For many casual fans of classical music, the genre is often narrowly defined by names such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. Although these composers spanned hundreds of years and several distinct musical epochs, their distance from contemporary composers has elevated them to a status that threatens to leave modern innovators obscured in their wake.
Luckily, Jesus Manuel Berard, conductor of the American University Symphony Orchestra, eschewed the safe and traditional when compiling the program for the "Twentieth-Century Classics" performed on Nov. 18 and 19. It resulted in an eclectic and highly enjoyable show.
The concert began and ended with works by Charles Ives, a tonally innovative composer who produced many of his best-known works in the early part of the 20th century. The full orchestra began with Ives's "Movement 3" from "Symphony No. 4." This brief fugue spotlighted a consistently strong string section while interspersing unexpected and rousing crescendos from the backing horn and percussion sections. The third movement, considered by Ives biographer Jan Swafford as the most outwardly simple and conservative movement in the fourth symphony, was nonetheless a stirring introductory piece and a necessary teaser to the composer's style before the later and more complex "Symphony No. 3."
The mood was decidedly different for Jacques Ibert's "Concertino da Camera" for alto saxophone. Including only a fraction of the orchestra to compliment soloist Julia Block, the 2006 winner of the AUSO Concerto and Aria Competition, the Ibert piece sounded like a night out at a local jazz hall. In the first movement the strings seemed to be at odds with the soloist as they raced up and down supporting scales, but by the second movement the 12 members worked in harmony to a pleasing effect. The focus here was clearly on Block, and she did not disappoint. Her high-pitched notes never seemed forced or squeaky and she was not fazed by rapid tempo changes. Ibert was a playful interlude to an otherwise textually serious performance.
After intermission, the full orchestra was brought back to play "Quiet City" from well-known American composer Aaron Copland. In contrast to the popular Copland composition "Hoedown," which evokes images of vast sweeping Western landscapes and country fiddling, "Quiet City" built slowly in the beginning before triumphant horns pierced soft, shrill strings. The piece had a mostly reserved tone and, according to Berard's program notes, "seems to conjure up the wakeful, late nocturnal thoughts - contemplation, nostalgia, sadness, anxiety, hope and aspirations - of a modern city." The inclusion of this piece was a welcome musical side of Copland not normally performed.
The concert was rounded out by Ives's "Symphony No.3," or "The Camp Meeting." Each movement, according to Ives's memos, is derived from organ works he first composed and performed at Central Presbyterian Church in New York City. The initial "Old Folks Gatherin'" movement began with a bevy of combative melodies from different sections of the orchestra, but gradually settled into a common theme by the latter half of the piece. This flowed easily into the more spirited "Children's Day" before ending with the solemn and ominous finale, "Communion." In this last movement, the complex novelty of Ives truly shone. Major and minor chords seem to clash with each other and the music swelled to a full orchestra crescendo, before gradually fading at the end. Although not always melodically pleasing, this movement was the most ambitious piece performed and brought the concert to an inspiring close.
With multiple theater groups, a wealth of vocal performers, and several dance troupes, it is sometimes easy to forget about the exemplary work of the AU symphony orchestra. This concert reaffirms that the orchestra is a versatile group: fully able to handle complex works and not afraid to try the unorthodox pieces that keep classical music interesting.
