KORI BARKLEY
Staff Writer
This season’s College Symphony Orchestra concert was not one to be missed.
Under the direction of graduate conducting assistant Hayden Denesha, Saturday’s program opened in King Concert Hall with a notable performance of Mikhail Glinka’s “Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila.” Full of dissonant chromaticism and fast whole-tone scale passages, the piece is known to be challenging; however, the CSO impressed listeners with its dynamism.
The true highlight of the evening was Rachel Lee Priday’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35” on her violin named Alejandro.
Holding degrees from Harvard and the New England Conservatory, Priday is acclaimed for her musicianship and has appeared as a soloist for a number of orchestras, including the Chicago, St. Louis, Houston and Seattle symphonies, the National Symphony in Washington, the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Boston Pops.
Her performance with the Fredonia College Symphony Orchestra of one of the most popular, well-loved pieces composed for violin was exuberant and awe-inspiring, to say the least.
With a beautiful, wholesome tone, Priday colorfully articulated the spirit and emotion of the music.
“The emotion in Tchaikovsky’s music is raw and direct,” Priday explained. “When it’s exciting — which it is for most of the piece — it’s extremely exciting. Actually, I can’t think of a more exciting ending to any piece for violin. But when it’s sad or wistful, it’s heartbreakingly melancholic. You just have to throw yourself in completely.”
And that is exactly what Priday did.
Priday played each note with a noticeable passion and intensity. There was no question the piece was incredibly demanding, both musically and technically.
The first movement (“Allegro moderato”) opened with a rich, lyrical melody on the violin that soon took off into a bright, wistful theme of extremely fast arpeggiations, forceful pizzicato and harmonics, rapid tremolo and incredibly high notes that would have otherwise sounded like screeching. It was obvious Priday was connected to the music as she swayed and moved through the phrases.
Her stage presence and magnificent talent clearly fascinated the near-capacity audience, moving them to not only clap after the first movement but offer her a standing ovation — something unconventional in the classical world.
“I was happy that the audience reacted warmly to the first movement, and I feel like it boosted the energy for the rest of the performance,” Priday said. “I love when an audience reacts, because I know they’re alive and listening, so it inspires me even more. That is what I love about performing live.”
Just as Priday stunned the audience with her impressive speed and technique, she then proved her ability to diversify. The following movement (“Canzonetta: Andante”) was much slower, presenting an almost gloomy melody that eventually gained speed and merged seamlessly into a Russian peasant dance for the final movement (“Allegro vivacissimo”).
It was noticeable that the execution of the piece took a considerable amount of stamina to be able to maintain energy throughout, simply because there are a ton of notes.
Emily Hayes, a senior applied music and French major, was one of the many students who feels lucky to have had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from Priday.
“She was captivating,” Hayes recalled, “and her interpretations were so convincing. It’s always interesting to experience playing concertos because it’s different with each soloist. She was really unpredictable, and she changed how she played it each time. It really taught us, as an orchestra, to be on our toes and listen relentlessly.”
For the final performance of the program, the CSO presented Jean Sibelius’ famous “Symphony No. 1, Op. 39” — a piece that was inspired by his love of nature. A classic in orchestral repertoire, the piece encorporated soft, lyrical melodies juxtaposed against loud, repeated chords, dialogues between high and low strings and constantly changing textures.