Life > November 3, 2006

By Elizabeth Martin

Staff writer

By Elizabeth Martin | Staff writer

When the clock began the announcement of midnight, all was dark.  Even those who squinted could not make out the hooded black figure who inched his way through the maze of violas and cellos.  The only evidence of his presence was the occasional exclamation that indicated his trouble in navigating his path with complete precision.  The clock struck 12 and suddenly the ominous notes of Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue filled the hall…

Thus began the annual Halloween orchestra concert, held Oct. 31 at midnight.  Many students filled Brendle Auditorium to watch (and laugh at) costumed friends and faculty.

Prior to midnight, each section of the orchestra made their entrance with the theme they had chosen.  Never underestimate what can happen in Brendle … the Von Trapp family (my personal favorite) made an appearance with a charming rendition of “So Long, Farewell” (complete with wigs AND choreography), Captain Planet and his gang had a run in with their villain, and sports teams ran up the isles and threw balls at each other over the bewildered audience … and this is just the beginning.

Here’s a peek into the madness and mayhem that led up to this concert: basically, it is the orchestra versus the conductor (David Hagy) as far as plotting is concerned, with Jay Lawson (Batman/manager of Brendle) the solo omniscient individual who knows everything that will happen. 

As Halloween approached, band members quickly conspired against their leader, as “NOT FOR HAGY” subject lines filled their inboxes.

Weekly sectionals transformed into Halloween brainstorming sessions as players agreed to sacrifice some of their time for intense passage work in order to ensure the success of the costuming aspect of the concert.

Ominous warnings began to seep from Hagy in everything from announcements of his inability to conduct us at certain points to the demonstration of various odd gyrations that we were supposed to be able to follow in lieu of the normal conduction pattern…

The many weeks of planning and conniving showed their worth as the orchestra managed to successfully disrupt some of Hagy’s plans. 

The violas responded perfectly to their cue for the gorgeous melody in Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet-just with kazoos instead of violas…

Straight faces were hard to keep as Hagy seriously readied the winds for their profound start to the Prokofiev.  No sooner had he given the downbeat than he found himself kicked off the podium by senior Gerianne Benson and surrounded by the jazzy lines of “To Darn Hot” from last year’s musical Kiss Me Kate- a piece arranged for our use by senior Danny Moebs (piano).

The orchestra had no idea of the particulars of the faculty plot, but this time we were able to figure out the general idea because of the sudden addition of the Superman and Batman theme songs to our music.

Sure enough, various music professors arrived outfitted in superhero gear and began their action with a foreboding poem that contained an element of foreshadowing, considering the menacing swells of the orchestra as the lyrics described impending death for the superheroes.

Having impeccable knowledge of the scores, Hagy orchestrated his plot so that the action mirrored the music.  Eerie lines within the “Death of Tybalt” section of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet provided the perfect opportunity for Hagy (now realized to be the hunted murderer of the superheroes) to offer an evil grin over his shoulder to the audience.  Most notably, the sharp stabs that Prokofiev used to show the death of Tybalt transferred to the hand of Hagy as he maliciously caused the death of Batman.

Full of trickery, hilarity, and suspense, the midnight Halloween orchestra concert was definitely the place to be.