KU orchestra turns 135
Schaeffer auditorium was filled with the sounds of strings, brass, and woodwinds alike last Wednesday night as the Kutztown Orchestra took the stage for their fall performance. After tuning up their instruments and rosining up their bows, the group’s sound exploded off the stage with tremendous excitement and vigor. The feeling in the air was palpable by all who were in attendance including many KU students and members of the community. With Dr. Willis Rapp as the orchestra’s conductor, it was no surprise that the group exuded this superb brilliance beautifully. After arriving in Kutztown in the fall of 1986, Dr. Rapp has integrated himself nicely in the Kutztown music program. Beginning as the director for Kutztown’s concert band, he slowly migrated towards the school’s orchestra program and is now in his 8th year as their conductor.
To kick off the show, Dr. Rapp decided to go with the not so subtle piece, “Carmen Suite No. 1” by Georges Bizet. The piece featured some of the influential songs for the opera genre that we still love today. Incorporating solos from several sections in the orchestra, the song established itself as a crowd favorite. This is also the 135th anniversary for the suite making it that much more special for the players and audience members. After speaking with Dr. Rapp, he expressed his desire of representing the song to the best of the group’s abilities given its popularity. To keep up with this demand for excellence, the orchestra has rehearsed three times a week since the beginning of the semester.
Once the last note was played, Dr. Rapp allowed the audience to recognize the students onstage and also provided the crowd with some background information on the following piece. “Green Bushes” was written by Percy Aldridge Grainger, who was a folk song writer popular throughout England. Born in Australia, Grainger grew to love the piano and became an accomplished pianist after leaving his home in Melbourne. The song was a fun, uplifting piece that created a strong presence amongst the crowd. According to Dr. Rapp, there was some difficulty in acquiring this particular piece, however. The only versions available were small chamber ensemble pieces that simply did not fit with a large orchestra like Kutztown’s. Nervertheless, Rapp didn’t give up so easily. After e-mailing the editor and recording supervisor, Barry Peter Ould of Chandos Record Labels in Great Britain, Dr. Rapp received a special copy written for a full orchestra made specifically for Kutztown University.
After a brief intermission, the orchestra’s final piece was “Symphonie in D Minor,” written by Cesar Franck. An astoundingly dark piece filled with varying dynamics, the symphony was unsettling and beautiful at the same time. Clocking in at just under 34 minutes, the musicians onstage persevered and pulled out a spectacular finish for their performance. The University Orchestra not only has college aged students amongst their ranks, but also feature some of the young and upcoming talents from Fleetwood and Kutztown High Schools as well as Kutztown alumni. This is now Fleetwood’s third year playing in the University Orchestra.
When asked why he chose these particular pieces, Dr. Rapp says that he always takes the audience into account as well as the ability of his students. His desire to challenge his students helps him to decide which songs would be best to show off their amazing talents. The University Orchestra is slated to perform with the dance studio for their depiction of the popular ballet, “The Nutcracker,” which will take place on December 12th and 13th. They also plan to perform the “New World Symphony” during the spring semester, which promises to be nothing short of spectacular.
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