2008 Woodie Awards
Orpheus Gives Stunning Performance in the Annie Russell
Jami Furo
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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On Saturday afternoon, April 2, the Annie Russell Theater at Rollins College was privileged to host the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as part of the Bach Festival Visiting Artists Series. Their repertoire was varied, to say the least, spanning from Mozart to Adams, and their performance was nothing less than extraordinary.
The concert began with Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A Major, which was performed by the strings and woodwinds only. As is typical of Mozart, the dynamics were tiered, moving abruptly from piano to forte and back to piano. Orpheus handled these quick changes in dynamics flawlessly, a notable feat for a group without a conductor. The group could turn on a dime with each change of dynamics, and every cut off was clean and crisp, despite their lack of formal direction. Their ears and their focus collectively served as their conductor and served them well.
The Mozart symphony was followed by the world premiere of Robert Aldridge's Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra. This is a piece that was commissioned by Orpheus and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Orpheus' performance of the piece in the Annie Russell Theater was its first. The brass entered the ensemble for this piece after having not played on the Mozart Symphony. The concerto, which exhibits an obvious jazz influence, featured David Singer on the clarinet. Singer was able to make the instrument sing. The tone was clear and warm in both the high and low registers, and even the quietest notes were filled with intensity. Singer became so involved with the music that he almost danced at points, moving his body with the music. The world premiere of Aldridge's piece, due to the enormous talent of David Singer and Orpheus as a whole, was a tremendous success, causing the audience members to leap to their feet in a standing ovation after the completion of the performance.
After a brief interval, the string section of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra reentered the stage to perform Barber's Adagio for Strings. The Barber piece was my favorite part of the performance because of the lyricism and expressiveness that Orpheus injected into the piece. The slow, melodic string piece reminded me of a devastating part of a film that causes the audience to burst into tears. It was an emotional and remarkable piece performed by an absolutely fantastic ensemble.
The concert began with Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A Major, which was performed by the strings and woodwinds only. As is typical of Mozart, the dynamics were tiered, moving abruptly from piano to forte and back to piano. Orpheus handled these quick changes in dynamics flawlessly, a notable feat for a group without a conductor. The group could turn on a dime with each change of dynamics, and every cut off was clean and crisp, despite their lack of formal direction. Their ears and their focus collectively served as their conductor and served them well.
The Mozart symphony was followed by the world premiere of Robert Aldridge's Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra. This is a piece that was commissioned by Orpheus and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Orpheus' performance of the piece in the Annie Russell Theater was its first. The brass entered the ensemble for this piece after having not played on the Mozart Symphony. The concerto, which exhibits an obvious jazz influence, featured David Singer on the clarinet. Singer was able to make the instrument sing. The tone was clear and warm in both the high and low registers, and even the quietest notes were filled with intensity. Singer became so involved with the music that he almost danced at points, moving his body with the music. The world premiere of Aldridge's piece, due to the enormous talent of David Singer and Orpheus as a whole, was a tremendous success, causing the audience members to leap to their feet in a standing ovation after the completion of the performance.
After a brief interval, the string section of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra reentered the stage to perform Barber's Adagio for Strings. The Barber piece was my favorite part of the performance because of the lyricism and expressiveness that Orpheus injected into the piece. The slow, melodic string piece reminded me of a devastating part of a film that causes the audience to burst into tears. It was an emotional and remarkable piece performed by an absolutely fantastic ensemble.