by Amy Morrill
Gorgeous, perfectly-harmonized music filled the auditorium in Winterfest II Thursday.
Orchestra, Concert Choir, Family Singers, and String Ensemble performed pleasing and dynamic numbers and were joined by North alumni Constantine Finehouse as a special guest.
The concert began with String Ensemble, who played “Divertissement” by Jean Berger. Also by Berger, the first movement, “Allegro ma non troppo” was lighthearted, and was accented by quick strokes mixed with a longer, lifting melody. Musicians showed off their impressive control of dynamics by effortlessly switching from a soft to loud sound.
“Andante non troppo lento,” the second movement, by Berger, started softly with short, plunking strokes, and then grew into a haunting melody. The melody got louder, until the harmonies filled the auditorium. Notably, the piece ended with the same quiet strokes that it started with.
The audience quickly heard the tone of the third movement, “Molto animato,” by Berger, which began and continued as energetic and fun. Different parts played off each other in contrasting melodies, and musicians showed off their speed. The piece had some moments of perfectly-planned chaos that added to the dynamic piece.
The choruses and Orchestra then joined together on stage in a smooth transition to perform “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage” by Ludwig van Beethoven. The piece started in an eerie and quiet tone. Singers used their excellent breathing control with short phrases and their versatility by changing their tone quickly. The piece then became loud and joyous, and Orchestra and singers combined blended in an all-encompassing sound.
The final piece, “Choral Fantasy” by Ludwig van Beethoven, began with an impressive solo by Finehouse. His fingers effortlessly flew across the keyboard with contrasting fast and slow parts, in this lilting and fun part. Finehouse was able to thrill the audience with his trills. Orchestra then joined him seamlessly, and the two traded off complementing parts. Small groups of Orchestra mimicked the piano as the two bounced off each other in a pleasing way.
The choruses joined in for the last part of the piece. At first, only the piano played with the singers, and it was a soft, pleasing melody. The voices grew until they were joyous and filled the room, and were joined by Orchestra.
The concert ended in beautiful harmony, with all three parts complementing each other.