Star-crossed lovers come to life in Bangor Symphony live performance
Doomed lovers have been the main target of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s terribly high quality live performance Sunday on the Collins Heart for the Arts in Orono.
This system, titled “Star-Crossed: Romeo and Juliet,” included “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” by Claude Debussy, the Prelude and Liebestod from the opera “Tristan und Isolde” by Richard Wagner, and alternatives from “Romeo and Juliet” by Sergei Prokofiev.
Conductor Lucas Richman pulled each ounce of ardour from the compositions however the piece de resistance was Prokokiev’s ballet based mostly on William Shakespeare’s tragic story of younger lovers amidst a deadly household feud. Richman included actions that highlighted scenes from the ballet, completed in 1936, together with a tumultuous opening that musically describes the Montagues and Capulets concerned in a brawl. The well-known balcony scene is lovingly scored and adopted by the sword combat that ends with the demise of Tybalt by Romeo’s hand. The piece ended with the demise by suicide of the younger lovers that stuffed the live performance corridor Sunday with musical wails of grief.
Though there have been no dancers on stage, Richman so emphasised the drama of the story that I might see the ballet carried out in my thoughts and listen to the swords clashing. The orchestra’s interpretation of the demise scene stirred in concertgoers a way of sorrow and loss they carried out of the Collins Heart together with the enjoyment that comes from listening to lovely music completely and lovingly performed.
Within the first half of this system, Mezzo-Soprano Michelle DeYoung was the visitor soloist who carried out the Liebestod from “Tristan und Isolde.” She gave a shimmering efficiency as Isolde when she dies of heartbreak over Tristan’s physique within the opera, which was first carried out in 1865 in Munich, Germany.
The orchestra at occasions overpowered DeYoung’s voice Sunday and she or he couldn’t be heard simply from my seat within the sixth row. Additionally, having the English translation both included in this system or projected above the orchestra would have allowed opera novices, like me, the power to raised perceive what she was singing regardless that the Celtic story of the Center Ages was acquainted to most concertgoers.
Principal flutist Jonathan Laperle fantastically opened the live performance with Debussy’s most well-known work based mostly on a poem. First carried out in 1894, its opening solo flute is exclusive, based on this system notes. Its “languid, meandering melody invitations the listener right into a hazy, illusive dream world.”
Richman and the orchestra took the viewers again to a quiet and sunny summer season day because the temperature and the leaves dropped exterior. The enjoyment woven by way of Debussy’s rating carried over into the latter two items and dulled the ache of the lovers’ deaths and underscored the immortality of their love.
Sunday’s live performance is accessible for streaming Nov. 29 by way of Dec. 13 at watch.bangorsymphony.org.
