Friday, November 1, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel

The Orchestra of the International Center for Music at Park University will be under the direction of guest conductor Laura Jackson, Music Director and Conductor of the Reno Philharmonic Association, who is returning for her third engagement with the ICM Orchestra. Maestra Jackson has selected a program of works for string orchestra, with music by Benjamin Britten, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Antonin Dvorak being featured.

The concert opens with the well-known Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major of Bach. This work comes from a set of six concertos that were written by Bach to further his chances of finding employment with the Margrave of Brandenburg, an attempt that sadly came to naught for the composer but did provide us with some of the finest music of the Baroque period. Each concerto is written for a different group of soloists: no.5 being the first true keyboard concerto, no.2 a virtuoso work for high trumpet, and no.6 written for the dark timbres of violas and viola da gambas, the gamba being considered old-fashioned even in Bach’s time. Concerto no.3 is heard in this concert and is written for the unusual configuration of independent parts for violin, viola, and cello, all in groups of three, along with bass and harpsichord. Whether played by soloists or a larger group, this concerto never fails to engage the audience with its extrovert nature, sweep, and pure elegance.

The Simple Symphony, op.4 by the 20^th-century English composer Benjamin Britten has a reputation among musicians as being neither a symphony nor simple! Composed between 1933 and 1934, this work utilizes material written by Britten during his childhood years, between 1923 and 1926. The symphony is in four movements, with each movement using two different themes that appeared earlier as a piano work or a solo song. Britten preserves the sheer fun of the earlier works by giving each movement a rather picturesque title: Boisterous Bourree, Playful Pizzicato (this movement a favorite in transcription for mandolin players!), Sentimental Sarabande and Frolicsome Finale.

Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings, op.22, one of his most popular works, was composed in May of 1875 in the short span of just 12 days. Like the string serenades of Suk, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar, this 5-movement work is less weighty and severe than a symphony and evokes images of elegant gatherings and soirees of an earlier age. Wistful melodies, a somewhat melancholy waltz, and joyous moments for full ensemble are all characteristic of this work in which the composer seems to be simply enjoying himself in the craft of musical composition. And, like the other serenades mentioned above, the exuberance and seemingly effortless nature of this music conceals a work of great challenge for any orchestra, and is a fitting conclusion to this concert by the ICM Orchestra of Park University.