Word: hro
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...HRO is not the best symphony in the world, and no one expects it to be. But this does not excuse their frequent drowning out of Starker. The acoustics of Sanders Theater leave much to be desired, but HRO is no newcomer to Mem Hall. Conductor James Yannatos was lax in regulating the orchestra's volume...
However, the worst offender of the night was neither Starker nor the HRO, but a Sanders Theater radiator which released a cacophonous blast of steam during the contemplative, yet simple adagio ma non troppo of the Dvorak. As the heating unit entered the final stage of its five-minute protest, Starker remarked, "Seldom have I been so rudely interrupted. Perhaps this indicates that Harvard needs a concert hall." That conclusion is indisputable, in light of the radiator interruption and the police sirens and car horns which consistently violated passages played at or below the mezzo-piano level...
BEFORE THE INTERMISSION, HRO took on Stravinsky's Petrushka, an enjoyable yet demanding piece. This was the highlight of the orchestra's performance: the brass section and several soloists, especially flutist Marilyn Chohaney, excelled. The placement of the piece before the break was unfortunate because the already restless audience was not anxious to sit through the long Petrushka. Sanders was already stifling by that time...
...HRO Winds. Mass Brass and guests. Works by Beethoven, Mozart. Rorem, and Gabrieli. Kirkland House JCR. 8:30, March 4. Free...
...Bach society has a Stravinsky concert in the works, but the HRO beat them to it by playing the brilliant Symphonies of Wind Instruments, composed in 1920. Stravinsky employs masses of sound from the brasses (much the way Janacek does in the Sinfonietta) set against tight harmonies in the woodwinds. The result is a kind of Debussy with metallic colors. The rapt attention of the inactive string players on stage was ample testimony to the rendition...