The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra is ready to carry out this weekend for the primary time since COVID-19 shut down their 2019 – 2020 season in early 2020.
A 34-member string group, below the course of Fouad Fakhouri, WFSO Musical Director and Conductor, will carry out three items composed for strings that can be filmed and recorded. Whereas there is not going to be an viewers allowed in Memorial Auditorium, classical music lovers should buy on-demand tickets for $10 to observe and hearken to the efficiency on-line. The hyperlink will go dwell beginning January 30, and stay open till February 20.
“Individuals can name our workplace at (940) 723-6202, or they’ll buy on-demand tickets on our WFSO.org web site,” mentioned Alicia Deges, WFSO Govt Director. “As quickly as they buy their ticket, they may get an e mail with a hyperlink that can take them on to the video. They’ll be capable to watch the video at their comfort. Viewers ought to you’ll want to examine our web site for tips about find out how to stream the video at their residence.”
The efficiency can be professionally recorded and video-d with up-close photographs of the WFSO musicians and the conductor.
Fakhouri mentioned the final time the WFSO carried out a live performance was in February 2020. Placing collectively the strings live performance, the conductor mentioned they needed to keep up security, which meant social distancing. “There can be 34 string musicians: violin, viola, cello and bass. There gained’t be winds, brass or percussion for this live performance.”
They’ll carry out Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C Main” (1880), Johan Strauss II and Joseph Strauss’s “Pizzicato Polka for Orchestra” (1870) and Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite” (1884-85).
Fakhouri and his musicians will rehearse Friday and Saturday morning and carry out the items on Saturday afternoon.
A significant consideration in placing collectively this system, Fakhouri mentioned, was find out how to safely carry out a live performance and nonetheless have sufficient of their musicians carry out. Stringed devices had been safer – versus brass and woodwind gamers.
The Tchaikovsky Serenade “is a extremely, actually well-known piece, and is among the high 10 items for string repertoire,” he mentioned. “It’s typical Tchaikovsky with a good looking melody – and the second motion, very well-known, is a beautiful waltz. It’s a piece that serves an anchor to the live performance.”
Johan and Joseph Strauss’s brief “Pizzicato Polka for Orchestra” is usually recognized in the present day because the Vienna Philharmonic performs it of their New 12 months’s Day live performance. “The entire strings gamers pluck their devices versus utilizing their bows. It’s a well-known piece and I believed it could be excellent in between the Tchaikovsky and the Grieg,” he mentioned.
Fakhouri was first launched to Grieg’s “Holberg Suite” 12 years in the past, and it’s usually carried out by youth orchestras and youthful musicians, “but it surely’s an excellent, nice work. It actually displays Grieg’s lovely model, his melodic model. The piece may be very accessible, and audiences get pleasure from it, tremendously.”
The WFSO has additionally created – with space Sommelier Carl Andrews – a Music & Wine Curated Wine Pairing to accompany the live performance, so listeners might improve their live performance expertise. The characteristic is on the WFSO web site and options space wines.
Fakhouri likened the upcoming WFSO string live performance to attending a live performance by a string quartet. “In some ways, you’re listening to a string quartet, with a further bass line. The interplay between the musicians and their means to work collectively and hearken to completely different strains and mainly speak to one another in an ensemble may be very, very distinguished.”
Not like when Fakhouri conducts a full symphony orchestra, “the musicians will take somewhat extra cost. My job is much less to dictate to them particularly the place they enter and the way they outline sure issues and way more to information them as they hear to one another and work together with one another.”
The WFSO has two extra concert events scheduled: they’re set to carry out February 27 with strings solely, after which April 17, after they hope to have the bigger orchestra with woodwinds, brass and percussion. Each can be in Memorial Auditorium, although audiences is not going to be allowed for Feb. 27. “We hope by April that restrictions can be much less strict,” he mentioned. “For April 17, I programmed Beethoven’s Symphony 8 in addition to a Gulda cello concerto. Our hope is that we are able to carry out them, however we will see the place the pandemic leads us.”
For summer season 2021, they hope to carry out in-person chamber concert events and different musical occasions for his or her viewers and the neighborhood in quite a lot of venues. “We’re regularly accessing the state of affairs and adjusting,” he mentioned.
The WFSO hopes to open a standard season within the fall. “That’s actually the place we’re and what we’re planning,” Fakhouri mentioned. “We’re transferring ahead with the intention that 2021-22 can be a standard season. We’re additionally engaged on an alternate plan in case we have now to regulate. Two separate concepts for 2 separate seasons.”
