Hopkins Symphony Orchestra romances enraptured audience
Dr. Franklin received hearty applause and a bouquet from the audience, though not the full standing ovation she earned. The audience in attendance filled about one-third of Shriver auditorium, a rather low turn-out for the caliber of musicianship displayed. The majority of the audience was non-students, instead consisting of parents and aficionados (orchestra members are students and faculty). This is an expected, albeit unfortunate, result for a concert on Saturday night at 8 p.m. considering admission is free for Hopkins students. After a brief intermission and reorganization of the stage, the orchestra took their seats once more, and Dr. Gaylin addressed the audience.
Symphonie fantastique was universes apart from the concerto, despite being written only 22 years after the Beethoven, according to Dr. Gaylin. The piece depicts the story of a young artist's obsession over a woman. When the artist realizes his love is unrequited, he attempts to overdose on opium but instead suffers through a nasty bout of dreams with hellish overtones. Berlioz demanded that a literary program be distributed to the audience for this performance in order to follow along the theme of each movement, which Dr. Gaylin briefly summarized for the audience.
This symphony featured various contrasting themes, each exemplified by a particular instrument. The bass undertone throughout the first movement inspired the anxious, gut-wrenching feeling felt by the artist. The cellists stood out in the first movement as well, expressing the light-hearted hope often conjured in tandem with anxiety. The percussion section entered near the end of the first movement to provide thunderous heartbeats, a welcome addition to the environment. However, the most notable performance of the symphony came in the third movement. An oboe duet opened with a simple shepherd's melody that seemed ethereally beautiful played alone.
The surprising variety of the last two movements was refreshing and very entertaining. Horns, church bells and what sounded like a washboard were among the additions that elicited warm responses from the crowd. These instruments tied together well with the orchestra and provided interesting emotional correlations.
Symphonie fantastique was universes apart from the concerto, despite being written only 22 years after the Beethoven, according to Dr. Gaylin. The piece depicts the story of a young artist's obsession over a woman. When the artist realizes his love is unrequited, he attempts to overdose on opium but instead suffers through a nasty bout of dreams with hellish overtones. Berlioz demanded that a literary program be distributed to the audience for this performance in order to follow along the theme of each movement, which Dr. Gaylin briefly summarized for the audience.
This symphony featured various contrasting themes, each exemplified by a particular instrument. The bass undertone throughout the first movement inspired the anxious, gut-wrenching feeling felt by the artist. The cellists stood out in the first movement as well, expressing the light-hearted hope often conjured in tandem with anxiety. The percussion section entered near the end of the first movement to provide thunderous heartbeats, a welcome addition to the environment. However, the most notable performance of the symphony came in the third movement. An oboe duet opened with a simple shepherd's melody that seemed ethereally beautiful played alone.
The surprising variety of the last two movements was refreshing and very entertaining. Horns, church bells and what sounded like a washboard were among the additions that elicited warm responses from the crowd. These instruments tied together well with the orchestra and provided interesting emotional correlations.
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