Kelcy Conroy
Managing Editor
The RIC Symphony Orchestra, directed by Thomas Kociela, performed at Sapinsley Hall in the Nazarian Center Nov. 8. They played relatively popular orchestral suites, such as “Swan Lake.” I had a chance to attend and be a part of the lively audience, and I felt as if I was immersed into the stories being told with each piece that was played. Looking around the room made me also see that the audience felt the same way, they were captivated by the orchestra’s playing and each story being told.
Their first piece played was a standalone piece, Carl Maria von Weber’s “Overture to Oberon,” composed in 1825. Kociela explained before they began playing that the story followed a fairy king named Oberon who gave a knight a magic horn, playing the horn would summon him. This knight then embarks on an adventure to save the one he loves. The piece begins with a haunting solo horn, which was heard as the orchestra began to play. This piece eventually crescendoed, into an upbeat overture symbolizing a hero’s journey.
The next four pieces played were from the first suite of Edvard Greig’s “Peer Gynt,” composed in 1875. Kociela explained that “Peer Gynt” followed the titular character, a Norwegian peasant who was known throughout for telling vibrant and extraordinary stories. The first piece in the symphony, “Morning Mood,” was a calm but bright tune, captivating this character’s morning. However, the symphony turned rather somber with the second piece “The Death of Åse,” when Peer’s mother unfortunately dies. The orchestra captivated this somber mood clearly, as the piece was relatively slower and darker than that of “Morning Mood” and descended in the ending. This somber part quickly switched to the waltz-like “Anitra’s Dance,” in which Peer tries to seduce Anitra, the daughter of the chieftain of a local tribe he encounters. However, this is unsuccessful, as she steals his money and leaves. The piece is waltzy and the notes are short, slowly crescending as Peer’s attempt to woo Anitra is shown musically. After this piece came arguably the most infamous piece in “Peer Gynt,” “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” In this piece, Kociela told the audience that it followed Peer getting chased by trolls, and it shows. The beginning of the piece is slow and quiet, with only a few instruments playing, however as the song progresses it gets louder, faster and more instruments are added, culminating into a loud bombastic ending.
After a 15-minute intermission, the second part of the show began, with the final six pieces being a part of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Unlike “Peer Gynt” and “Oberon,” we were not told any information about “Swan Lake” before they started playing. However, after quick research I found that the story follows a young princess named Odette falling under a spell and being turned into a swan. This suite began with the rather popular “Lake Scene,” which was rather quiet at the beginning with the woodwinds taking the melody, but as the piece got faster and louder, the string instruments were heard more. After “Lake Scene” came “Waltz,” which had a loud beginning which gets softer as the song goes on. However, there is a sudden crescendo after a small time of soft playing. The string and brass instruments seem to fight to have a prominent role, with the piece crescending once again as it finishes. Next was “Dance of the Swans” where there was a sort of upbeat but also serious melody and it was shorter than most of the other songs. Throughout this short song, however, I found myself immersed in the story, imagining myself dancing across a pond with swans. “Hungarian Dance” followed, where the song started out soft but upbeat. However, it crescendoed into a strong finish. The same occurred for “Spanish Dance” afterwards, however it got more bright than it did upbeat. “Mazurka” was the final piece in the suite, and the final piece that the orchestra played that night. It was a good piece to finish on, as it started bright and soft, however it crescendoed and accelerated into a strong finish.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the RIC Symphony Orchestra. I felt immersed in the story of every song that played and I could tell that the people around me felt the same way. I highly recommend catching a musical performance here at RIC from any of the different music ensembles and programs. Here is the site to purchase tickets and the schedule of upcoming events.
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