From the tender cry of the violin to the deep soulful notes of the double bass, every instrument falls neatly into its own niche—a family created of music. This is the beauty of the orchestra, and for one night only, you can experience the magic yourself.
Eastern Michigan University boasts a quality symphony orchestra, one with players passionate about both their instrument and having a hand in creating something magnificent with one another.
On Friday, they intend to share their gift of music with the public with a concert at Pease Auditorium.
Professor Kevin Miller, the director of orchestral activities, has been hard at work perfecting the pieces that will be played at the concert—Felix Mendelssohn’s “Italian Symphony,” Sergei Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” (which will feature Alejandra Escobar, the winner of a concerto competition back in November, on piano), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Divertimento for Strings” and John Williams’ “Cowboys Overture.”
Miller, a musician himself whose primary instrument is the viola, has studied at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio as well as the University of Michigan, where he obtained his master’s degree in music education. He taught 14 years in public schools before he began teaching here. This is his 21st year leading the orchestra.
“It’s great music,” Miller said. “The Mozart, the Rachmaninov, the Mendelssohn—these are pieces that have been around a long time and will still be performed long after we’re all gone. So they’re definitely worth hearing.”
He is quick to explain the rich histories behind each of the pieces that will be performed.
Regarding Mozart’s “Divertimento for Strings,” Miller said, “Mozart was probably 16 years old when he wrote it. It’s pretty amazing because it’s really a relatively sophisticated composition.”
Rachmaninov’s piece featuring Escobar will also be quite a treat, posing a worthy challenge to its skilled highlighted soloist.
“Rachmaninov was a very famous pianist in the early twentieth century. He was more known as a skill as a performer originally than he was as a composer, but he liked to compose as well. This concerto is probably his most popular work,” Miller said.
“It’s very difficult to play. Rachmaninov had huge hands. He could play a lot more notes with just one hand than most people could.”
Nineteenth-century German composer Mendelssohn’s “Italian Symphony” was described by Mendelssohn himself as “the jolliest piece” he had ever done. Containing four movements, the performance typically takes a half hour to play in completion.
Regarding Mendelssohn’s piece, Miller said, “When he was in his early twenties, he toured Europe. He spent about a year in Italy, and while he was in Italy, he was inspired to write music based on dances and folk songs and other kinds of music that he heard in Italy.”
Sadly, though, Mendelssohn was never entirely satisfied with his jolly composition.
“He always wanted to revise the first and last movements but never got around to it. Of course to it, it seems perfect—there’s no way it can be improved.”
The most modern piece that will be performed is a work by American composer Williams, who is highly respected for his memorable film scores. He is closely associated with Steven Spielberg, as he has composed the music for all but two of the esteemed director’s films. The movie that this particular piece was pulled from is a Western starring John Wayne entitled “The Cowboys.”
Miller said, “It’s music for a movie that came out in the seventies that John Williams wrote the music for. It was one of his earliest film scores.”
These pieces will be performed at 8 p.m. at Pease Auditorium on March 30. The admission is free—all you need to bring are a pair of ears and a mind open to the diverse world of music.
“It’s the kind of music that the more attention you pay to it, the more gratifying it is to listen to,” Miller said. “It’s not like going to a rock concert where you just get enthralled with the beat and with the atmosphere. You wanna listen with your brain as well as your heart.”
