Catch a Rising Star Series

David Root

Mrs. Melusky

Music 102 11:00 a. m.

1 December 2012

Masterworks Concert by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Nov. 11, 2012

The Masterworks series called Catch A Rising Star, by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, is a platform that showcases an individual soloist. It is about 2 ½ hours in length and well worth the $25.00 per ticket charge. The attire for the performers and attendees was more of a formal appearance. Most of the attendees seems to be repeat concertgoers who knew the proper etiquette when it came to appropriate applause times (only after the whole piece is finished). The performance was held at the home of the HSO, The Forum Auditorium. The Forum is a beautiful theatre that boasts rows of seating that curves along with the round shape of the building. The ceiling of the theatre boasts amazing paintings of constellations with many lights representing individual stars. I received a program that contained the whole schedule for the year and found inside an abundance of information that made following this performance, and all other performances, very simple.

The first piece of the concert was Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major, by Joseph Haydn, from the classical period. It started out with a slow, largo strings introduction that I found hard to follow. It slowly worked its way into a repeat of the theme. The next theme started and it is a more allegro – vivace version of the previous introduction. This repeated theme is ended with a coda that is pretty powerful. A melancholy adagio was next and featured a few bursts from the brass section giving climaxes a heftier feel. The adagio is followed by the minuet, livening up what I felt was a sleepy symphony, with its dance time tempo. The oboe and bassoon were noticeably more involved during the minuet. The presto finale featured a quick strings section that also included some of the woodwinds. The development was full and was clearly meant to give a strong finish. I found this symphony to...