Madeline Adkins Plays The Lark Ascending

I always love it when I have a Utah Symphony concert to look forward to at the end of the week and last night's concert was definitely worth the wait!  The orchestra, once again under the baton of Music Director Thierry Fischer, began with Symphony No. 30 "Alleluia" by Joseph Haydn.  In my opinion (take it for what it’s worth because I really don't know much about classical music) this piece is incredibly melodic with themes that are light, airy, and celebratory.  I especially loved the theme played by the flute in the second movement because it is so happy and cheerful.  Next came The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams with Concertmaster Madeline Adkins as soloist.  This is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard and I found it to be incredibly moving.  It is based on a poem of the same name by George Meredith and the solo violin represents a lark taking flight while the rest of the orchestra represents the verdant English countryside below it.  It was composed just before World War I and it is now viewed as a nostalgic ode to an idyllic bygone era before the world lost its innocence.  Like the first piece, is also incredibly melodic and I had such beautiful images of sun dappled fields in my mind as I listened.  Adkins played it brilliantly and I think the entire audience was collectively holding its breath as she played the final transcendent notes before erupting into thunderous applause (the loudest I’ve heard from a socially distanced crowd).  The concert concluded with Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1.  This piece was in stark contrast to the two that preceded it because it is much more modern and, in my opinion, sometimes quite jarring.  It features ten woodwinds and five strings, with every musician functioning as a soloist, and the usual five sections within a more traditional symphony are condensed into one movement.  The pacing is relentless, almost frantic, but there is a more somber and mournful section towards the end of the piece that really appealed to me.  This concert was the perfect end to the week and I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's concert which features the same program (go here).

Note:  I really like Madeline Adkins.  I met her once at a Utah Symphony after party at BTG, a wine bar downtown, and she was very charming (please take a moment to be impressed that I sometimes attend Utah Symphony after parties).