Word: hro
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Adams House prepared for its annual stab at Dionysiac frenzy, more Apollonian-minded students--or, perhaps, just those whose parents were in town for freshman parents' weekend--assembled at Sanders Theatre for an evening with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO). The attendance at the two events was probably about equal--Sanders was packed to capacity with at least 800 attendees, a number that even Martin Feldstein would envy--but the average age at HRO was probably a good 30 years older, as beaming parents and plain old Cantabridgians turned out for an evening of aesthetic elevation...
...least, that's what they thought they were in for. In fact, thanks to a distinctly odd choice of works for this first concert of the season, HRO presented more of a caricature of the Apollonian: lots of tuxedos, not much excitement. The program lacked a major, wellbeloved anchor work; the closest thing to a classical Top 40 hit was Beethoven's Leonore No. 3 Overture, which is popular but too short to build a concert around. It was followed by the distinctly sub-average Triple Concerto of Beethoven, and the interesting but comparatively obscure Symphony No. 1 of Shostakovich...
Things got off to a good start with the Leonore Overture, as HRO displayed some of the strengths which mark it as a serious ensemble: excellent tone and dynamics from the strings, shown to good advantage in the mysterious, scale-like string passages at the beginning; fine soloists, especially in the trumpet and flute sections; and an overall coordination, allowing for intelligent phrasing and pacing. It's evidently more difficult to find a whole section full of excellent wind and brass players, since these sections often strained to achieve an even tone and unified entries...
What makes this programming choice even more eccentric is the fact that all three soloists were professional musicians, imported especially for the occasion. It would be at least understandable if HRO had chosen the piece to spotlight three student musicians: the division of labor, and the relative simplicity of the solo parts, would make it ideal for students. Indeed, it should have been possible to find a student pianist, cellist and violinist who were more than equal to the task--concertmaster Salley Koo '97, for example, who was outstanding in the Shostakovich symphpony...
Although some of us do not express our affinities so publicly on our bodies, all of us--whether we work with first-year students, Key-latch kids or volleyball teammates--are part of the Harvard and Radcliffe community. We know what HRO, IOP and PBHA stand for. What we wear is a legible emblem of our pride in our teams, our houses and our University...