Rio Hondo Symphony's 77th season
Ashliee DeLaCruz
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Entertainment
Not a face was turned when the Rio Hondo Symphony celebrated its 77th season.
Each piece conveyed the musical interpretation of France's influence on American culture.
The show began with Jacques Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld Overture", a piece with an exciting, rushed beginning then transitioned to a slow rhythm with the cello and harp.
The orchestration was so dramatic that one could vividly imagine the epic of Orpheus; every ballad was a narration.
The excitement escalated into waves of clapping when the orchestra erupted with the 'topsy-turvy' cadences.
At the end, the conductor and his musicians were flushed with red faces.
Next came the 'poet of the piano', Hoang Nguyen covering Chopin's F-Minor.
I caught a glance at the conductor who immediately lost himself in the music.
The piece had a strong emotional dialogue, utilizing the violins and the piano.
Nguyen's style is a hybrid sensation of tenderness and drama as his body swayed with each key. During the "Larghetto", Nguyen's composure was so passionate that one woman gasped, 'wow.'
Chopin's piece definitely showed off this prodigy's gift as a pianist.
"The Allegro Vivace" was one of my favorite numbers because this time Nguyen and the orchestra had soft and harsh tones in unison.
Nguyen had a furious composition on piano accompanied by a trumpet and subtle violins.
The rhythm reminded me of an old waltz.
"The Intermezzo" also had a dramatic theme and immediately had the audience mesmerized with the clarinet.
The piece also had musical dialogue that reminded me of those old Hollywood movies like "Gone with the Wind."
Each piece conveyed the musical interpretation of France's influence on American culture.
The show began with Jacques Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld Overture", a piece with an exciting, rushed beginning then transitioned to a slow rhythm with the cello and harp.
The orchestration was so dramatic that one could vividly imagine the epic of Orpheus; every ballad was a narration.
The excitement escalated into waves of clapping when the orchestra erupted with the 'topsy-turvy' cadences.
At the end, the conductor and his musicians were flushed with red faces.
Next came the 'poet of the piano', Hoang Nguyen covering Chopin's F-Minor.
I caught a glance at the conductor who immediately lost himself in the music.
The piece had a strong emotional dialogue, utilizing the violins and the piano.
Nguyen's style is a hybrid sensation of tenderness and drama as his body swayed with each key. During the "Larghetto", Nguyen's composure was so passionate that one woman gasped, 'wow.'
Chopin's piece definitely showed off this prodigy's gift as a pianist.
"The Allegro Vivace" was one of my favorite numbers because this time Nguyen and the orchestra had soft and harsh tones in unison.
Nguyen had a furious composition on piano accompanied by a trumpet and subtle violins.
The rhythm reminded me of an old waltz.
"The Intermezzo" also had a dramatic theme and immediately had the audience mesmerized with the clarinet.
The piece also had musical dialogue that reminded me of those old Hollywood movies like "Gone with the Wind."
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