Life > November 18, 2006

By Lauren O’Keefe

Staff writer

The last Secrest Series event of the fall 2006 semester did not disappoint those who attended the performance. The Orquestra de Sao Paulo, a Latin American orchestra founded in 1953, astounded the audience with their lively, engaging presentation.

The orchestra has had its ups and downs, but in the past 9 years, they have gone under a major renovation under artistic director John Neschling. The orchestra has taken tours throughout Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Brazil. Currently, they are taking a tour of the United States in 14 cities.

The orchestra has a contract signed with a Brazilian recording company to release a collection of CDs which feature classical pieces. Neschling has also worked to create a variety of educational programs with the help of the state government.

On Nov 8, the Orquestra de Sao Paulo performed four incredible pieces in Wait Chapel. Before this extraordinary performance, Professor Patricia Dixon spoke about the pieces being played and the history of the orchestra.

The energetic opening piece, by Jeronimo Giminez, called “La Boda de Luis Alonso” woke up the audience to the fact that this orchestra was one worth giving your full attention to and staying to the end of their performance. This is a classic Latin American piece written in 1896.

The next two pieces, one before the intermission and one after, were by Heitor Villa-Lobos, an extremely famous Brazilian nationalist composer. This man not only contributed to nationalism in Brazil but was also an educator.

Villa — Lobos wanted his music to have a Brazilian flavor. He even took this music over to Europe to show it off. The place premiered with the New York Philharmonic in 1955.

Villa — Lobos, according to Dixon, wanted to “elevate standards of teaching in Brazil, he convinced the secretary of education to establish choral programs in the schools.”

The first piece they played, “Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra” featured Antonio Meneses as the accomplished cello soloist. Meneses has played all over the world and has collaborated with a variety of performers.

This cello concerto started serene and sentimental but by the third movement became a lively, dancing piece. The piece featured Villa-Lobos’ instrument, the cello, as the focal point. Meneses played with a deep passion throughout the piece with resulted in a true spectacle for the audience members.

The second piece by Villa — Lobos, “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4.” was played after the intermission. This piece honors Bach while at the same time taking its inspiration from Brazilian nationalism and culture.

The last piece of the concert was by a Latin American nationalist composer, Alberto Ginestra. Dixon said that this composer was “radically different” than Villa-Lobos. He was a perfectionist who only left 50 works behind because he was so critical of his own work.

The piece played on Wed Nov 8, “Estancia: Ballet Suite” tells the story of a worker on a farm, from dawn to dusk. There are many juxtaposing tonalities as Dixon pointed out and the piece goes from slow and melodic to fast and rhythmic.

The concert ended with a standing ovation and the orchestra played an encore in which they stomped their feet to the rhythm of the music.

This concert was a great opportunity for the University’s students and for the community. It’s not everyday that one can hear an outstanding Brazilian orchestra.