by J.S. Wayne
Cedar City, UT—The Orchestra of Southern Utah held their fall concert, Legends Never
Die, at the Heritage Theater in downtown Cedar City on the evening of Saturday, November
9, 2013, playing to a nearly full house. The pieces performed by the orchestra included
Wagner’s Overture from Die Miestersinger, used in the 1931 screen version of Dracula starring
Bela Lugosi and also familiar in college graduation ceremonies as the music played while
the audience takes their seats; Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, used in movies such
as Lorenzo’s Oil and The Elephant Man as well as background music for a number of state
funerals worldwide; Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, eminently recognizable from the opening
to the television show The Lone Ranger, the movie Apocalypse Now and others; and the world
premiere of Dr. Keith Bradshaw’s Canyon Concerto, celebrating the geology and grandeur of
various points around Southern Utah.
One of the great joys of attending an orchestral performance is seeing the technical
mastery of the performers, and this evening was no exception. The performers’ command of
the pieces was tested almost immediately by a lighting malfunction that plunged the stage into
darkness for a brief moment about two and a half minutes into the concert. To their credit, the
players never faltered in their performance during the blackout. Their enjoyment and command
of the pieces they were playing was evident throughout the evening, as was the energy and
enthusiasm of Dr. Xun Sun, the orchestra’s conductor.
The haunting, pensive rendition of the Adagio For Strings felt like a melodic poem
speaking to the journey through grief to the acceptance on the other side, while the two Wagner
pieces were performed with all the fire, pomp, and bombast one would expect. During the
opening to Valkyries, someone in the violin section jumped their cue and produced a single,
sharp off tone that cut through the cellos. The player immediately recognized their mistake and
the performance of the pieces was otherwise flawless. One could see Heaven’s handmaidens
swooping down onto a Norse battlefield to collect the valiant slain in the flourishes of the cellos
and the brassy cries of the trumpets.
The end of the first act also gave Dr. Xun an inadvertent opportunity to showcase his
sense of humor. After applauding the performers and congratulating the first chair violinist and
concertmaster, LuAnne Brown, he turned to bow to the audience. As he did so, he stumbled
over the low step leading to his podium. He took the accident in stride, his smile equal parts
bemusement and chagrin as he bowed to the crowd, signaling the intermission.
During the intermission, an array of percussion instruments was brought onto the stage
for the use of Lynn Vartan, the guest percussionist and soloist. Among those instruments
represented were tubular bells, also called chimes; a hang drum, which Vartan informed this
writer after the performance had to her knowledge never before been used in an orchestral
performance; a five-octave marimba, an instrument similar to a glockenspiel but with wooden
bars instead of steel; and even a gong. Meanwhile, images of geological points of interest around
Southern Utah were projected onto screens flanking each side of the stage.
The second act, which consisted wholly of the world premiere of Keith Bradshaw’s
Canyon Concerto, was written by Bradshaw specifically for Vartan. The orchestra played
beautifully, but Vartan stole the show in a sequined magenta tunic and gold four-inch stiletto
heels as she rushed back and forth across the stage, working the audience as deftly as her
instruments. Her signature Western-Asian fusion style of percussion lent visual as well as audial
excitement to the Concerto.
The first movement of the concerto, Dance of the Hoodoos, celebrates the large totem-
pole-like structures dotting Bryce Canyon. The music was eerily disconnected as Vartan and
the orchestra often took divergent paths, hinting at the rock formations swaying to music never
intended for human ears.
The second movement, Hanging With Goblins, was inspired by the toadstool-like
formations of Goblin Valley. This spooky, Halloween-esque piece became very strange in the
middle, when the syncopated, complex music suddenly settled into a jazz riff intermezzo which
lasted about a minute and seemed to have nothing to do with the overall theme of the song before
returning to its original eerie theme.
Gabbing With Gossips, the third movement, references the Three Gossips of Arches
National Park. This piece began with a lively three-way conversation which rose and fell like
three old women exchanging confidences and secrets amongst themselves before building as
each sister in turn rushed to add her own alleged knowledge to the discussion. Once all was said
and done, the conversation died to whispers, and then away altogether.
The final movement, In The Court of the Patriarchs, was a big, bold, powerful piece
worthy of a Cecil B. DeMille epic. It references the Patriarchs of Zion National Park, named for
Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac of Biblical fame. This piece moved through the suffering of Abraham
as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac, Isaac’s travails in raising twelve children and caring for four
wives, and Jacob’s struggle with the Angel of the Lord. The piece ended with a stirring tonal
hymn punctuated by Vartan’s chimes, bells, and a gong.
When the show was over, the audience gave Dr. Xun, Ms. Vartan, and the orchestra a
richly deserved standing ovation. This highly talented orchestra is well worth going to see, and a
reprise of this particular program would hardly come amiss.
No comments:
Post a Comment