AU’s symphony orchestra began its fall season on Oct. 25 and 26 with a performance of three pieces carefully selected by conductor Yaniv Dinur.
The orchestra performed Christopher Cerrone’s “High Windows,” Camille Saint-Saëns “Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33” and Antonin Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, entitled “From the New World”.
“I’m really proud of my orchestra students who did a fantastic job in performing three very different, complex and demanding pieces,” Dinur said.
This is Dinur’s third year as AU’s Director of Orchestral Activities.
“Building an orchestra is a long, ongoing process, and the AU Orchestra is now becoming an exciting and attractive student ensemble in the D.C. area,” he said.
Dinur invited composer Cerrone to work with the orchestra. During his visit, Cerrone worked with the orchestra on “High Windows” and told the students what inspired him when he wrote it, Dinur said.
“One of the advantages in performing the music of our time is that we have the ability to ask the composer about the meaning of the music, something we cannot do with the music of Mozart or Beethoven, unfortunately,” Dinur said. “It was fascinating and invaluable for all of us to hear all this information directly from the composer.”
Freshman Christopher Carr plays the double bass and said he felt great about the performance.
“[Dinur] has such a good ear for the orchestra and is very good at getting just the sound he wants,” Carr said. “He’s so much fun to work with, he’s always joking with the orchestra and we’re always having fun. He makes it a point to know your name and to help everyone out.”
The second piece, Saint-Saëns “Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33,” featured soloist Yubin Choi, an accomplished cellist and recipient of Director’s Musicians of Accomplishment Award for her work at AU. Dinur said this piece in particular was written in the romantic period but has some classical components as well.
The concert ended with Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, a piece from the late 19th century. The piece had some modern elements, tying together Dinur’s spectrum of new to old.
“The main piece for this concert was Dvorák’s 9th symphony. The last movement is a very popular piece and I had played it before, but to be able to play the full piece with a large orchestra was such a great experience,” Carr said.
The orchestra’s next performance, entitled “A Little Night Music from Israel and America,” will take place on Nov. 20 at the Katzen Art Museum.
“It’s a very personal concert to me, as it will be a reflection of my two homes – Israel, where I came from, and America, where I live now and spend most of my time,” Dinur said. “It’ll feature music that I grew up on and was inspired by, as well as a few surprises. I think it will be special.”
