“Resonance of the Skies: Sun & Evergreen Symphony Orchestras Gala” concert

☞ About Evergreen Symphony Orchestra: http://sunsymphony.vn/en/evergreen-symphony-orchestra/

“Resonance of the Skies: Sun & Evergreen Symphony Orchestras Gala” concert
20h00, September 29, 2024, Ho Guom Opera House

This collaboration between the visiting Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and the Sun Symphony Orchestra aims to give our audience a mix of very enjoyable, well-loved orchestral masterpieces; recognizable melodies, riveting musical climaxes and a combined energy between these two wonderful orchestras that promise to an experience unlike any other this year at the Ho Guom Opera.

Gioachino Rossini | La gazza ladra Overture
Starting off with a bang, the orchestras perform the Overture to La Gazza Ladra (“The Thieving Magpie”), the popular overture to the opera based on a French melodrama that deals with Ninetta, the servant girl condemned to die for stealing a silver spoon – the real thief, however, is the elusive magpie. All’s well in the end, as the magpie is discovered to be the thief, and Ninetta’s life is spared. This overture opens with a vigorous yet majestic march. Two snare drum rolls open the overture in a way fitting for this concert.

Edward Elgar | Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39 – March No. 1 in D Major
We then travel to England and one of the most famous marches – the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 of Sir Edward Elgar. The title derives from Shakespeare’s Othello:
“Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!”
The march is scored for large orchestra (including 2 harps), and in some countries has become the de facto “graduation march” at high schools and universities. Its solemn procession has the melody known as “Land of Hope and Glory”. Written prior to World War I, this march is naively optimistic – this is in great contrast to “Sospiri”, which is performed later in the programme, and which was composed just at the onset of World War I.

Đặng Hữu Phúc | “Dance of Chèo and Lên đồng”
Next on the concert is a special work – one that was composed for the Sun Symphony Orchestra by Vietnamese composer Đặng Hữu Phúc and depicts the Vietnamese countryside through the sounds echoing two traditional art forms, chèo and lên đồng. This dance, highly suggestive of a Stravinsky influence with its primal tones and overall metric design, combines the modern orchestra with sounds from the past by way of its use of the percussion and more traditional melodic construct.

W. A. Mozart | Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, Mov. II (excerpt)
For a moment of calm following the stormy and exciting music thus far, we feature Principal Clarinet of the ESO, Lucy Chuang, in the serene, slow movement from Mozart’s beautiful Clarinet Concerto. This music has been featured in a plethora of films and shows off the clarinet’s unique sound and expressive qualities.

Camille Saint-Saëns | Samson and Delilah, Op. 47 – Danse Bacchanale
The calmness is beautiful but short lived, as one of the most exciting pieces for orchestra, the Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah of Saint-Saëns closes out the first half. The bacchanale, taken from near the end of the opera, features the priests and priestesses of the Philistine pagan god dancing a wild and unbridled song of victory. The opera is notable for its brilliant sound and dramatic emotion. The song of victory is short lived, as Samson eventually destroys the Philistine temple, but it is a moment of unparalleled festiveness and an absolute party atmosphere complete with percussive drive and exotic melody.

Dmitri Shostakovich | Festive Overture, Op. 96
For the concert’s second part, the combined orchestra opens with another “festive” piece, an overture Shostakovich wrote in only THREE days at the request of a visiting conductor who needed a piece immediately for the commemoration of the revolution years earlier. It is quite interesting to note that, known as a very nervous person, Shostakovich was characterized by his friend Lev Lebedinsky as follows –
“The speed with which he wrote was truly astounding. Moreover, when he wrote light music he was able to talk, make jokes and compose simultaneously, like the legendary Mozart. He laughed and chuckled, and in the meanwhile work was under way and the music was being written down.”
One hears clearly this lightheartedness throughout the overture, interspersed between fanfares.

Edward Elgar | Sospiri, Op. 70
Edward Elgar’s Sospiri is a gorgeous work for harp and strings, and originally was meant to be a work for violin solo, however what emerged at the onset of the First World War was a work of considerably greater substance, by way of the enlargement of the voice – violin section – and the accompaniment – large string section. The harp and strings are somewhat reminiscent of the aura within the Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th Symphony, and the voice of the first violin section reminds of the Vocalise of Rachmaninoff. This bleak adagio is the most contemplative work of the evening, and shows off the beauty of the combined strings of the two orchestras.

Georges Bizet | Carmen Suite No. 2
A concert at the opera house is even better when a few familiar tunes from one of the most famous operas – Carmen – are performed. The seductive Habañera, song of the toreador and dance of the thieving bohemians make for a wonderful, quick look at this beautiful opera. If there was a need for flair on a concert, this concert simply has it all. Flair, exuberance and unforgettable melody.

Arturo Márquez | Danzón No. 2
We then “cross the pond” and hop on over to Mexico where we encounter yet more orchestral fireworks. The Danzon No. 2 of Arturo Márquez became a global sensation in 2007 when Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra performed it at the BBC Proms and other international venues. Since then, it has been a constant crowd favorite. Its sensual solos, starting with the clarinet and later in the violin and trumpet, and accompanied along the way by vivacious rhythm in the orchestra, make this showpiece perfect for a concert ender that couples two fantastic orchestras together.