FSU Chamber String Orchestra Concert

Pealer Recital Hall, PAC

FSU’s Department of Music Presents Chamber String Orchestra Concert

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music will present its Chamber String Orchestra, conducted by Peter B. Lewis, in its recital on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. The concert will also feature pianist Dr. Joseph Yungen in “Piano Concerto No.27 in B-flat Major, K. 595” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This event is free and open to the public. The concert will be livestreamed; click the “Join Stream” button on this page a few minutes before the recital is scheduled to begin, or any time during the recital, to view the live performance.

String orchestra personnel for the various sections are as follows: violin 1 – Chassady Redhead, Leah Boggs and Sophia Zhang; violin 2 – Sydney Hector, Taylor Bryan, Janet Fogle and Kate Fogle; viola – Evie Shanholtz and Kathryn Schram; cello – Rebecca O’Rourke and Emily Xu; bass – Lewis; flute – Courtney Sechler and Ny’Lah Green; bassoon – Joe McDaniel and Dr. Brent Weber; French horn – Daniel Coughenour and Sam White; and timpani – Jacob Deaver.

The program will include the finale from “Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op. 95, ‘From the New World’” by Antonín Dvořák, arranged by Evie Shanholtz; “Introit for Strings, Op. 96” by Vincent Persichetti; Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 27”; and “Hoe Down” by Aaron Copland.

It was during the American chapter in his life from 1892 to 1895 that Dvořák composed his “Symphony No. 9,” and Dvořák stated that the symphony’s American provenance would be obvious “to anyone who ‘had a nose.’” The finale provides a summation of the entire composition, for in addition to its own ideas, it also recalls themes from preceding movements. These recollections tie the symphony’s disparate episodes into a coherent unity and provide, in the final minutes of the piece, a comprehensive and exciting conclusion.

An introit is a piece or music or song that is typically performed at the beginning of a worship service, and Persichetti’s “Introit for Strings” (1965) is set in a very hymn-like manner while allowing the listener to experience Persichetti’s unique compositional language. The music floats, creating a sonic tapestry that colors the air with a masterful blending of 12-tone serialism and traditional harmonic techniques.

“Piano Concerto No. 27” (1791) was not only Mozart’s last piano concerto but also the last piece he performed in public. Some have said that this work was Mozart’s farewell, but such attribution relies heavily on hindsight. It is very possible that Mozart was entering a new phase and style, which would be cut short. Some of those new elements exist in this piece. In the first movement, “Allegro,” the harmonic explorations and deftness forecast new musical horizons. The second movement, “Larghetto,” moves into radiant melancholy. The last movement, “Allegro,” is a rondo that includes two cadenzas. Its main theme is friendly, free, happy and endlessly beguiling.

Aaron Copland's ballet “Rodeo” (1942) is a celebration of the American West. The ballet’s scenario takes place at Burnt Ranch, where a Cowgirl finds herself competing with visiting city girls for the attention of the local cowboys, especially the Head Wrangler. “Hoe Down” begins with dynamism and verve, signaling the Cowgirl’s rebirth; she has suddenly put aside her cowpoke duds and reappeared as the prettiest girl in the room. Copland borrows two square dance tunes to aid in this romp, a fanciful and uplifting take on the American square dance. There is a typical Hollywood Western ending, too, as the girl gets the right guy for her, not the aloof and snooty Head Wrangler, but Another Cowboy who has shown her respect, kindness and honor.

For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music at 301-687-4109.

Music, Performance, Recital