Hopkins Symphony rhapsodizes on America
The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra had its first performance of the year on Saturday evening and proved that it was not only a capable ensemble, but also one with a spirit.
This concert was only the first of the four concerts that have been scheduled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the HSO.
However "this is only one incarnation of this orchestra," General Manager Edie Stern said. "It's been in existence probably since the 1800s in one form or another." In 1851, Peabody graduate student, Catherine Overhauser, created the HSO in its present form - the only community orchestra in Baltimore.
The concert on Saturday was well programmed with pieces, as Musical Director Jed Gaylin put it, that are all true American pieces.
Their opening number, "Polka and Fugue from Shvanda the Bagpiper," was written by Jaromir Weinberger, a bohemian immigrant. This piece, now more famous than the opera it was originally a part of, was certainly a pleasant opening number.
The opening polka was light and enjoyable; the bouncing melody clearly held the elements of a story, making it an apparent excerpt from an opera.
As the texture thickened for the fugue, which is from the wedding march in the opera, the orchestra stayed together. The big brass sound carried the ensemble when the melody was passed to them, creating a more complex variation than the polka provided.
Gaylin said he wanted the first HSO performance of the year to be fun, and Weinberger's piece certainly achieved that. Overall it was an interesting and unconventional way to start the concert.
The second piece was "Rhapsody in Blue," which most people know as American-born composer George Gershwin's first classical work for piano and orchestra.
This piece incorporated the jazz style that was prominent in America in the early 1900s, one that was certainly compounded by soloist Eric Conway.
Conway received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Peabody, and has since proven himself an accomplished pianist not only in the United States, but also in many parts of Africa and Asia.
This concert was only the first of the four concerts that have been scheduled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the HSO.
However "this is only one incarnation of this orchestra," General Manager Edie Stern said. "It's been in existence probably since the 1800s in one form or another." In 1851, Peabody graduate student, Catherine Overhauser, created the HSO in its present form - the only community orchestra in Baltimore.
The concert on Saturday was well programmed with pieces, as Musical Director Jed Gaylin put it, that are all true American pieces.
Their opening number, "Polka and Fugue from Shvanda the Bagpiper," was written by Jaromir Weinberger, a bohemian immigrant. This piece, now more famous than the opera it was originally a part of, was certainly a pleasant opening number.
The opening polka was light and enjoyable; the bouncing melody clearly held the elements of a story, making it an apparent excerpt from an opera.
As the texture thickened for the fugue, which is from the wedding march in the opera, the orchestra stayed together. The big brass sound carried the ensemble when the melody was passed to them, creating a more complex variation than the polka provided.
Gaylin said he wanted the first HSO performance of the year to be fun, and Weinberger's piece certainly achieved that. Overall it was an interesting and unconventional way to start the concert.
The second piece was "Rhapsody in Blue," which most people know as American-born composer George Gershwin's first classical work for piano and orchestra.
This piece incorporated the jazz style that was prominent in America in the early 1900s, one that was certainly compounded by soloist Eric Conway.
Conway received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Peabody, and has since proven himself an accomplished pianist not only in the United States, but also in many parts of Africa and Asia.
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