Weekend pick: FOOSA Philharmonic brings its Disney Hall program back to Fresno for an encore
By Donald Munro
Over the years, I’ve found various ways to celebrate the outstanding attributes of the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (FOOSA), an annual June collaboration between the Youth Orchestras of Fresno and Fresno State. One time I even traveled with the group on the bus to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. That story remains one of my favorite out-of-town assignments for The Munro Review.) Another favorite story: a piece I did on a trombone player and flute player, which captured the talent and intensity of our young musicians. (It was also a nudge at the idea that we pay a tremendous amount of attention to talented young athletes but tend to neglect our outstanding young musicians, thespians and artists.)
The two-week academy draws students and distinguished faculty from all over the world. The public gets to enjoy it all this weekend:
• 8 p.m. Friday, June 21: Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
• 3 p.m. Sunday, June 23: Saroyan Theatre, Fresno
Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Go to the FOOSA website for details.
The orchestra performs Karol Szymanowski’s “Concert Overture” and Mahler’s 7th Symphony. I caught up with music director Thomas Loewenheim to talk about the program:
STORY CONTINUES AFTER SPONSORED CONTENT
Q: How many students are in the program this year?
A: The FOOSA Philharmonic has 106 students from all over the world this year. They are joined by 30 faculty members to create one of the biggest orchestras we have ever had.
In addition, our Half-Day program has 40 string students, 4 harp students, and 7 young percussion students.
Students literally come from all over the world including Asia and Europe, as well as from all over the United State to be joined by a large number of local students. We had record numbers of applicants and we are all excited to see how the level keeps going up each and every year.
Q: You’ll be performing the Mahler 7th Symphony. What is the biggest challenge of the piece?
A: Mahler’s 7th Symphony is one of the most complex scores I have conducted. The biggest challenge is the consistent tempo changes. All the movements have this trait where he keeps changing the tempo constantly – and even when he arrives at a desired tempo, he immediately pushes it forward before slowing down again. One needs to have a clear plan in their mind and constantly anticipate the next change in tempo. In addition, since the orchestra is so large, it takes a large amount of energy to keep everyone together, especially with the constant change in character, color, and mood.
Q: What is one thing audiences should know about the Mahler 7th?
A: Mahler’s 7th Symphony is also called “Song of the Night.” The reason for that are the two inner movements (the second and the fourth) that are titled Nachtmusik, which translates to Night Music. He composed those two movements in 1904, a year before he composed the other three movements. In 1905, he headed back to his summer residence to continue work on his Seventh Symphony but was struck with one of the worst periods of writer’s block that Mahler ever endured. He tried going to the Dolomites to get inspired but that didn’t help either. On his way back to his summer home in Austria, while rowing a boat back to his home he was struck with inspiration and composed the rest of the movements within four weeks, the first, third and fifth movements were completely finished!
Another important thing for the audience to know is that the Seventh Symphony is the least known and one of the least performed of all of Mahler’s symphonies due to its complexity and both technical and musical challenges. It stands out in its audacious orchestral effects, from the opening tenor horn solo to the inclusion of such instruments as guitar, mandolin, cowbell, and tam-tam (gong); and he pushed the conventional limits of the sound of more standard orchestral instruments, with violins and solo trumpet at the height of their upper register, and instructions to the cellos and double basses to “pluck the strings so hard that it hits the wood.” This creates a large sound palate that makes the orchestra sound like never before, creating a gigantic, agonizing, complex, and very exciting musical work.
The Munro Review has no paywall but is financially supported by readers who believe in its non-profit mission of bringing professional arts journalism to the central San Joaquin Valley. You can help by signing up for a monthly recurring paid membership or make a one-time donation of as little as $3. All memberships and donations are tax-deductible.
Q: When you finish conducting the piece, what is your dominant emotion?
A: Exhaustion… but filled with deep excitement. There are two reasons for this feeling: the first is the constant focus and energy one needs to conduct this beautiful, intense, and long symphony. The constant changes in character demand of the conductor to anticipate constantly what is coming next and to energize the orchestra to perform at its best with each changing character that Mahler is expressing in his music. And the second reason is that one gets completely immersed in his music, so much so that one feels like he joins Mahler on his deep journey through life. This music has some of the most beautiful melodies and sound depictions I know. One can close their eyes while listening to his symphony and see the places Mahler was composing about. It is quite exciting and magical, and I am sure the audience will love every moment.
Kathy
The Mahler symphony performed June 23rd at the Saroyan was a dazzling performance. One of the string musicians told me later that even though the symphony was beautifully performed, the acoustics of the Saroyan did not project the instruments nearly as well as at the Walt Disney Center, where they performed the same pieces. Once again, Saroyan acoustics are just not
up to par. She knew nothing about past criticism of the Saroyan; with her trained musician’s ear she could sense acoustic deficiencies.