Great Local Shows - Theatrical Reviews
| Title | Structure of the Symphony |
| Organization | Placer County Youth Orchestra |
| Date(s) of show | May 19, 2014 |
| Reviewer | Letha Dawson |
| Review | How proud all of us who live in Placer County can be
of the Placer County Youth Orchestra. Standing applause must go to each
and every member for your dedication and your achievement. You are a
talented group of musicians. The Intermediate Orchestra, the Theatre
Orchestra which played Les Misérables at Del Oro High school earlier
this month, and the Symphony Orchestra, all performed Monday night, May
19, 2014, to a high standard and transported the audience with wave upon
wave of musical panoramas of passion, color, and beauty. Marjorie
Hartung, artistic director, invited other organizations to collaborate
with PCYO, as Del Oro High School did, to create additional performance
opportunities for these excellent young musicians. Two young boys early in the program with sky-scraper-high confidence entertained the hundreds of proud parents and friends listening. Ethan Freedman sang “Little People,” from Les Miserables with the same spunk and showmanship as when he was on stage at Del Oro High School with a chorus of little people. Monday night, Ethan stood in his Les Mis costume of torn rags, alone in front of formally attired musicians. Tuxedoes didn’t phase Ethan. He belted out his brave determination as if he were at the barricades. Wey Wey Chen, in formal attire, shouldered his instrument and with bravado played from the Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 35, of O. Rieding. The audience understood why Wey Wey Chen was the Division I winner in the Auburn Symphony’s Young Artist Competition. Artistic Director, Marjorie Hartung graciously thanked him after his performance from the podium with a very grown-up handshake for his outstanding achievement. The Placer County Youth Symphony Orchestra then proceeded to fill out the evening by performing works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, and Beethoven with skill and heart. Two splendid performances capped the evening: Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony with the incomparable Marjorie Hartung conducting and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, with charismatic Wayland Whitney conducting. What a glorious evening of music. |
