Festival City Symphony- ‘Not an Irish Concert’
Festival City Symphony- ‘Not an Irish Concert’
Classical music shall never be old or out-dated. There is beauty in it, a melody which can soothe the listener’s mind. Usually, youngsters find it boring. But, they should earnestly try to give classical music a chance and listen to it for some times. Then, hopefully the rumour of it being boring can be put to rest. I attended a classical concert on 17th March 2013 by the professional musicians of Festival City Symphony. Named as ‘Not an Irish concert’, it comprised of some excellent performances based on the legendary compositions by Ludwig Van Beethoven and Sergei Rachmaninoff, which was presented so well by the musicians of Festival City Symphony (www.wisn.com). The award-winning pianist Jeannie Yu, a native of Korea was one of the artists who performed to thrill the audience. It actually turned out to be better than what I expected. Here’s a short summary of my experience at the Festival City Symphony’s great show.
The venue of ‘Not an Irish Concert’ was Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There was a provision for the children who reached the venue 15 minutes earlier to Children to take part in the Children’s Program Notes (quoted from Symphony Sunday’s). It took place before the main concert where Music Educator Jayne Perkins (quoted. from Symphony Sunday’s) explained something about the music to be played in concert so that we could understand it better. The concert started at 3pm and kept us mesmerised till 5pm.
A very talented and skilled to perfection orchestra began the show with their beautiful musical performances. They chose to play two of the great works by Ludwig Van Beethoven namely the ‘Leonore Overture No. 3,’ composed for his one and only opera Fidelio and the Symphony No. 8. Both of these compositions were wonderfully presented by the musicians. The audience applauded each performance with heartfelt thunders of clapping. Majority of the audience comprised of children. Yet, no one seemed bored. In fact everyone was thrilled there. The renowned Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff was another great performance presented by the musicians. The great pianist Jeannie Yu also performed for this. She was so spectacular with her musical notes that the audience got lost in it. It was really beautiful to see and listen to the symphony orchestra and the pianist play so wonderfully for 25 minutes. The variations which were played sounded very melodious.
In my personal opinion, the concert was extremely well-performed and presented. I had especially listened to all these musical compositions back at home earlier so that I could understand and enjoy it properly at the concert. So, when the musician recreated these musical performances there, I was really very glad and excited. I particularly enjoyed the Symphony No.8. It was very interesting as well as melodious. It was almost 20 to 25 minutes long in duration and comprised some beautiful movements and tunes. It really appealed to me as at times, it was so funny and innovative with its tunes. We were told that Symphony No.8 is also known as a symphony of laughter. It really made me feel cheerful. So, I particularly like this one the most. There was not any performance I did not like. Still if I have to mention the performance I liked the least, it’s the Leonore Overture No. 3. It was great but not better than Symphony No.8 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The reason I would give for choosing these two over Leonore Overture No. 3 is the appeal these compositions left with
their variations and interesting musical notes. In conclusion, my visit to the Festival City Symphony’s ‘Not an Irish Concert’ was a memorable experience which helped me to understand and appreciate the classical music. It enabled me to feel the capacity of music to cheer, soothe and thrill a listener.
References
- Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony. Concert Series- Symphony Sundays. Retrieved from Web on 23 Feb 2013. http://www.festivalcitysymphony.org/concerts.htm
- Symphony Sundays at Festival City Symphony. www.wisn.com. 2012. Retrieved from Web on 23 Feb 2013. http://www.wisn.com/marketplace/arts/Symphony-Sundays-at-Festival-City-Symphony/-/10275594/16578182/-/cu4mx1/-/index.html
