Spring Break
HSO's 25th season culminates
Issue date: 12/6/07
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Recently dubbed "Baltimore's other great orchestra," by the city's deputy mayor, the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra just had its 25th anniversary celebration concert on Friday, Dec. 1. Not only was it an impressive concert, but also a unique experience for the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, Hopkins and all of Baltimore.
The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, the only community orchestra in the city of Baltimore, has now been an official ensemble of the University for 25 years. To celebrate this momentous occasion, music director Jed Gaylin programmed a difficult but ultimately rewarding concert.
The orchestra began with a world premiere - "Sinkinetic" by Matthew Stofferahn - and then performed Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9," which is, quite possibly, the most famous piece of music ever written, and certainly one of the most difficult.
Pieces such as these show what a brave and talented ensemble the HSO is. To premiere a piece, especially one as difficult as "Sinkinetic," is quite a feat, but to perform that in addition to Beethoven's 9th without an intermission is very impressive, and the HSO suceeded with ease.
This concert was a combination of present and past, and was clearly an overture to the future of this orchestra. "Sinkinetic" was composed specifically with the HSO in mind, for it was written by an alumnus of the orchestra. Matthew Stofferahn is a resident physician in Newark, Del. with a degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, but he is also an HSO alumnus with a B.M. in music composition from USC. The piece was truly, as Gaylin described, "a confetti of sound." Modern music can be difficult to appreciate to the untrained ear, but this piece wasn't unpleasant or overly complicated. With brass fanfares and other bursts of sound created by pizzicato, mallets and woodwind flourishes, the piece built up as it progressed. However, although a certainly unique piece, the melody was as developed as expected. At times it just sounded like noise and notes with no definite purpose. It must have been a difficult piece to prepare because it was so complex. The orchestra performed it well, but it was perhaps a poor choice to perform it in the same concert as Beethoven's 9th - it couldn't possibly compare. At least they performed "Sinkinetic" before the Beethoven.
The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, the only community orchestra in the city of Baltimore, has now been an official ensemble of the University for 25 years. To celebrate this momentous occasion, music director Jed Gaylin programmed a difficult but ultimately rewarding concert.
The orchestra began with a world premiere - "Sinkinetic" by Matthew Stofferahn - and then performed Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9," which is, quite possibly, the most famous piece of music ever written, and certainly one of the most difficult.
Pieces such as these show what a brave and talented ensemble the HSO is. To premiere a piece, especially one as difficult as "Sinkinetic," is quite a feat, but to perform that in addition to Beethoven's 9th without an intermission is very impressive, and the HSO suceeded with ease.
This concert was a combination of present and past, and was clearly an overture to the future of this orchestra. "Sinkinetic" was composed specifically with the HSO in mind, for it was written by an alumnus of the orchestra. Matthew Stofferahn is a resident physician in Newark, Del. with a degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, but he is also an HSO alumnus with a B.M. in music composition from USC. The piece was truly, as Gaylin described, "a confetti of sound." Modern music can be difficult to appreciate to the untrained ear, but this piece wasn't unpleasant or overly complicated. With brass fanfares and other bursts of sound created by pizzicato, mallets and woodwind flourishes, the piece built up as it progressed. However, although a certainly unique piece, the melody was as developed as expected. At times it just sounded like noise and notes with no definite purpose. It must have been a difficult piece to prepare because it was so complex. The orchestra performed it well, but it was perhaps a poor choice to perform it in the same concert as Beethoven's 9th - it couldn't possibly compare. At least they performed "Sinkinetic" before the Beethoven.
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