The DePauw Orchestra will be tackling a number of pieces designed to challenge them musically, as well as technically on Sunday, September 20.
“This year's orchestra is very strong and our first concert is this coming Sunday, September 20 with some unusual repertoire,” said Orcenith Smith, music director of the DePauw Orchestra.
This will be the first concert of the year, and for first-year students, it will be their first ever big concert at DePauw.
“I’m pretty excited because it’s my first concert here,” said Katie Allen, first-year student. “So I’m excited to see how it comes out. The rehearsals have gone well so I’m stoked for the actual concert.”
Even though the excitement and energy are high among the musicians, the featured piece for the first concert of the year comes from a very dark and challenging place. The piece is “Symphony No. 5,” a monumental work from 1937 by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. His work was written in the face of Stalin’s reign of the Soviet Union.
The composer’s family had been kidnapped, and he was facing a dilemma at the time, because his government considered his music inappropriate and he felt his life was being threatened. After Stalin’s rule, the piece became what Smith calls “an artist’s reply to just criticism”--perhaps the first historical appearance of “My haters are my motivators”.
“Symphony No. 5” has become a famous and endearing work of the 20th century, portraying political oppression, desperation and triumph in the same piece of music.
“Our DePauw students are portraying this setting, giving their all, understanding the dynamic of the narrative and the technical commitment to get there,” Smith said.
The DePauw Orchestra will light up the Kresge Auditorium stage Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. for the first concert of what promises to be an exciting year and performance season for this talented ensemble.