Last night I attended the final Utah Symphony concert of the season and it was certainly a spectacular one to end with! The orchestra began with a fun piece called Fanfare Ritmico by Jennifer Higdon. According to the composer, it was written on the eve of the new Millennium to celebrate the rhythm and speed of daily life. I thought it was incredibly dynamic and I especially loved all of the percussion (the chimes were my favorite) and the brass. Next came Fandango by Arturo Marquez. This piece was inspired by a fandango, or Mexican party where people come together to dance and sing in a communal setting, and was written specifically for the soloist Anne Akiko Meyers. She performed it so brilliantly that the audience gave her a standing ovation after the first movement (to be fair the ending of the movement is very dramatic). The piece contained several different and exciting Latin rhythms that had people dancing in their seats and I especially loved the back and forth between the solo violin and the solo clarinet during an interlude in the first movement, the sensual themes in the second movement, and the sheer virtuosity of Meyers' performance in the third movement (it was really fast and so much fun to watch). I had never heard this piece before but I think it might be a new favorite because I really enjoyed it! After the intermission the concert concluded with an incredibly stirring rendition of Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. I am always very moved by this piece whenever I hear it performed live because it is so triumphant. I love the themes played by the woodwinds and, of course, the instantly recognizable Fanfare for the Common Man played by the brass, punctuated dramatically by the timpani, is brilliant. I had goosebumps by the time the orchestra reached the exhilarating conclusion! This same program will be performed again tonight and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).
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