Classical works by composers Antonin Dvorak, Sergei Rachmaninov and Richard Strauss echoed through the Moores Opera House on Friday night as the Moores School of Music held its first Symphony Orchestra performance of the season.
The musicians had only been practicing together for a few weeks before their hard work was put to the test. Conductor Franz Anton Krager started the concert off with more dramatic pieces, including drums to intensify the drama. The audience enjoyed the beginning pieces so much they cheered and applauded for an encore by solo piano player Kenneth Broberg.
One audience member who particularly enjoyed the introduction pieces was biology alumnus Francis Michael Tee.
“I really liked the dramatic opening. I believe the piece was called ‘Carnival Overture.’ I found it to be bombastic. I’m very proud of my friend who played the violin tonight. I plan on treating him out to eat after this for doing such a great job,” Tee said.
As the night went on, slower, peaceful songs took over, which made some audience members want to fall asleep.
“Honestly, I wanted to fall asleep near the end. I’m not at all saying that it was dreadfully boring, but the last song seemed like such a beautiful lullaby. It was peacefully relaxing. I feel it would have produced some beautifully lucid dreams for me,” said Moores patron Tuan Tran.
“I originally wasn’t even going to go. I was just someone’s ride and didn’t want to pay the $17 ticket. But I’m glad I stuck around. Our generation tends to listen to trashy music nowadays, so I try to encourage others, as well as myself, to be more open to different genres like classical or jazz and become cultured. Tonight’s concert was a refreshing change. I find classical music to be timeless — something that both our past and future generations can appreciate.”
Music education and violin performance senior Desmond Chau shared how the concert came together.
“This has been a great start to the new season. The symphony worked really hard to put this program together. The repertoire is some of the most challenging, even for (a) more top, professional orchestra. To put together something like this in only a few weeks shows a great deal of hard work and dedication,” Chau said.
