On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the orchestra held their first concert of the year, their fall concert. Each of the four orchestras, Symphonia, Philharmonic, Symphonic and Chamber, played dynamic and interesting pieces from various cultures.
The pieces played by the orchestras reflected this year’s theme: Around the world. From Egypt to Brazil to Argentina, this concert’s pieces were influenced by the unique styles of music in various countries and regions.
The pieces played by the Symphonia Orchestra included “Alegria” composed by Cunalata which has Spanish origin meaning elated joy and happiness, and “Aspen Glow” by Susan H. Day.
“My favorite piece we played at this concert was probably Aspen Glow,” Junior Sanaa Nazir said. “Being a viola, there aren’t many pieces where we get to play the melody, but in this piece we were able to do some of that. Besides, it’s a very pretty piece and I loved playing the high eighth notes.”
Nazir reflects on the practicing efforts for the concert and her orchestra’s overall performance.
“To be honest, practicing felt pretty frustrating at times because it was so hard to play together while also remaining in tune,” Nazir said. “I think our performance somewhat paid off though because we put our minds to it on stage and played louder.”
After Symphonia’s performance, the Philharmonic Orchestra played a soft, melodic piece called “Ray of Joy” composed by Adrien Gordon and a strong, powerful piece called “Gravitas” composed by Soon Hee Newbold.
“I think my favorite piece I got to play for this concert was Ray of Joy,” Junior Elvina Louis said. “It sounded beautiful when everyone played it together and technique wise it was easier to stay together as an orchestra and add vibrato which made the overall performance more expressive.
Next, the Symphonic Orchestra played two pieces including “Pharaoh’s Tomb” composed by Brian Balmages and “Tico Tico” composed by Zequinha de Abreu, arranged by Lipton. While “Pharaoh’s Tomb” is inspired by the wonders of Egypt, “Tico Tico” has been used by the Brazilian synchronized swimming team during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic games.
“While at first, I enjoyed playing ‘Tico Tico’, I grew to like ‘Pharaoh’s Tomb’ more because of the overall sound and the rhythm changes,” Freshman Andrew Wong said.
“Pharaoh’s Tomb” not only explored different sounds and rhythms on instruments but also included clapping in the middle of the piece which resulted in a unique performance.
“There were different rhythms for each of the clapping sections in the piece,” Wong said. “We practiced this by breaking up into groups and clapping that way. This was different from what we usually do because we had never incorporated these elements of performing without our instruments before.”
Lastly, the Chamber Orchestra ended the concert with a show-stopping performance of “Suite for Lower Strings,” movements one and three, composed by Bach and arranged by Clarice Assad, and “La Muerte de Ángel,” composed by Astor Piazzolla, who draws inspiration from his Argeninian background and his New York upbringing.
“‘La Muerte de Angel’ was my favorite piece that we played,” Senior Saimanasaa Viswanathan said. “This piece was the most innovative and as an orchestra, we played this piece without a conductor. Also, there were various emotions portrayed throughout the piece so I think it showcases a story.”
The Chamber Orchestra undoubtedly put in lots of effort both individually and as a group to put together their performance.
“Overall, I think we did great,” Viswanathan said. “There were definitely areas that could have been improved, but our musicianship and technique really showed. We worked on these pieces for many weeks through rehearsals and I’m glad about the end product.”
