For the second concert report, I attended A Madison Symphony Christmas. This concert took place on Saturday, December 3rd at 8pm in the Overture Center in downtown Madison. The music was a very traditional full orchestra ensemble with a choir. The performers involved in the performance was the Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Youth Choirs, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and special guest soprano Sylvia McNair. The program was directed by conductor John DeMain.
One of the first selections of the night was Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148 by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece was led by John Aley, the principal trumpet player playing a regal and majestic solo theme. The homophonic texture shines through. The trumpet plays the main melody while the violin, viola, and cello play a simple chord pattern in the background to support the melodic line. About 30 seconds into the piece, the main melody switches from trumpet to the Madison Symphony Chorus and then they join together and play the melodic line together in unison. Repetition of rhythmic and melodic ideas is key in this piece. Bach uses bold rhythms to make an ear catching statement and it certainly woke up some of the audience members when the enthusiastic melody chimed in.
The next piece was Violin Concerto No. 4, Op. 8, “Winter” (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi. There were three movements to this piece and they followed the typical pattern for a three-movement piece. The titles of each movement say it all. Allegro non molto was a quick movement with a sudden, unexpectedly rapid violin solo performed by Suzanne Beia. The whole tune had a feeling of impending doom attached to it, something that Vivaldi might have strived to accomplish since that it is written in F-minor. There is also a clear narrative that this whole piece follows, each movement tells story of a different theme of what makes winter what it is. The Four Seasons is one of the earliest examples of program music. The second movement Largo was much slower than the first and it’s much smoother and has a conjunct melody. Rather than the notes being mainly staccato, they are now legato, elongated and connected. The third movement, Allegro has a melancholy melody, and like the first movement has a quick tempo. There are a lot more lower voices (cello and bass) heard in this movement. Although the solo violin is still playing, the strings section plays in unison the majority of the movement with sudden breaks in playing as a full unit. The force that comes with playing in unison and the crescendo nearing the end of the piece leaves the audience wanting more after having an unresolved and intense ending.
Up next, the choir came back to sing Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck. The direct translation of Panis Angelicus is “bread of angels”. It is the strophe (first section) of Sacris Solemnis. Franck was able to take the hymn and transform it into a beautiful song for voice. The youth boy choirs sang this angelic sacred motet. A motet is a pre-eminent polyphonic form of Renaissance music. It is a varied choral musical composition. In this piece there was emphasis on the harp and piano lines. They accompanied the young boys very well by giving them the spotlight and knowing when they could take over the melody by varying their dynamics.
Another key piece performed in the set was John Rutter’s Magnificat. This piece featured the full orchestra, choir, and treble soloist, Ethan Staver. A unique musical aspect about this piece are the jazz and contemporary undertones that Rutter is able to sneak into a joyous and celebratory piece such as Magnificat. Even though that the lyrics consist of one word (magnificat) being sung over and over again, attention is kept due to the beautiful shift in dynamics, tempo changes, and subtle adjustments to the rhythm. With the full orchestra playing at the same time there are plenty of opportunities for special, unique melodies and countermelodies.
Right before it was time for intermission, everyone, audience included, joined together and stood up singing Hallelujah by George Frideric Handel. This popular tune was a great choice to end the first half of the concert with because singing the lyrics echoed and filled the concert hall with joy and unity. An interesting aspect about this chorus is that the chorus is sung completely in unison with the solo trumpet assisting them in the melodic line. But then when they reach “Lord and of his christ, and of his christ” then all different parts break off into a round while singing “and he shall reign forever and ever”.
After intermission the classic Christmas carols that we all know and love begun. Soprano guest star Sylvia McNair and conductor John DeMain performed a magical and comedic cover of Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Frank Loesser. This call and response duet is more of a party song and less of a symphony piece, therefore this was less orchestral and more of a duet with piano accompaniment. Another easily recognizable tune was Emmanuel by Norman Hutchins and sung by the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir. Emmanuel is a force to be reckoned with. It is a bold gospel piece that features electric bass guitar, keyboard, and a drum set. An interesting musical aspect about this piece is the fact that there is a prominent speaking voice throughout the course of the song. The speaker states specific church verses and the hopeful chorus feels the soul with spirit and has everyone in the concert hall clapping along with it.
This was a quite formal occasion, some people were wearing suits and dresses while others were dressed in festive sweaters and santa hats. The concert went pretty smoothly, there were little to no stops in between songs to make announcements and when they were they were humorous skits performed between John DeMain and Sylvia McNair. They managed to entertain the young and the old. They kept Christmas tradition alive all while modernizing bits and pieces. The audience stood up only when they chose to sing along with the songs and they also stood up after Emmanuel performed by the gospel choir. Emmanuel was an emotional tune that the singers put a lot of their own personalities and soul into it, creating a clear connection to the meaning of the lyrics they were preaching.
This concert was jaw dropping. I was thoroughly impressed in all aspects. I will definitely be attending more of these types of concerts that Overture Center has to offer. My biggest piece of advice is to definitely just close your eyes every once in awhile so that you can focus on just hearing the music rather than looking around and potentially getting sidetracked. Before I went to this concert, I wish I had not have spent the whole day listening to various Christmas songs with my friends because instead of pumping me up it made me feel drained. Instead I would recommend listening to just a few songs on the radio during the car ride to get into the festive mood. Other than that, I thought that everything else was spectacular, I had great seating and I went to the box office early and bought tickets at student pricing.