Warren Philharmonic puts spring in its step

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

WARREN

Photo by: Lisa-Ann Ishihara

Photo

Alejandro Kamayd of Akron plays violin on stage at Christ Episcopal Church in Warren for the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra during a performance on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra will conclude its 2009-10 season Saturday with a spring concert that will include 100 singers, a troupe of dancers and some favorite American tunes.

Titled “Some Enchanted Evening,” the concert will see the WPO accompanied by the 100-voice Westminster College Festival Choir plus dancers from Ballet Western Reserve.

“I wanted to create a program that really celebrates the coming of spring and draws us into the enchantments of music,” said Susan Davenny Wyner, music director and conductor of the orchestra.

The program selections will include a joyous Bach, the funny side of Mozart and a romantic Tchaikovsky.

“What excites me about the music is the tremendous emotional range of these works,” said Wyner. “Each is thrilling and deeply theatrical. The Bach is the ‘Gloria’ movement from his great B-minor Mass and has soaring high trumpets and the exhilaration of dance in the two outer movements and a sweet soprano and tenor duet in the middle that depicts the beauty of the Holy Trinity. “The Mozart Overture [‘Abduction from the Seraglio’] is vital and full of humor with cymbals, triangle and drums giving it a Turkish flavor. And everyone knows and loves Tchaikovsky’s famous ‘Romeo and Juliet Overture.’ It’s passionate and exciting, with that extraordinary love theme just sweeping us away. It is irresistible.”

Rachmaninoff’s romantic “Vocalise” will follow the Tchaikovsky, with Ballet Western Reserve dancers positioned around the hall.

The concert will end with two distinctly American works.

First will be a medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, including “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “My Favorite Things,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Then the Westminster choir — which will perform during the “Gloria” movement — will rejoin the orchestra on “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

“The audience might want to join in on those final ‘Glory, Glory Hallelujahs,’” said Wyner.