Dvorak's Symphony No. 5

I always love it when I have a Utah Symphony concert to look forward to during the week and the one last night was especially worth the anticipation because I was swept away by the music of Bruch and Dvorak.  The orchestra began with Ringelspiel by Ana Sokolovic and it pains me to say this but I didn't particularly care for this piece.  I appreciate that the composer meant to mimic the disoriented and dizzy feeling that one has while riding on a merry-go-round but most of the time it just sounded like noise to me, especially a section where it seemed like everyone was playing a different note (it was so jarring).  This hardly mattered because I absolutely loved the next piece as well as the soloist!  Randall Goosby joined the orchestra for Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch and he was brilliant!  I loved the themes played by the solo violin because they are passionate in the first movement, melancholy and filled with longing in the second movement, and intense in the third movement.  I also really enjoyed the orchestral background because it is incredibly lush but Goosby has such a magnetic stage presence that I couldn't take my eyes off him and all of my attention was focused on his dazzling performance.  The audience literally erupted with thunderous applause so he performed "Louisiana Blues Strut" by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson as an encore!  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Antonin Dvorak.  I had never heard this piece before but I'm glad I had the chance last night because it is so emotional and romantic!  I always love it when the woodwinds are prominently featured and the themes played by the clarinets in the first movement are beautiful.  My favorite movement was the second because it has the feel of a Bohemian folk dance with a lyrical theme played by the cellos and then echoed first by the violins and then the woodwinds.  The final movement includes a tender dialogue between the clarinets and violins and another between the flutes, oboes, and violins followed by a triumphant conclusion from the brass.  It was another wonderful evening at Abravanel Hall and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here for tickets).

Note:  Yesterday I renewed all of my subscriptions (Masterworks, Films in Concert, and Opera) for the 2023-2024 season without even knowing what will be programmed!  That is how much I love attending Utah Symphony concerts (and Utah Opera performances).