USC Symphony performs Strauss, Gershwin pieces
On Sept. 25, the USC Symphony Orchestra performed a concert of cherished symphonic poems at Bovard Auditorium. Under the lead of conductor Sharon Lavery, an orchestra of more than 60 musicians played a program ranging from German Romanticism to 20th-century Americana-inspired melodies.
The program opened with Richard Strauss’s tone poem Don Juan. The composition premiered in Weimar, Germany in 1889, though it remains a symbol of fin-de-siècle (end of the century) modernist music. The orchestra sounded well-balanced, the strings swelling deliciously with all the extravagant lyricism that Strauss writes in the climax of the piece.
Lavery is very precise in her conducting, and her musical choices were both scrupulous and intelligent. This meticulousness might have been a little too mathematical for Strauss; there was some emotional detachment between herself and the music. Regardless, the orchestra played at a caliber that was on par with professional musicians.
Tim Richardson, a master’s student majoring in viola performance, said that this performance was rewarding in many ways.
“My favorite piece [of this concert] is Don Juan,” Richardson said. “I’ve played this piece many times, and though it’s definitely the most challenging, it’s also very satisfying.”
The program was followed by Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, in which the composer drew heavily from American folk music in the Pulitzer Prize-winning composition. Originally paired with a ballet of the same name, the work now typically stands alone as an orchestral suite. The woodwinds began delicately, contrasting with the jovial nature of the recurring melodies of the Shaker folk songs that Copland references throughout the composition. The orchestra finished the suite gracefully.
The evening concluded with Gershwin’s jazz-infused “An American in Paris.” The piece, which premiered at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in December 1928, was inspired by the composer’s visit to the French capital. The piece is whimsical and lively, though the orchestra incorporated depth into the rather lighthearted arrangement. Additionally, the horns deserve recognition for not overpowering the rest of the orchestra.
Richardson, who is one of two principal violists, praised Thornton School of Music for providing invaluable opportunities to students.
“USC Thornton has made me a well-rounded musician,” Richardson said. “We’re playing repertoire that we would play in a professional orchestra and are getting real world training with all of these opportunities.”
All USC Symphony Orchestra concerts are free and open to the public. A calendar of future performances can be found online.