Conductor Don Gerheart leads the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra as they rehearse for the Fall Concert. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comLASO News:
The Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra will present its Fall Concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 at Crossroads Bible Church. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and there is no admission charge, however, donations at the door are gratefully accepted.
Conductor Don Gerheart has selected a program that will spotlight all sections of the 60 member orchestra.
The opening number, Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme by Haydn,” composed in 1873, is based on a theme entitled “Chorale Saint Antoni.” The theme itself opens the piece and each of the eight variations follows the original phrasal and harmonic structure to some degree but each has a distinctive character. The finale is a magnificent culmination, using all members of the orchestra, even the triangle.
The featured work in the concert will be Beethoven’s Symphony #1, premiered in 1800 when it was enthusiastically received. Its simplicity and dialogues between wind and strings are reminiscent of the classic style of the period, but there are hints, all along, of the composer’s coming radicalism ─ the discordant chord at the opening, the incisive rhythmic energy, and the scalar passages often heard in inversion when various instruments are in dialogue.
Works by the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, and the Spanish Composer, Geronimo Gimenez, will complete the program. Sibelius’ “Karelia Suite” is a collection of pieces based on folk tunes of the area. Gimenez is known for his sense of rhythm and easy melodies, notable in “La Boda de Luis Alonso.”
The orchestra members come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are Los Alamos National Laboratory employees, Los Alamos County employees, lawyers, professional and amateur musicians, students and retirees. All share a love of playing good classical, symphonic music. They rehearse once a week and look forward to sharing this great music with an audience.
