By Michael Pearl
The Pro Musica Youth Orchestra’s first concert of the season will be at our new permanent home of the Bellas Artes on Hernandez Macias in the Miguel Malo auditorium on Sunday, December 11, at 5 pm. The 50 strong ensemble, including our wonderful new kettle drums, will perform works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach. This opening concert will be a fitting tribute to its increasing artistic excellence under its now established Music Director and Principal Conductor, Canadian Robert Mari. Those of you who attended their concerts last season will know to expect an afternoon of high-quality orchestral music.
The concert opens with J.S. Bach’s Little Fugue in G Minor, composed between 1703 and 1707 and originally written for organ as a prelude and fugue and arranged for orchestra by famous conductor Leopold Stokowski. It’s one of Bach’s most famous works and is instantly recognizable. When we refer to this piece as “Little,” it isn’t meant to be demeaning; rather, it is intended to avoid confusion with Bach’s other, longer fugue in G minor, the “Great.” The Little Fugue is based on a series of tunes each representing the various human voice types: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Bach uses his boundless imagination to put the tune through its paces, interlacing it with other tunes throughout.
The program continues with Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No.1 in C minor. He was 43 when it premiered in Karlsruhe in 1876, after 14 years of composing. It took so long mostly because of the esteem with which Brahms held the symphonies of Beethoven. “I shall never write a symphony,” Brahms said. “You have no idea how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him behind us.”
The first movement is highly dramatic, with the two central movements a complete contrast: melting lyricism and soaring expressiveness with rapturous violin solos and sinewy boisterousness in an Allegretto. The Finale has a fearsomeness bordering on terror and this dark tone is pierced by a radiant horn call that speaks of deliverance and peace. Finally, we hear Brahms’ version of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” This grand melody is a nucleus for the imposing grandeur that unfolds on the way to blazing, unrestrained triumph.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s majestic Fifth Symphony, so well known and loved that one hardly dare write anything about it. Composed between 1804 and 1808, it has the typical four movements of the classical period and begins with the distinctive four-note “short-short-short-long” motif. This motif is known worldwide, appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco versions to rock and roll covers, to uses in film and television.
It is rare to hear large scale works in San Miguel with a full orchestra, so don’t miss this opportunity to catch some of your favorite classical music. All tickets for the concert are 450 pesos donation each and are on sale through our website, and at the concert 45 minutes before performance time. Details of all Pro Musica’s concerts and Patron Membership are on our website, www.promusicasma.org, or contact us at promusicasma@aol.com.
Pro Musica Concert Series
Pro Musica Youth Orchestra
Sun., Dec. 11, 5pm
Bellas Artes
Miguel Malo auditorium
450 pesos all tickets
