about that most confounding and powerful of emotions – love. This number calls out some of Bell’s most unforgettable songwriting and intense vocal work of the evening, soaring into the upper registers of his evocative tenor voice.
Here By The Water
This Jim Croegaert composition has become a Steve Bell classic – much loved, and often sung. Pastoral imagery and a deep sense of back story pervade this lyric, at once belying the upbeat pop feel of the arrangement and yet letting us all in on the joy of remembering moments of miracle and celebration in our own lives.
Deep Calls To Deep
Steve learned this song from a group of monks at a monastery in the Himilayan Mountains of northern India. Mike Janzen’s arrangement of this mystical “East meets West” features Gilles Fournier’s upright bass and the percussion of Daniel Roy, together with the orchestra’s hint of the Orient. Plenty of musical drama combined with a compelling lyric image make this song a potent first half closer.
INTERMISSION
SECOND HALF
Lord of the Starfields
A Bruce Cockburn classic, this song suggests what hymns would sound like if Cockburn was the writer, Bell was the singer, and the symphony showed up in full voice. A curiously rousing combination of brooding and energetic, this arrangement lets the audience know that the second half will not be resting on the first half laurels.
Moon Over Birkenau
Written on the piano, this Steve Bell composition features arranger and pianist Mike Janzen. An achingly beautiful instrumental that poured out after Steve paid a soul distressing visit to the concentration camp ruins in Birkenau, this textured and nuanced piece illuminates the tension between unspeakable suffering and insistent beauty.
Even So
A hymn like song, broad and lovely, filled with both longing and hope. The orchestra speaks comfort to our unanswerable questions, and under-girds a lyric that reminds us that we all need a place of certain love where we can sigh our deepest sighs.
Waiting For Aidan
Written by Bell to celebrate the arrival of a friend’s first-born, this brassy, playful show stopping instrumental that lets the whole band solo while featuring the orchestra’s horns and percussion. The perfect counterpoint to the deep and contemplative places we have just been, this song makes audiences laugh out loud.
The Wellspring
A sing-along Steve Bell audience favorite, this piece gives everyone a chance to join the musicians in making grand, majestic music! Just when we were all thinking it couldn’t get any bigger, along come the “people’s singers” and we close the concert reminded that we are not just spectators on the journey of music-making or of life, but participants.
Eventide (Encore)
A gentle and intriguing piece originally recorded as an acapela vocal number, this song features Steve’s solo voice accompanied by an orchestral “choir.” It is a delicately beautiful lullaby, unabashedly tender and winsome – an ideal “good night.”