register |  login
› ENGLEWOOD
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
RECENT STORIES

Young Artists Orchestra terrific
Contributed by: Robin McNeil on 5/4/2007

Conductor Adam Flatt and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra presented a concert at the Newman Center Sunday afternoon, April 29th, that was artistically satisfying in every respect. He has totally reshaped the orchestra, and has led them to become remarkable young musicians. It is clear that he is a good role model, but it is also very clear that he is in a position to provide them with artistic guidance. Their eyes were glued to him every measure of every piece, and there was total joy in what they were accomplishing.

The program opened with Beethoven's Egmont Overture - written for a new production of Goethe's play, Egmont - and the sound the orchestra produced was astounding. This is not a small orchestra, but its members are young, and they played the Beethoven with stylistic and artistic integrity. The weakness of any orchestra like this usually comes from the string section because it takes a long time to learn to play violin, viola, and cello. Yes, there were a few tiny spots where they were a little out of tune, but, rest assured, there were not many of them. Their bows moved in unison, and they sat on the edge of their chairs playing their hearts out. There were a few bobbles from the horns, but their attacks and releases were together and right where Flatt cued them.

Remembering Gatsby, by American composer, John Harbison, was written after Harbison began to write an opera on Fitzgerald's famous character. The composition was not completed because Fitzgerald's estate would not permit him to use the text of the novel. From this opera, orchestra performed A Foxtrot for Orchestra, a delightful piece that the orchestra played beautifully.

For this writer, the next two pieces on the program will remain unforgettable. Before the Intermission, the orchestra performed the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 63. The soloist was the Concertmaster of the DYAO, Jessica Oddie. She was, simply put, amazing. I am not sure that I have seen such a young violinist - she is 17 - play with such poise and absolute authority. The concerto is not one of Prokofiev's most difficult works, but it certainly does contain some passage work that is positively evil in the technical demands made on the violinist.

But Jessica Oddie played it astoundingly well, and with such grace that it was not readily apparent how hard she was working. She smiled all the way through - and it was genuine - because one could easily tell how much she enjoys performing. She was also, no doubt, happy that all of her memory work paid off, because it is no secret among musicians that the more completely one knows a piece, the more one has to fall back upon in front of an audience. Her musicianship was as superior as her playing. This writer is not sure how many times she has performed with an orchestra, but it can't be all that many. However, it seemed that she was born playing with an orchestra. Her attacks were impeccable, she never missed an entrance, she was always in tune, and she plays with remarkable intensity. Now, if she would just learn the Violin Concerto by Alban Berg......

After the Intermission, the concert ended with the TchaikovskySymphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36. Tchaikovsky considered this one of his best works. As the DYAO played this piece, the word intensity came to mind again. Never has so much intensity been generated by an orchestra comprised of such young members. They performed with such accuracy and conviction that this writer was genuinely astonished. In many ways their performance was better than some of the community orchestras that are staffed by adults. It is so very clear that these young musicians really care about the music and sharing it with an appreciative audience. In many ways, the third movement is the trickiest because it is almost all pizzicato - that is, the strings are plucked rather than bowed. With great confidence, Flatt took a tempo that would be standard for any adult orchestra in the country. His confidence was very well founded. The pizzicato was together all the way through and it was executed with marvelous phrasing and dynamics. It was truly a wonderful and exciting performance.

As a musician, researcher, writer, teacher, and administrator, I have heard a great deal lately about today's youth being consumed by self centeredness, entitlement, and lack of concern for the arts. If the members of this orchestra are filled with teen-age angst, it certainly did not show, because they were all working so very hard to produce a terrific performance. Their ability to do so comes from the fact that they have been taught how to be musicians, as well as how to perform technically .

What Adam Flatt is doing with this orchestra is very important to the artistic community because he, and the staff of the orchestra, truly are preparing its members to be future musicians. It would also seem that he has also taught them to be able to recognize the value and quality of what it is they do. Flatt is a master of communication in many ways.




SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story



Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Robin McNeil

Littleton , CO

Robin McNeil has posted 698 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Robin McNeil 's average story rating is 5.
SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY
STORY RSS FEEDS
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos