Purdue Orchestra to offer Tchaikovsky, Bach for holiday

Students Carlos Kemeny, a senior in the College of Engineering from Provo, Utah, and Aaron Ritter, a sophomore in the College of Agriculture from Williams, Ind., will be spotlighted in the Bach concerto.

"Carols and Aaron are fantastic musicians and I'm excited for everyone to get to hear them play," symphony conductor Andrew King said. "It's really interesting that Bach wrote this piece around 1730 for an orchestra much like Purdue's, a collegium musicum orchestra in Leipzip where the students were not primarily musicians.

"With both violinists playing at the same time, the way they interact in the concerto is very conversational. It varies from a sense of back and forth to imitative to line and response."

Ritter said the musical chemistry between the two violinists makes that conversation distinctive.

"We communicate so well," he said. "We both feel the music in a similar way so it's easier to intertwine the musical lines. We definitely feed off each other and keep each other in check too."

Kemeny said he and Ritter hope to create a special experience for the audience.

"It is an incredible feeling to open your heart musically and emotionally to an audience, hoping they will feel what you feel," he said. "When the performer and the audience connect, it is a universal language that transcends the barriers of spoken word and penetrates the depths of the soul in a unique way."

When the orchestra presents Tchaikovsky's "Fifth Symphony," it will mark the first time in years the Purdue group has performed an entire symphony instead of specific movements.

"Pieces like the Tchaikovsky are cyclical," King said. "Tchaikovsky specifically looked at the symphony as one work that took you on a journey from beginning to end. It's more satisfying to play the whole thing. "

He said the symphony is one of the best of Tchaikovsky's works.

"He's known for his fantastic melodies and great tunes that are so memorable, but sometimes he wasn't quite sure what to do with them," King said. "In the 'Fifth' he develops his ideas better than his other works. I really love it and it's really fun to play."

The Purdue Orchestra also will perform Michael Schelle's "Samurai." Schelle, a professor at Butler University in Indianapolis, is one of the most played contemporary composers in the world. He visited campus and helped the orchestra prepare "Samurai," which was written in memory of the legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, who directed a film called "Seven Samurai."

King said Schelle's "Seven Samurai" is rhythmic and easy to listen to.

"He's done a lot of film composing and it influences what Schelle does with art music," King said. "There's a lot of musical layering and one section imitates Kodo drumming."

The concert is sponsored by Purdue Bands & Orchestra. The group's next concert will be held on March 4.

Writer: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations director, (765) 496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu

Related Web site:
Purdue University Bands

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page