On Saturday, I went to a side-by-side concert that featured the Symphony of the Southwest and the Youth Symphony of the Southwest. They played four pieces, with the last piece having four movements. I paid the most attention to the first piece because I found it the most interesting and relaxing. I loved listening to and watching Overture to “Colas Breugun” Op. 24 by Dmitri Kabalevsky. The piece made even ME move along to it. I noticed that in the first violin section, the third chair player was rocking out (moving a lot). In the middle of the song the was a slower part that gave me a sad feeling, but then in a minute or two later it brings your spirit back up. It makes you want to move around again. You could tell if the percussionist was playing forte or piano based on their “stick height” (as my teacher would call it). After the orchestra was finished playing, I was surprised because I noticed that I know two of the bass players that were in the Youth Symphony of the Southwest .
The two other songs before intermission were “Tubby the Tuba” and “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op.34”. I enjoyed them and thought that they were unique because they had a narrator telling the story of what was happening in the piece. In all, I enjoyed the whole concert and thought it was magnificent to hear and watch.
– Christine Kowalski
