CSO Concert Review (2/22): Elgar, Britten, Saint-Saens

I went last evening, amidst the ice and snow, to hear the Columbus Symphony play the concert aforementioned on this blog.

The Elgar was played well. The rolling melodies were well placed and well played. At times, the transitions seemed a bit confused, but the structure of the piece overall was well executed.

The Britten Serenade was quite fine. The horn player, Gene Standley, played well. The opening of the piece is considered some of the most difficult written for natural horn (a horn consisting of pure tubing...no valves and notes are "approximated" by the movement of the right hand inside the bell of the horn). The high passages in movements two and three were spectacular. The entrance came out of nowhere in the highest extremes of the horn's register. The singer seemed to struggle a bit with pronunciation and diction. Dynamics could have been exaggerated by the singer a bit more as well.

The Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 'Organ' was a great, thunderous conclusion to the concert. The organ playing was good and the conductor seemed to be most familiar and comfortable with this piece. I appreciated his strict enforcement of the soft dynamics during all of the pieces, but especially on the Saint-Saens.

Overall, the concert was spectacular and well-received by the audience! Bravo to our fine musicians of the CSO! For more about the CSO, see the blog Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

A Symphony of SILENCE...and only 31

During the past several Columbus Symphony concerts, the intermission has come to an end--a SILENT one at that. All that remains on the stage are the 31 musicians who would survive the drastic cutback of the Columbus Symphony. Just seeing how few musicians remain is sobering. But these 31 musicians sit there stare at the floor or at their music with blank expressions on their faces. A few chat with each other, but mostly there is SILENCE . In a place of music, there is none. It is most unsettling and a possible foretelling of the future.

Then, just as the house lights dim, and the conductor prepares to come on stage, these 31 musicians start applauding--as the musicians whose jobs are at stake take their places. Then there are a few brief moments of scattered warming up and the concert resumes.

Seeing this story told in SILENCE and size is an experience that must be seen to fully comprehend. For the many who have asked and are asking what this SILENT intermission is all about, now you know the story. Hopefully those of you who see this will proudly support the musicians and do all that is necessary to preserve the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Golijov & Schumann CSO concert!

Just back from the Columbus Symphony Contemporary Music Festival (CMF) concert with Mr. Golijov, our guest/featured composer. For those who are unfamiliar with the CMF, the OSU School of Music and the Columbus Symphony team up to bring in a famous, living composer of new music and they have a week of classes/concerts/etc. with the composer. Last nights concert features two works by Mr. Golijov--Last Round and Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra. The works were played very well and were amazing works. Mr. Golijov said that he likes his works "to go straight to the heart. My music is written to show life!" His music did absolutely that. It was very good. Soprano Jessica Rivera sung well and the CSO played very well. I appreciated the enthusiasm with which they tackled the new works which were very difficult and technical. The last piece on the concert was Schumann's second symphony. Excellent performance of it. Bravo to all the musicians and artists involved.

I was disappointed by the lack of people at the concert. It is shameful to see so many seats open and not have them filled...perhaps one day people will once again realize the true value of our fine arts.

CSO Concert was inspiring!

Tonight's performance was inspiring! Simply amazing performance. The CSO proved to all in attendance what they do best and how much they are needed.

The Fantasian on a Theme by Thomas Tallis was so moving to me personally. The way in which Maestro Hirokami shaped the piece and phrased it was phenomenal.

Korngold was played by Concertmaster Wetherbee with finesse and great virtuosity. It was great to hear a newer piece which many have previously not heard. It was truly appreciated by the audience.

Beethoven 7 was crafted perfectly by orchestra and maestro alike. Each performer poured their soul into creating this evening's performance and it was evident. The crowd thundered to their feet in approval after the final chords of the orchestra. It was great to see the musicians smiling after the performance. It seemed that for a while all attention was drawn to the music and the showdown between the orchestra and the board took the backstage spot for the evening.

I was inspired and the attendance and enthusiasm of the audience was palpable. A great concert and bravo to the musicians of our Columbus Symphony Orchestra!!

Columbus Symphony Concert tonight!

The Columbus Symphony is playing this weekend!

The program is:

> Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (previewed above!)
> Korngold: Violin Concerto
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 7

The concert is in the Ohio Theater Sat. @ 8p and Sun. @ 3p!

This is going to be a great concert for me personally because I have waited three years to hear the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Two years ago I believe Cincinnati Symphony had it on the schedule to perform and then cancelled it. Last year the Cleveland Orchestra was scheduled to play it and they removed it from the schedule as well! So this is it...I get to hear it!

Code Blue...this is not a drill!

Please, read this article from the Columbus Dispatch!

Several days ago I wrote about the arts being on the verge of a "code blue." Today this sad truth has hit shockingly close to home. It is with great regret and sadness that I read the front-page headline of the Columbus Dispatch which read "Symphony on the brink?"

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra board has proposed that:

1. the number of full-time musicians be cut from 53 to 31
2. the number of performance weeks be trimmed from 46 to 34
3. an additional $3 million dollars be removed from the $12 million dollar annual budget

The rest of this drastic plan can be viewed at the Columbus Symphony website.

I fully support the musicians of the CSO and would like to be vocal about my support. In an attempt to make more people aware of this issue and to , I have created a Facebook group open to all users entitled "Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony." If you are a Facebook user and feel as strongly about this art form as I do, then please join the group to help show support for the CSO!

Also, if you do not attend concerts, then this would be a tremendous time to start and show your support for the orchestra!