Madison Symphony Orchestra Analysis

The Madison Symphony Orchestra is an exquisite ensemble with over 100 talented musicians. On April 2, 2016, John DeMain conducted a wonderful orchestra performance. It was held in Overture Hall at the Overture Center in Madison, WI. Garrick Ohlsson was the piano soloist that night in a Johannes Brahms piece after the intermission. The conductor came onto the stage before the show to give a brief explanation of the concert for the night and why he chose the musical selections he did, and I found it very interesting how he chose three very different composers; a more recent composer; a more powerful composer from a different time; and a well known lullaby composer for his classical concerto. The first piece of music was Steven Stucky’s Symphony. The conductor stated …show more content…
One of the most interesting things about this piece is that it is a nonstop, four-movement piece. Usually when there is more than one movement, there is a pause in between, whereas this piece had continuous music while still differentiating the mood and texture between each movement. The first movement of the piece, Introduction and Hymn, begins with woodwind solos, led by the oboe and then later taken over by the flute. The dynamics build and create a full woodwind sound with such a warm timbre. After the woodwinds build, it flows into a brass section with French horns taking over that initial melody that the oboe played. The second movement, Outcry, begins with a two-note motif where the peace of the first movement has been