It’s quite a different feeling to sit down at your desk to livestream an orchestra concert, rather than lay back comfortably in red velvet cushioned seats facing a giant stage. As the show began, I just hoped my laptop speakers would be able to do the performers justice. Being a novice to the classical genre, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect either.
The performance was split into three separate parts with a short intermission in the middle. The first was a performance of “Songs of the Ice,” originally composed by Outi Tarkiainen. The piece began with soft, melodic notes from the wind section, combined with tinkling bell sounds. The music had a sweet, almost airy feel to it. As the piece started to pick up tempo, the flutes stole the show with a performance that sounded like chirping songbirds speaking back and forth. As the show continued, the music grew stronger, more powerful, and more intense. The percussion section brought a distinct mood of tension and intrigue, balanced by the beautiful harmony of the violins and cellos. Each instrument melded together perfectly with one another, adding layers of dimension to the overall sound. The piece came to a vibrant, deafening close with the accompaniment of four swinging instruments in each corner of the stage that created unique noises and an interesting visual focal point. I was thankful for the close-up camera angles over the livestream which helped me imagine I was actually sitting in the theater.
The next part of the performance was a violin concerto originally composed by Jean Sibelius, led by SMTD violinist Arianna Dotto. Even over a computer screen, Dotto’s entrance was breathtaking. She wore an elegant white and gold accented gown, creating a nice juxtaposition against the all-black donned symphony. The concerto began with Dotto playing solo. The beginning sounded incredibly sweet and gentle, and each swipe of the violin almost sounded like tear drops. She continued the solo with an increasing tempo and a darker feel to the music. The rest of the symphony began to join in with quick, staccato beats from the strings and percussion. A feeling of anticipation began to grow in the audience, and Dotto’s pace quickened to match the mood. As the camera zoomed in, you could see each muscle in her arm and collarbone move rapidly with each swipe of the strings. It was a beautiful sight and one that was probably not even visible from most of the theater seats. The rest of the piece continued in a sort of back and forth between softer and gentler strings and louder and echoing brass and percussion accompaniments. It felt as if the violinist was telling a story and the rest of the symphony was the musical narration, pointing the audience to the mood changes.
Following a short intermission, the concert ended with a performance of Symphony no. 4, “The Inextinguishable,” composed by Carl Nielsen. This symphony number was incredibly beautiful and highly cohesive, as the instruments blended into a perfect harmony. The overall tone of the piece seemed quite joyful, yet soft and the horns stood out against this melody. While the piece was very pleasing to the ear, it was also quite long to the point of feeling repetitive. With double the length and a less powerful and unique sound, this symphony may have functioned better as the second piece in the concert to avoid an ending that left me wanting more.
