Andrews University Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert

Livestream Link: www.facebook.com/AndrewsUniversityMusic

Following our six months apart, the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra is pleased to return for its first public performance of the fall 2020 semester titled “Awakening.” The concert will only be available to view as an internet livestream video, but we still very much look forward to welcoming you as an audience member, wherever you’re located.

Each of the five compositions on this concert can be interpreted to have varying relations to the concept of awakening, and that can be said for our ensemble and its members as well, now returning to action. Our first piece is a nod to infancy and the nurturing reassurances that we rely on with our family members (and faith). This opening work, titled "Mother and Child," was composed in 1943 by American composer William Grant Still. Our second composition begins with the delicate rays of the sun reflecting gently on the Danube River, perhaps depicting a beautiful morning in the city of Vienna, Austria. Instantly recognizable, this famous waltz by Johann Strauss II titled "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" will sparkle with radiance and joy. The third piece on our program is especially rousing—titled "Jota," it is a dance excerpt from Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s ballet "The Three-Cornered Hat."

Following an intermission break, we will continue our musical adventure with a composition that was first titled “Finland Awakes” when composer Jean Sibelius wrote it in 1899. He initially composed it as a contribution to an exhibition that was illuminating Finnish traditions and history in an effort to resist oppression by the neighboring Russian Empire. Now known by the title "Finlandia," it is an inspiring example of courage and hope arising out of darker times. The fifth and final piece on our program is a depiction of an Easter weekend as envisioned by composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in his "Russian Easter Festival Overture." The piece begins with Russian Orthodox chant melodies, depicting priests leading an Easter service, then transitions toward the sound of bells typical of Russian churches. As the music builds, it culminates in a more public and festive Easter celebration.

Repertoire:

William Grant Still—"Mother and Child"

Johann Strauss II—"On the Beautiful Blue Danube"

Manuel de Falla—"Jota" from "The Three-Cornered Hat"

-Intermission-

Jean Sibelius—"Finlandia"

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov—"Russian Easter Festival Overture"

Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Chris Wild

The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra is the core ensemble of the orchestral program at Andrews University. In addition to their current series at the Howard Performing Arts Center, the Symphony Orchestra travels within the Great Lakes region as well as internationally. Since 2006, the Orchestra has performed in Italy, Austria, Germany, France, the Philippines and Costa Rica.

Undergraduate attendees may check in for co-curricular credit from 9:00-10:00 p.m. the night of the concert at: http://tiny.cc/auso1