Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony
April 10, 2010 7:30 pm → Great Hall, GBPAC, Cedar Falls
Wharton – Symphony no.1 [world premiere]
Brahms - Symphony no. 2
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Last classical concert of year ‘remarkable’
by George F. Day
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
April 14, 2010
Last weekend the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra presented the last of this year’s classical concerts in the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. The program was conducted by Jason Weinberger, music director of the WCFSO. It was a remarkable program, with just two works: a very contemporary one written within the last year, the other a well-known and widely admired classical piece, composed in 1877.
The orchestra first performed the world premiere of a new symphony composed by Philip Wharton, a native of Decorah. Wharton, who was present for this first presentation of his work, has previously appeared with the WCFSO as a violin soloist and composer-in-residence. His symphony contains five movements with unique names: Soundshapes, Laughing Corn, Verdant Twilight, High Fooling and Summer Turning. The titles are whimsical and there are numerous surprises and dry humor present throughout the score. However, a serious mood is the driving force in each of the movements. The symphony is filled with startling contrasts of style and sound, all part of a big, complicated score. The WCFSO, with its fervid playing, convinced the audience that this is a new work with a brilliant future.
Johannes Brahms’ Second Symphony was the other work on this fine program. And it was a happy choice, for the piece is particularly engaging: wonderful orchestration, soaring lyrical passages, and a tight transparent structure in four traditional movements. Weinberger led the orchestra in a spectacular reading, and he did it all from memory, with no score before him. The orchestra navigated the often demanding piece with breathtaking speed and nuance.
Note: All reviews are edited for length and spelling.
