Sounds of Drama – September 24, 2019

Spellbinding!

Thirty years and counting!  The LSO 2019/20 season opened to a full house September 24, 2019, with the traditional, vibrant rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.  The Sounds of Drama concert was a salute to LaGrange College and their close relationship to the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.  LSO Executive Director, Raylene Carter, explained in her concert comments that the origin of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra is attributed to three men: Dr. Harry Kruger, conductor emeritus of the Columbus Symphony, Dr. David Naglee, LaGrange College professor, and Dr. Walter Y. Murphy, then President of LaGrange College.  She went on to describe the immeasurable support that the College has given the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra during these past thirty years. This support continues today with Dr. Dan McAlexander, current LaGrange College president.  The LSO gratefully acknowledges and appreciates LaGrange College.  We look forward to the next 30 years.

The first half of this concert showcased themes from several recent dramatic films: Star Wars (Williams), E.T.(Williams), Star Trek (Goldsmith), and Pirates of the Caribbean (Badelt).  Film scores are obviously written for very specific dramatization.  The music behind the action is extremely important in its persuasive impact on the audience. Each of these themes represented are synonymous with their movie counterparts. Some themes rise to their own fame beyond the context of the drama, and are adapted, or re-worked, to be stand-alone pieces, suitable for concert performance. The selections in this program are great examples with their driving percussion, majestic brass-section power, epic swells and influential, recurring melodies. They are widely popular and easily recognizable.  Hearing and feeling this music performed live by a quality orchestra like the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra is something that cannot be duplicated in a recording.  LSO patrons appreciate the authenticity of hearing great music in this context.

The evening continued with Gabriel’s Oboe (Morricone), the emotionally rich main theme from the 1986 film The Mission.  The theme is unique in this movie because the main character plays this song on the oboe as part of the story line.  Elisa Lyle, LSO Principal flute performed the solo beautifully.  Elisa is a founding musician with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and is the only member to have continually served with the Orchestra to this date.  The audience loved her performance and enthusiastically showed their appreciation. (See photo below)

The two marches in the program were from very different films.  Dambusters March (Coates), a wonderfully patriotic piece, is from a film depicting the historic event in May 1943 during World War II in which bomber pilots deliver bouncing bombs to destroy German dams. The second march comes from an early sci-fi movie, Things to Come (Bliss).  This piece begins in full suspense mode, dark and questioning.  It moves through formidable drama, and finally becomes triumphant.  Both pieces are expertly composed with wonderful layers that can only be achieved through great orchestration in the writing and in the interpretation and delivery on stage.  Wonderful blending through each section of the orchestra gave the audience a terrific rendition of each.

The second half of the program included slightly different works. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas was composed as a symphonic poem. Its drama was entirely created with music without the support of actors or visual imagery. It was so highly regarded, that Disney later used it, in their animated concert film Fantasia. The quality of the piece, no matter how great the orchestration, is directly dependent upon on the delivery.  The LSO delivered with amazing cohesion.  An impressive piece with truly gorgeous and crisp playing.  This was a spellbinding performance.

The finale for the evening was the Firebird Suite, which was composed by Igor Stravinsky, for ballet in 1910.  This ballet blended two Russian legends, the stories of the Firebird and Kashchei the Immortal.  The ballet was a great success for the 27-year-old composer. This was his largest composition at that time in his career.  Stravinsky re-orchestrated the piece in 1919 for smaller orchestras, exactly 100 years ago.  A centenary celebrated with this performance. (photos below, soloists are individually recognized)

(below, final standing ovation)

We often comment on the dynamic abilities of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, always tonally on-point and blended carefully.  The textures demonstrated in this concert were impressive.  The voices both small and grandiose, often within the same piece, were smooth and sculpted.  Great performance.  We are looking forward to the next concert, Sounds of Dance, on October 29th.

Here is a slideshow of some of the beautiful people who attended this concert and the post-concert reception.

Thank you for supporting the arts in LaGrange, and especially the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.