Visions of sugar plums and a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers will enchant audiences of Hillsdale Orchestra’s performance this weekend, Dec. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. This concert—the second of the semester—will feature the second suite of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” along with the second suite of Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
The two suites, both taken from ballets, present a unique challenge for the performers. In addition to the uncommon tempos and rhythms found in these pieces, there are also more soloist parts, especially for the orchestra’s wind section.
Music Department Chair and orchestra director James Holleman chose these selections in order to challenge the orchestra students and expose them to a variety of music.
“I wanted to do the Prokofiev, ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” Holleman said. “I thought this was a piece that would really challenge this orchestra, and a lot of the students were really ready for it. And then it being Christmas, we were already doing Russian ballet music, so it made a lot of sense to do ‘The Nutcracker.’”
Along with the difficulty of the music itself, the orchestra has also had to adapt to the shortened timeframe for rehearsals. Additionally, a large group of senior orchestra members graduating last year provides an additional challenge for the younger musicians. However, Holleman has confidence that this group will be able to rise to the occasion.
“It’s been a little bit steeper of a learning curve than I anticipated, but we’re getting it,” he said. “Each rehearsal gets better.”
Senior LaRae Ferguson describes the pieces as a mix of many emotions ranging from the powerful sadness and grief in “Romeo and Juliet” to the uplifting and lively dances found in “The Nutcracker.” Overall, the pieces will be pleasing for the audience and demanding for the performers.
“They’re a really good balance between fun and familiar, but harder than they sound,” Ferguson said. “It’s been a really good challenge.”
According to sophomore violinist Stevan Lukich, the music from ballets has a distinct energy.
“There is a lot of motion and life in these pieces, since they were composed to be performed with the choreography of a ballet,” Lukich said.
This is especially true of his favorite movement from “The Nutcracker,” in which the string section plays a prominent role.
“It has some really big, soaring melodies and luscious string sounds,” Lukich said. “It has some beautiful brass parts as well.”
In addition to the eighty piece orchestra, this concert will feature auxiliary instruments such as harp, tenor saxophone, contrabassoon, piccolo, and piano. Holleman notes that these additional instruments allow more students to be involved in the performances.
“Typically in the woodwinds we rotate a few students in the sections, but by having a few extra parts then everyone gets to play, and not just on a rotation,” he said.
Holleman hopes to have a good turnout for the performances.
“With the amount of work the students do, the amount of time they give, and the dedication they have to this, it’s nice to a play for a full house. It’s rewarding, and you feel like your efforts were appreciated,” he said. “I’m always happy when Hillsdale College students make up a large part of the audience. We have a top-notch orchestra for a school this size, and I like to see people take advantage of that and participate.”