Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra accompanies Phantom of the Opera screening

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed “The Phantom of The Opera,” on Friday Oct. 31 and Saturday Nov. 1 in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester. The play accompanied the 1925 silent film adaptation of the 1910 novel upon which the musical is based. Guest conductor Donald Hunsberger led the orchestra as the film played. According to Hunsberger, silent films were never really “silent.” From solo performers or chamber-sized ensembles performing on movie sets to establish proper moods for the actors, to musicians performing in theater pits throughout the country, silent films always had music as an integral part of their presentation.

Hunsberger created a “cue sheet” to compile the accompaniment for this program. Titles, scenes, emotional content, action and further information from the film were provided for the performers to assist them in selecting proper music to reflect the pathos, intensity and movement of each of the film’s sections. Principal percussion of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and adjunct professor of music at Geneseo Jim Tiller emphasized before the concert to remember to enjoy the music along with the film.

A musical identity scoring system was employed to provide the audience with a musical background coupled with screen action and development. The musical accompaniment played a vital part in the presentation; underscoring the visual with the aural.

Working with the Film Division of the George Eastman House since 1980, Hunsberger has created and conducted performances of orchestral accompaniments to over 18 silent films. He has also conducted performances with 45 orchestras both in the United States and Canada. He is currently professor emeritus of conducting and ensembles and conductor emeritus of the Eastman Wind Ensemble at the Eastman School of Music, having served as its music director from 1965 to 2001.

Although the live accompaniment worked well, the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera was a little antiquated for the modern audience. Perhaps because the film was originally too frightening for mid-1920s movie audiences; it was re-shot and comedic scenes were added. Unlike the 2004 version, the 1925 film does not have a sense of love or any room for sympathy for the Phantom; just madness and the Phantom’s maniacal desire for exclusive possession of Christine Daaé.

The show was an entertaining program suitable for Halloween. There were some frightening parts in the movie––the scene where Daaé tore off the Phantom’s mask to reveal his hideously deformed face generated screams from some audience members. The dynamic live music performance also created tension, enhancing the drama for each scene.

Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to classical composers

The Geneseo Symphony Orchestra performed with pianist, Department Chair and professor of music Jonathan Gonder in Wadsworth Auditorium on Sunday Oct. 19. The first half of the concert featured renditions of Hector Berlioz’s “Hungarian March from ‘The Damnation of Faust’” and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Suite from ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ Ballet, Op. 66a,” which includes the well-known “Waltz” as heard in the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. Played by Gonder, Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 1, ” comprised the second half of the concert and acted as the focal piece.

Gonder has balanced performance activities with academic and administrative duties throughout his career. He has performed as a pianist in solo concerts, concerto performances with the orchestra, chamber music, accompaniments and piano duo concerto. He has won the Southeast Regional Music Competition and was chosen as a finalist in the William S. Boyd International Piano Competition

Gonder played Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” with the Geneseo Symphony Orchestra last semester and even wrote his own cadenza––the most elaborate and virtuosic element of a piece played by a soloist at the climax of the first movement of a concerto. At this concert, however, Gonder used one of the original three candenzas Beethoven wrote.

Beethoven wrote his first published piano concerto “Piano Concerto No. 1” at the age of 28. At that time, he was already regarded as the most promising young composer in Vienna. While the concerto is clearly indebted to Mozart, it sparkles with the addition of Beethoven’s exuberance and originality.

Beethoven has always been one of Gonder’s favorite composers, which may be why he has such a strongly developed personal view of how the composition should be played. In addition to understanding Beethoven and conducting extensive performance practice, Gonder has become an expert in expressing his own ideas and music throughout his performances.

Along with the orchestra, Gonder shared his music with the audience and members in the orchestra. For a great pianist like Gonder, the goal of playing alongside students is to inspire. As the soloist, Gonder has to constantly follow and lead the student-composed orchestra, which can sometimes limit the soloist’s performance.

Even with this slight limitation, Gonder thoroughly demonstrated his musical ability. The second movement of the concerto—which is slow and conspicuously exposes the ability of the pianist—was especially phenomenal. The phrases exchanged by Gonder on the piano and senior Nick Ellsworth on the clarinet provided an impressive example of how great musicians can create even greater music.

