The harmonious products of the Phillips Academy Orchestras and Bands resonated through Cochran Chapel this past Friday, featuring pieces by Bach, Handel, Holst and many more. The concert opened with the slow and sustained notes of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Chorale.” The piece had been specifically arranged for the “Tuesday Night” band by their director Derek Jacoby. This was followed by the lively “Water Music Suite,” by G.F. Handel that painted a mental picture of a carnival opening or parade, with the active melody weaving through. The relationship within the different sections of the band truly made the piece memorable. At some points it felt as though the lively tune was being passed from section to section. The piece was also punctuated by repeated chords, the result of a harmony between the different sections of the band. Regarding the “Water Music Suite,” David Jordan ’13, a flutist in the band, said, “It was really quick and kind of jumpy, because of that it was kind of hard to adapt to at first.” Meghan Collins ’11, another flutist, preferred “Water Music Suite “to Bach Chorale. Collins said, “I like the ‘Water Music Suite’ because I think that everyone stayed together really well, and the ending turned out really nicely.” Due to a change in the schedule the “Tuesday Night” band was followed by the Corelli Ensemble’s performance of “Concerto Grosso” by Handel and “Slumber, My Darling” by Stephen Foster. “Concerto Grosso” had a nice balance between the cellos and the violins. While “Concerto Grosso” had a happy and carefree air, “Slumber, My Darling” felt more like a lullaby. The dreamlike quality of the piece was overlaid by a sweet and voice-like violin solo by Tiffany Lam. The Amadeus Ensemble performed “Concerto Grosso” by Arcangelo Corelli, featuring solos by cellist Enek Peterson ’12, violinist Greg Zhang ’12, and violinist Maddie Bremer ’12. The incredible coordination and harmony was laudable in the performance. The piece was slow initially, but a quick violin melody soon pulled the tempo forward. A harmony was also maintained between the violins and the cellos. The piece then shifted to a minor section with the low undertones of the cellos contrasted by the violins. Christine Landolt, director the Amadeus Orchestra, said she selected the Corelli’s “Concerto Grosso” because she thought it would bring out “the group’s strengths early on in the year especially in that hall. Music like that really resonates quite well in [the chapel].” Landolt continued, “I fell in love with this piece when I heard it because it has such beautiful harmonies all the way through.” Zhang said, “When we started, we practiced in sections and then put all the pieces of the orchestra together.” Landolt said, “One of the things I said to the group as we were warming up was, ‘This is the chord, this really beautiful chord. Make the harmony amazing.’ ” Zhang said, “I think [the piece] came out really well. All the sections got to shine, and everyone had an equal part.” Eric Sirakian ’10, also a violinist in the Amadeus Ensemble, said, “[The piece] was really rich and harmonious. [It was] easy to play and fun to experience.” Later on in the concert was the “Thursday Night” band’s rousing and exciting performance of “Military March” by Gustav Holst. Vincent Monaco said he chose the piece because, “Gustav Holst wrote a lot of really good music for band. This stuff is some of the best, and it presents really well, so it was good to play for the folks, the parents. It’s not confusing or cerebral. It’s just good music and makes you feel good.” Monaco said the primary concern for him was “the intricacies of all the coordination that needs to occur in an ensemble.” Valeria Fedyk ’10, a flute player in the “Thursday Night” band said, “I thought it really went well…At first it was hard to play [the flute] part since there were notes you had to read in a lower section but transpose to a higher range.”
