The October 2 opening concert of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s 90th season consisted of just two pieces: the world premiere of Stephen Andrew Taylor’s Transfiguration and the traditional Symphony No.
9 by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
The Quad City Symphony, in conjunction with several area organizations, commissioned the first piece on the program, Transfiguration. Taylor used the text from Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm, published in 1977, for the libretto. The music and the text intertwine to tell the story of the encounter the author had with a moth while camping.
The moth flew into the flame of a candle by which she was reading and was consumed, except for its abdomen, which burst into flames and burned for several hours. The insect, like all natural things, was here for her enjoyment. As the libretto says, “Ladies and gentlemen! You are given insects, and birdsong, and a replenishing series of clouds.”
The author and composer jointly communicated their exuberance in life, in living, and in experiencing the world. The music was intermittently dramatic, frantic, sad, triumphant, and urgent. Each soloist performed beautifully, with just the right dynamics, feeling, and sensitivity. From the wispy, cacophonic beginning to the triumphant end, the orchestra sounds mingled with the libretto and the soloists’ voices. Each frantic or soothing piece of music, each forceful line of vocals, each woody, buzzy percussion element augmented the text and created a mental picture of the moth flaming and, during the last section of the piece, the author rejoicing.
While I listened to tenor soloist Eric Ashcraft sing, “A … moth flapped in to the fire, … stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second,” I thought of the seeming contradictions going on in this concert. The setting for the concert was the magnificent Adler Theatre, a reserved, formal place. But the music was exuberant. The text is extolling nature for offering itself to humans for enjoyment. However, the piece is about the mutilation of a living thing, albeit an insect: “Her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire.”
Yet Dillard’s interpretation of the event, Taylor’s use of the words, and the orchestra’s performance transformed it into a new work of art. Seemingly trivial things, such as a moth, a flame, a simple chord or piece of music, become meaningful when presented by talented and enthusiastic performers to an audience whose members interpret the piece uniquely through their own experiences and viewpoints.
The final selection of the evening, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, proved as moving as Transfiguration in a totally different way. The first movement was intermittently lyrical and forceful. The familiar two-note series opening the second movement followed by the succession of quick notes marching up and down the scale created tension and expectation. Each time I felt myself getting comfortable in the music, the demanding two-note series began again. The third movement was a contrast to the second, a slow, swelling section. Filled with beautiful phrasing and soothing harmonies, the music reminded me of relaxing on a summer day.
Finally, the Handel Oratorio Society and Quad City Choral Arts joined the orchestra and soloists for the final movement, a huge production of theme and variations of Ode to Joy. From triumphal to almost circus-like, Beethoven’s innumerable variations on the familiar hymn resounded through the hall for the remainder of the concert.
The Quad City Symphony, in conjunction with several area organizations, commissioned the first piece on the program, Transfiguration. Taylor used the text from Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm, published in 1977, for the libretto. The music and the text intertwine to tell the story of the encounter the author had with a moth while camping.
The moth flew into the flame of a candle by which she was reading and was consumed, except for its abdomen, which burst into flames and burned for several hours. The insect, like all natural things, was here for her enjoyment. As the libretto says, “Ladies and gentlemen! You are given insects, and birdsong, and a replenishing series of clouds.”
The author and composer jointly communicated their exuberance in life, in living, and in experiencing the world. The music was intermittently dramatic, frantic, sad, triumphant, and urgent. Each soloist performed beautifully, with just the right dynamics, feeling, and sensitivity. From the wispy, cacophonic beginning to the triumphant end, the orchestra sounds mingled with the libretto and the soloists’ voices. Each frantic or soothing piece of music, each forceful line of vocals, each woody, buzzy percussion element augmented the text and created a mental picture of the moth flaming and, during the last section of the piece, the author rejoicing.
While I listened to tenor soloist Eric Ashcraft sing, “A … moth flapped in to the fire, … stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second,” I thought of the seeming contradictions going on in this concert. The setting for the concert was the magnificent Adler Theatre, a reserved, formal place. But the music was exuberant. The text is extolling nature for offering itself to humans for enjoyment. However, the piece is about the mutilation of a living thing, albeit an insect: “Her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire.”
Yet Dillard’s interpretation of the event, Taylor’s use of the words, and the orchestra’s performance transformed it into a new work of art. Seemingly trivial things, such as a moth, a flame, a simple chord or piece of music, become meaningful when presented by talented and enthusiastic performers to an audience whose members interpret the piece uniquely through their own experiences and viewpoints.
The final selection of the evening, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, proved as moving as Transfiguration in a totally different way. The first movement was intermittently lyrical and forceful. The familiar two-note series opening the second movement followed by the succession of quick notes marching up and down the scale created tension and expectation. Each time I felt myself getting comfortable in the music, the demanding two-note series began again. The third movement was a contrast to the second, a slow, swelling section. Filled with beautiful phrasing and soothing harmonies, the music reminded me of relaxing on a summer day.
Finally, the Handel Oratorio Society and Quad City Choral Arts joined the orchestra and soloists for the final movement, a huge production of theme and variations of Ode to Joy. From triumphal to almost circus-like, Beethoven’s innumerable variations on the familiar hymn resounded through the hall for the remainder of the concert.