Gonder will be performing later this semester with the Geneseo Wind Quintet as well as with the newly formed Geneseo Piano Trio alongside violinist Peter Povey and cellist and lecturer of music James Kirkwood.

Guest pianist performs unique takes on Chopin compositions

Guest artist and world- renowned pianist Alec Chien performed a concert in Doty Recital Hall on Sept. 26 pay- ing homage to the classical works of the Romantic-era composer Frederic Chopin. Chien is an artist-in-residence and professor and chair of the music department at Al- legheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. On the program were all four of Chopin’s “Ballades,” a series of one-movement piano pieces. As an encore, Chien played Chopin’s “Etude Op. 25, No. 1” and “Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2.”

For pianists, playing Chopin’s music can be a very challenging feat because it is highly open to interpreta- tion by the performer. “If I had played his music straight, it would have been boring,” Chien said to the audience af- ter the concert.

Chopin, who is often re- ferred to as “the poet of the piano,” never wrote music based on a story; he believed that his music itself would tell a story. Chien created his own unique interpretations of Chopin’s complex compositions, which he demonstrated to the audience.

The tricks he used to in- troduce each phrase—such as his musical gesture, break, hesitation and change in tem- po—kept entertaining and sur- prising listeners throughout the concert.

The pieces Chien played were all technically demand- ing. It is not uncommon for pianists to spend hundreds or even thousands of hours just to learn one ballade thoroughly.

This seems to come al- most naturally to Chien, who has also accompanied and per- formed with orchestras as a soloist in both solo and cham- ber recitals in various parts of the world including Australia, Austria, China, Taiwan and Spain.

Additionally, he has been a featured soloist with some of the most respected symphony orchestras in the United States, such as the Philadelphia Or- chestra, St. Louis Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic.

Chien played all four of Chopin’s ballades in distinc- tive ways. His interpretation of each ballad was exceed- ingly emotional. Chien gave a moving performance during “Ballade No. 1,” introducing this lyrical phrase slowly and carefully. On the other hand, for “Ballade No. 3,” the pia- nist scarcely breathed between the phrases, playing through the whole lyrical section vig- orously. The piano Chien per- formed on was the college’s newest Steinway piano, which was premiered when the recital hall was first opened.

Chien's performance was so powerful that it was hard to believe that he apparently has relatively small hands for a pianist. “Even people with small hands can play Chopin,” professor of music Jonathan Gondor said.

Finger Lakes Opera presents first Geneseo production

Under professor of music Gerard Floriano, Finger Lakes Opera performed Georges Bizet’s famous opera “Carmen” in Wadsworth Auditorium on Aug. 8 and 10. All 945 tickets were sold out on both days. It was the first opera hosted at Geneseo.“Nothing like this ever happened before,” Floriano said. The event attracted people from as far away as Buffalo and New York City and those from more local areas. “The audience was so moved that they could not stop talking about it even after the concert,” lecturer of music James Kimball said. The professional workmanship of both the directors and performers contributed to the opera’s success. Floriano is an accomplished chorale and orchestral conductor with a keen understanding of the instrumental challenges and vocal demands of operas. The orchestra consisted of the members of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and other professional musicians, but the performance would not have been complete without choreographers, costume designers, set designers and other staff who worked behind the scenes. Floriano said he knew that having an opera concert in Geneseo during the summer would be successful because “music is what unites people and brings people together from everywhere.” To do so, Floriano selected “Carmen” as the company’s inaugural production. Even those who are not interested in an opera have heard the tune of “Habanera” and “Toreador Song.” In addition to music and orchestration, “Carmen” has a very dramatic and memorable storyline. It is an epic involving love, passion and violence. According to Floriano, one of the biggest challenges was making Wadsworth Auditorium work for an opera. “It was like creating something from nothing,” he said. According to Floriano, Wadsworth is not an up-to-date concert hall––it has a number of technical problems with seating, bathrooms, lighting and the backstage area. In order to overcome the problems, Floriano decided to make the opera somewhat contemporary, but with traditional elements. The costumes, for instance, resembling modern Spanish attire, brought a contemporary twist to the classic play. Floriano and Finger Lakes Opera will announce the future opera production on the Finger Lakes Opera homepage in several weeks.