Cox Auditorium on the UT campus was jammed--and I do mean jammed--for UT Symphony's Valentine's Day concert, "Voices of Music." The hall's stated seating capacity of just under 1000 appeared to have been exceeded by several hundred standees. Amazing. And it's not like there was nothing else to do that evening. Obviously, everyone was just a little hopped up on Valentine's Day chocolates.
Here were the highlights of the concert for me. The first half of the concert was mostly devoted to excerpts from three operas performed by UT Opera Theatre students. Of particular note was the Act II party scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (John Arnold as Onegin and Stefan Barner as Lensky) and the Act I Finale of L'Italiana in Algeri of Rossini. Faculty soprano Emily Douglass took the stage for the beautiful "Gluck, das mir verblieb" from Die Tote Stadt of Erich Korngold. In the second half, another faculty member, soprano Cecily Nall, sang a crisp and entertaining "Doll Song" from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.
I particularly enjoyed a contemporary orchestral piece, the Intermezzo from W.M. Harrell's opera-in-progress The Stainless Banner. The work, an evocative reminiscence of a moment and a place during the American Civil War, was a feast of delicate strings, moody woodwinds, and hints of military calls from the trumpets.
I must admit that while I can admire the intriguing musical complexity of the film music of composer John Williams, I am not really a fan of pop extravaganzas--cinematic, musical or otherwise. Nevertheless, the surprise of the evening was the concert's finale, a performance of "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace by John Williams. It was performed by the combined forces of the UT Men's and Women's Chorale (probably 150 voices or so) along with the UT Symphony, with a dynamic power that I can only term Carmina Burana-esque. The work was introduced by Darth Vader--odd, he looks much taller on screen. Oh wait...it was just Maestro James Fellenbaum in a mask and cape...I am so gullible. I guess that's Valentine's Day for you.
Here were the highlights of the concert for me. The first half of the concert was mostly devoted to excerpts from three operas performed by UT Opera Theatre students. Of particular note was the Act II party scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (John Arnold as Onegin and Stefan Barner as Lensky) and the Act I Finale of L'Italiana in Algeri of Rossini. Faculty soprano Emily Douglass took the stage for the beautiful "Gluck, das mir verblieb" from Die Tote Stadt of Erich Korngold. In the second half, another faculty member, soprano Cecily Nall, sang a crisp and entertaining "Doll Song" from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.
I particularly enjoyed a contemporary orchestral piece, the Intermezzo from W.M. Harrell's opera-in-progress The Stainless Banner. The work, an evocative reminiscence of a moment and a place during the American Civil War, was a feast of delicate strings, moody woodwinds, and hints of military calls from the trumpets.
I must admit that while I can admire the intriguing musical complexity of the film music of composer John Williams, I am not really a fan of pop extravaganzas--cinematic, musical or otherwise. Nevertheless, the surprise of the evening was the concert's finale, a performance of "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace by John Williams. It was performed by the combined forces of the UT Men's and Women's Chorale (probably 150 voices or so) along with the UT Symphony, with a dynamic power that I can only term Carmina Burana-esque. The work was introduced by Darth Vader--odd, he looks much taller on screen. Oh wait...it was just Maestro James Fellenbaum in a mask and cape...I am so gullible. I guess that's Valentine's Day for you.
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