Spring Break
Symphony Orchestra shows heroes are still among us
Eric Nigosanti
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Focus
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Under the theme of heroes and heroism, the Symphony Orchestra delivered three epic pieces that symbolized the proudest moments in human achievement. What allowed the orchestra to pull off this bold idea, besides their impressive playing, was the professional feel to the band.
Unlike many high school concert bands, which are normally dominated by a large, all-encompassing brass section, the UConn Symphony Orchestra had a large string section that included basses, cellos, violas, two sections of violins and a harp. This different arrangement of instruments gave the band a similar look to most professional symphony orchestras.
There was something else during the night's performance that gave the orchestra an increased air of professionalism. The orchestra performed the world premiere of Lu Wei's "D.C.A.C. Variations on the Theme of a Chinese Folk Song" led by associate conductor Howard Hsu. Although the original oriental melody was simple, its length and more complex variations made the piece sound quite challenging.
Despite its difficulty, the orchestra successfully transitioned the workman-like beat of one part to the more proud Chinese anthem of another. The crowd also seemed to notice how well the orchestra performed, since the end of the piece was greeted with a long standing ovation.
The only part of the night that may have overshadowed the performance of the piece was the story of how a piece written in China needed to come halfway around the world to finally be performed.
In a couple of speeches before the song's performance, including one by Yuhang Rong, the Assistant Dean of the School of Education, the story was told of the piece's oppressed composer, Lu Wei, living in authoritarian China. Caught by the Red Guards supporting something other than the current government's ideals, Lu Wei was sent to prison and later was forced to work as a janitor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he once taught. In the janitor's closet at the Conservatory, Lu Wei worked on his composition, which he finished and shelved in his study until it was presented to Professor David Woods, the Dean of Fine Arts at UConn.
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Ronald
posted 10/16/08 @ 9:50 AM EST
Of course it is not like your average high school concert band. IT IS AN ORCHESTRA. Seriously, was the author of this article even at the concert, or did he have someone else take notes for him?
Also, the author refrences the orchestra as a band later in the article. (Continued…)
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