Beginning with slow strokes, the Academy Chamber Orchestra played the first movement of Johannes Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77.” The melody swelled in volume and transformed into a sharp, suspenseful tone, before the orchestra slowly faded and violinist Chloe Lee ’17, a Senior Concerto winner, began her solo. With strong bow strokes, she began playing a powerful yet soft melody. As the melody began escalating to a high series of notes before ending with a unified chord. This performance by Lee was part of the Academy Orchestras Concert this past Friday in the Cochran Chapel.
“I really wanted to play it because it seemed really technically difficult before and I wanted to, like if I accomplish this piece, I felt I’d reached kind of a high point, so after I decided to play this piece and I played it here, it was a pretty good accomplishment,” said Lee.
Lee was one of the four winners of the Senior Concerto and performed a solo at this past week’s concert, among her fellow orchestra members.
“I could not imagine how much effort Chloe put into that solo… It’s so difficult; it’s such a masterpiece. What Chloe made of it, I couldn’t imagine how much effort she put in. It was just so amazing,” said Shu Sakamoto ’17, a trumpet player in Academy Chamber Orchestra.
A song performed by the Academy Chamber Orchestra was Mendelssohn’s “Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21.” The piece began with a series of sharp and fast notes but quickly developed a warm, lighthearted tone with numerous overlapping instruments. The piece then transitioned into a slower, more mellow melody as it concluded with a single high note.
“I think it’s really beautiful, and it sort of inspires me to want to dance. I’m a dancer and that kind of music just makes me want to move. I think just being able to see music live and not just over your headphones, or over the radio [was the most exciting part of the concert]. [To see] the movements and how graceful it is… and how eloquently they move,” said Claudine Waggoner ’20, a member of the audience.
The Academy Chamber Orchestra also performed “Our Town” by Aaron Copland. Light and airy, the piece was a departure from the more serious and intense feeling of the concert. Unlike most of the other songs, this piece included strings, woodwind, and brass instruments, creating a fresh, brassy tone in the song. The song’s upbeat melody was maintained as the melody increased and decreased in volume, creating variation in the piece.
“[My favorite piece was] ‘Our Town.’ When I say a piece of music is the best, it’s about how it moves me… how I can relate to it,” said Floyd Greenwood ’19.
