TYO Fall Concert – Buzzing with B’s!
The Triangle Youth Orchestra is excited to be playing our Fall Concert on November 23rd in the fabulous Meymandi Concert Hall. When you come to listen to the concert at 7pm expect to hear a concert full of B’s! No, not the zinging and stinging insects, but the music of Bach, Brahms, Del Borgo, and Bizet!
We start the concert with an arrangement of Bach’s music titled Hymn and Finale arranged by Philip Gordon. The first half of the piece begins with the soft serenade of the strings and grows as the brass joins the chorus. The “Hymn” beckons the orchestra to show off dynamic contrast and expression. The “Finale” starts the second half of the piece by exemplifying the contrast and liveliness of Bach’s musical character.
Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn is referred to by many as Variations on the St. Anthony Chorale since the original melody was attributed to the “Chorale St. Antoni” which is found in the heading of Haydn’s Divertimento No. 1, second movement. In our arrangement by John Whitney, we hear several depictions of the original theme, 8 variations, and finale as the music moves from the simpler theme to the more complicated counterpoint to the broad and grandiose finale.
Essay for Orchestra composed by Elliot Del Borgo takes us to another side of the symphony orchestra. Composed in 1997, Essay for Orchestra is a contemporary piece that shows off the different colors and effects that a full orchestra can produce. You will hear many percussive moments, dissonant pyramids of sound, and exciting rhythms from each of the musical families of instruments.
Our final piece comes from the incidental music L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2 written by Georges Bizet. The title Farandole comes from the name of a folk style dance popular in Nice, France. Merle J. Isaac has done a fantastic job of arranging a piece that captures all of the excitement and festivity of the original piece. As you listen to the piece, see if you can decipher the two “feuding” melodies that are introduced separately and become entangled as it leads up to the exciting conclusion!
We look forward to seeing everyone at Meymandi Hall on November 23rd for what is sure to be an exciting concert!
TYS Fall Concert – Fireworks for a Concert
Diverse stylistic genres, different musical periods, and music featuring our outstanding sections will be highlights of the concert program by the Triangle Youth Symphony on Tuesday, November 23, at 8:00 p.m. in Meymandi Concert Hall.
The brass and percussion play major roles in Overture from“Music for the Royal Fireworks by Baroque composer George Friederick Handel (1685-1759). He was asked by King George II to write this music in 1749 for a fireworks celebration to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The king wanted the orchestra to have lots of military instruments such as trumpets and drums and “hoped there would be no violins”! (Handel re-scored the suite for full orchestra the following year.) The first performance included more than a fireworks display – the building caught fire and a huge bas-relief of the king fell down from the wall.
Academic Festival Overture, Op.80, by Johannes Brahms, (1833-1897) was composed during the summer of 1880 as a musical “thank you” to the University of Breslau, which had awarded him an honorary doctorate the previous year. Brahms utilized a very boisterous potpourri of student drinking songs and familiar college tunes with a blend of orchestral colors (warmly interpreted by our string sections) that makes this work sparkle with some of the finest virtues of orchestral writing in the Romantic period.
Our exceptional wind section shines in the English Folk Song Suite by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). A collector of traditional folk music, Vaughan-Williams ultimately collected more than 800 tunes. This suite blends his own ideas with carefully chosen familiar folk songs. Although he originally wrote this work for military band in 1923, it was arranged for full orchestra by his student Gordon Jacob in 1924.
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jim Waddelow as our guest conductor for Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Bacchanale” from Samson and Delilah. Dr. Waddelow is on the faculty of Meredith College and was recently appointed Conductor of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. Our students have enjoyed working with Dr. Waddelow on this perennial favorite of young musicians everywhere!
