The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra will perform their final concert of the year at 8:30 p.m. on April 19 at the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC). The performance will be a special “thank you” to those who have donated to WAUS 90.7 FM, Andrews’ classical music radio station.
The opening piece, “Rhosymedre,” a Welsh hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams, provides a transition between the closing of the Sabbath and the beginning of the concert.
“The concert starts right after sundown and you know, very often people tend to do, like a formal close to the Sabbath,” said Marc Élysée, conductor of the symphony orchestra. “And I think it's a nice transition from, you know, Sabbath to starting with the hymn.”
Next on the program is “Pavane pour une infante défunte” by Maurice Ravel, which means “Pavane for a Dead Princess” in French. A pavane is a popular dance in duple meter from Spain in the 1500-1600s. The piece is very slow and features a beautiful french horn solo.
“Do not dramatize it,” said . “It is not a funeral lament for a dead child, but rather an evocation of the pavane … which could have been danced by such a little princess as painted by Velázquez.”
To close the first half of the concert, the orchestra will accompany Chi Yong Yun, professor of piano, as she plays Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. The piece’s three movements contrast greatly from one another—the first is stately, the second is conversational and the third is rhythmic and intense.
“In addition to the fast rhythms, the composer uses what we call hemiolas, where we actually fit in duples of a division into a triple meter,” said Élysée. “… From a rhythmic standpoint, it is a very challenging work, but it’s very exciting.”
Collaborations like these, Élysée said, are “very important for the development of the musicianship of the orchestra members, and so every year I try to feature one or two of my colleagues.”
Following a brief intermission, the orchestra will play “Fantasy Overture to Romeo and Juliet,” one of the most famous works written by Tchaikovsky. It follows the classic Shakespearean story of two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, and their final tragedy. This is one of the more challenging works for the orchestra to play, and students have been diligently working to perfect it.
“I’m looking forward to the ‘Fantasy Overture from Romeo and Juliet’ by Tchaikovsky, because of how iconic it is even in this modern world,” said Jasyl Dumaop (sophomore, mechanical engineering). “You can definitely hear a story that's being told through this piece, and takes you through an emotional roller coaster.”
Another student, Joseph Pelote (freshman, exercise science), said “the orchestra has put a lot of time into this piece and allowing the musicians to bless the audience's ears with this song will be so exciting for me!”
The final two pieces of the concert feature a collaboration between the symphony orchestra and the Andrews University Chorale. First, the ensembles will perform “Psalm 150” by César Franck. This piece was commissioned by the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, a school for the blind in Paris, to commemorate their newly acquired organ that was to be part of their program to teach blind students to work as church organists. Franck scored the piece for orchestra, choir and organ. The orchestration of the piece reflects the chapter it is based on, as reads “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre … Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
To end the concert, the orchestra and chorale will perform “The Heavens are Telling,” conducted by Stephen Zork, professor of music. This piece is the 13th movement from Haydn’s larger oratorio “The Creation.”
“I’m looking forward to playing the piece by Haydn because we’ll get to accompany the choir and it will be really beautiful to hear all of the harmonies from the choir and instruments blend together,” said Julianna Magan (senior, speech-language pathology & audiology).
The orchestra is putting together this performance to say thank you to the donors of the WAUS radio station for investing in the arts at Andrews University. WAUS sponsors many of the concerts at the HPAC, so this is the school’s chance to give back. Thanks to their support, this concert is also free to the community, so tickets are not required. Come, and bring a friend to enjoy the music!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.