The Hays Symphony Orchestra concert Sunday afternoon was one of the most exciting and nerve-racking I ever have attended. It was exciting because it was the occasion of the fourth annual Concerto Competition. The Concerto Competition was initiated by HSO Concertmaster Matt Means, who donated the prize money out of his own pocket just to get it started. Since then, though, the HSO Board has sponsored the event.
Also, all the musical selections were interesting and well played -- the upper strings sounded much stronger than they had earlier in the season. But it was nerve-racking for me because, along with real musical experts Claire Matthews and John Huber, I served as one of the judges. And the contestants were so evenly matched we wished we could have awarded three first prizes. But, more about this later.
After an introductory talk by HSO Conductor Jeff Jordan, the concert proper began with the stirring "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" by John Williams, who composed it for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (In his younger days, Williams wrote the theme song for "Gilligan's Island.")
A select group from the orchestra then gave a ravishing performance of "La Creation du Monde" (creation of the world) composed in the early 1920s by the French composer Darius Milhaud. As the program notes and the music make abundantly clear, Milhaud was very much influenced by jazz. In fact, the piece contains several passages similar to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and also some of the music in Jerome Kern's "Showboat."
After intermission, the Concerto Competition began. First to appear was Jason Cash, trombone, who played the "Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra" by Nino Rota (Rota also composed the film score for "The Godfather"). Cash, a sophomore music education major at Oklahoma State University, has won a number of awards as an outstanding lower brass player. His performance of this showpiece for trombone made clear he deserved them all. He tossed off the fast passages effortlessly, produced good, clear sustained notes in slower moments, and never went off pitch. He won enthusiastic applause, cries of "bravo" and, ultimately, third prize of $200.
Emma Casey, flute, came next with "Concertino for Flute and Orchestra" (Opus 107, 1902) by Cecile Chaminade. Casey, a National Merit Scholar, is a freshman majoring in flute performance at the University of Kansas and has served as principal flutist in several orchestras. According to the program notes, Chaminade might have written the "Concertino" for a man she loved "who was planning to marry someone else." In any case, this is an ecstatically romantic piece that borders on desperation. Casey gave it her all, playing scales legato and staccato, making the most of the frills and trills Chaminade composed. It was a gorgeous, totally effective French pastry of a performance and it got not only a hearty round of applause, but first prize of $500.
The third contestant, violinist Amanda Hoover, gave a fine performance of the fifth, or "Rondo" movement of Edouard Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" (Spanish symphony). Hoover, a graduate of Sterling College, performs with the Wichita Symphony Graduate String Quartet and participates in the Wichita Symphony, giving recitals and children's concerts. She, too, played all the cadenzas and trills of the "Rondo" with confidence and grace and was rewarded with an ovation and second prize, $300.
The orchestra took over for the last selection, the "Radetsky March" (Opus 228) by Johann Strauss Sr.
Be looking forward to the Cathedral Concert at 3 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at St. Fidelis Catholic Church in Victoria.
Ruth Firestone is a supporter of music and theater in Hays. rfiresto@fhsu.edu
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