March 12th - Civic Orchestra of Victoria, Gershwin and Beach
Hi friends,
Here's an understatement for you: It's been a long winter.
Omicron showed up here in earnest about a week before my last concert, which didn't even get a newsletter - I felt so weird about it even happening that I couldn't quite bring myself to write about it. I played it in a cloth mask over an N-95 and with much trepidation. It meant a lot to be there and I'm still glad I did it, but everything has been fraught for a while.
Rehearsals for this concert that I'm writing about were supposed to start in January, but the orchestra canceled the first few of those and cut the program down so that there's no intermission. Some of us decided that we still couldn't play in it, which I certainly can't hold against anyone. I'm leading a second violin section that started out twice as large as it's going to be in the concert.
But a lot of us are still here, and we'd love to play some music for you. It seems like things are getting a little less fraught. Maybe we can dance a little? Maybe it's safe for us enjoy some things*.
Let me tell you about what you'll hear, if you come.
Gershwin, Porgy and Bess: Selections for Orchestra
If you know me at all, you know that I'm enjoying this one very, very much. I could play Gershwin all night, every night. If anyone ever needs a pit violinist for a production of Porgy and Bess, call me. I'm serious. Here, have Cab Calloway singing It Ain't Necessarily So: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyHMrgOhyAU
Can you imagine him as Sportin' Life for this entire opera? I wish someone had cast him.
Beach, Gaelic Symphony in E Minor
This was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1896, and it is signed at the top, "Mrs. H. H. A. Beach". Amy Beach was a renowned concert pianist before she was a composer, although when she got married, her husband insisted that she perform only two recitals a year in public, because it was inappropriate for her, as a married woman to do more, which, I can't tell you how infurating that is to hear (although she resumed giving concerts after he died). But he was okay with her composing, and we can listen to her symphony. It has a lot of Irish themes that are woven throughout, in a satisfying way, but it's also very modern flavored. It's also quite difficult to play, and a workout for the violins especially, which may be why it isn't performed as much as some other pieces, although I've seen it programmed a few times in the last few years. My favorite parts are the lyrical, singing ones in the last movement.
You can listen to the Seattle Symphony play the last movement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYUCYUclVuc
This concert is on Saturday, March 12 at 2pm, at Oak Bay High School. You can get your tickets and read all about the Covid-19 precautions for it here.
As always, thanks for listening, stay safe, and stay well.
*For those of you reading from outside British Columbia, the vaccine and mask requirements for concert venues are remaining in place until June 30th, as far as I'm aware.
Here's an understatement for you: It's been a long winter.
Omicron showed up here in earnest about a week before my last concert, which didn't even get a newsletter - I felt so weird about it even happening that I couldn't quite bring myself to write about it. I played it in a cloth mask over an N-95 and with much trepidation. It meant a lot to be there and I'm still glad I did it, but everything has been fraught for a while.
Rehearsals for this concert that I'm writing about were supposed to start in January, but the orchestra canceled the first few of those and cut the program down so that there's no intermission. Some of us decided that we still couldn't play in it, which I certainly can't hold against anyone. I'm leading a second violin section that started out twice as large as it's going to be in the concert.
But a lot of us are still here, and we'd love to play some music for you. It seems like things are getting a little less fraught. Maybe we can dance a little? Maybe it's safe for us enjoy some things*.
Let me tell you about what you'll hear, if you come.
Gershwin, Porgy and Bess: Selections for Orchestra
If you know me at all, you know that I'm enjoying this one very, very much. I could play Gershwin all night, every night. If anyone ever needs a pit violinist for a production of Porgy and Bess, call me. I'm serious. Here, have Cab Calloway singing It Ain't Necessarily So: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyHMrgOhyAU
Can you imagine him as Sportin' Life for this entire opera? I wish someone had cast him.
Beach, Gaelic Symphony in E Minor
This was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1896, and it is signed at the top, "Mrs. H. H. A. Beach". Amy Beach was a renowned concert pianist before she was a composer, although when she got married, her husband insisted that she perform only two recitals a year in public, because it was inappropriate for her, as a married woman to do more, which, I can't tell you how infurating that is to hear (although she resumed giving concerts after he died). But he was okay with her composing, and we can listen to her symphony. It has a lot of Irish themes that are woven throughout, in a satisfying way, but it's also very modern flavored. It's also quite difficult to play, and a workout for the violins especially, which may be why it isn't performed as much as some other pieces, although I've seen it programmed a few times in the last few years. My favorite parts are the lyrical, singing ones in the last movement.
You can listen to the Seattle Symphony play the last movement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYUCYUclVuc
This concert is on Saturday, March 12 at 2pm, at Oak Bay High School. You can get your tickets and read all about the Covid-19 precautions for it here.
As always, thanks for listening, stay safe, and stay well.
*For those of you reading from outside British Columbia, the vaccine and mask requirements for concert venues are remaining in place until June 30th, as far as I'm aware.
Don't miss what's next. Subscribe to Melinda Minch Music: