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leeview.tyracu$eStymphonBy Jon LewisOn Monday night, April 8, “culture” came to Geneva, courted of Geneva Concerts, Inc. and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Monday night’s performance of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra \yas the sixth and final concert in the Geneva Concert Series. The Series was available free of charge to all Hobart students, functioning as an invaluable segment of our academic environment.The concert began at 8:30p.m., and the theatre was no more than half filled. The seat number on the ticket and the fact that 1 was ushered to my assigned seat in the balcony (of which only the center section was filled) seemed to imply that a larger crowd was expected. Those that did attend (and weathered our wonderful April snowstorm) were presented with a wide sampling of professionally performed classical music.The first piece that The Syracuse Symphony performed was Robert Schumann’s “Genoveva: Overture.” This piece, the overture to an opera, includes two sharply contrasting themes one dramatic and animated, the other, soaringly lyrical. In this, Schumann caused a tension between the two themes, that realizes a dramatic resolution in the end.The next piece on the program was Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.I in D minor, featuring pianist Gary Grallman. This was quite an odd piano concerto, not critically acclaimed in its time because of its deviation from the norm. Massive dynamic changes and the overwhelming emotional power of the piece contrasted directly with the decorative and diverting aspects of the accepted form for piano concerto. Divergences in structure and style are readily acceptable to modern audiences, and the piece along with the pianist was warmly received. I he piece’s extreme length and the long piano cadenzas were perhaps its only weaknesses. 1 personally ielt that this was the poorest (both in program choice and in actual execution) composition of the performance.hollowing a brief intermission. the orchestra perlormed three extremely familiar pieces. The second hall of the concert began with the “Unfinished Symphony” by Schubert (Symphony No. 8 in B minor). I he familiarity of the recurring theme, along with the captivating beauty of the piece in general, led to noticeable audience approval. The program ended with Manuel de Falla’s “Three Cornered Hat,” De Fall’s dramatically animated theme, and brilliant rhythmical patterns literally captivated the crowd. The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra’s performance of this suite was the highlight of the night. After a long ovation, they performed an encore that featured Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.”Overall, it was a perfectly planned and paced program. The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra was totally competent and executed with appropriate perfection, In conclusion. I’d like to thank the respective producers of the concert, those responsible for the series and its reasonable price.
Newspaper Details
Geneva Herald
Geneva, New York, US
Fri, Apr 05, 1974
Page 5
Full Page
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Anonymous
NY, USA 19 Feb 2024
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