Orchestra concert features trio of student soloists

Delilah, the seductress of the biblical strongman Samson, sings of her lover in Camille Saint-Saëns' opera "Samson and Delilah:" "My brothers fear his wrath; I alone, among all, I bravely hold him in my lap!" So translates the libretto from one of the opera's dramatic arias, "Amour! Viens aider ma faiblesse" (Love! Just help my weakness). The piece is one that mezzo-soprano Gail Nakano '10 has come to love because of the character's depth.
"The piece I'm singing is a really great piece for mezzo," said Nakano. "It's a very juicy character, so it's really fun to sing."

Nakano will perform the aria at the upcoming Vassar College Orchestra concert on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. in Skinner Hall of Music, which will feature three finalists from the Music Department's annual concerto competition, held this year on Nov. 30. The competition asks for classical vocalists and musicians alike to audition solo material, the best of which will be featured in both spring orchestra concerts. Nakano was one of the finalists; the other two finalists who will perform on Saturday are Will Healy '12, who will be performing "Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and mezzo-soprano Ashley Alter '10, who will be singing a different selection from Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah."

Healy's piano performance carries heavy personal weight. "I'm really excited to play with the orchestra," said Healy. "I had a performance-related injury in high school and haven't really been playing since. I'd been working really hard on this concerto to get it ready for the competition."

The piano concerto Healy has finessed will be a perfect complement to a program replete with Romantic Era music. "It is a really incredible piece," said Healy of the concerto. "It's very romantic. During [Mozart's] classical period, he was doing some really passionate melodies and harmonic changes. He could really write concertos in minor keys very well."
The third solo will be Alter's aria from Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah," titled "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix," (My heart opens to your voice). The highly popular song is also from the perspective of Delilah, this time as she attempts to wheedle information from Samson as to the source of his strength. "They are both romantic arias," said Lecturer in Music Eduardo Navega, who serves as the orchestra's conductor, on the two Saint-Saëns solos. "It has all to do with seduction. The melodies are very full, and very rich."

In addition to the two arias, the orchestra will play an energetic piece from Saint-Saëns' opera "Dance Bacchanale." "It was almost a coincidence really," said Navega on the quantity of Saint-Saëns pieces in the concert. "Two of the winners of the competition were singing arias of the same opera. And that opera happened to have a nice orchestral interlude as well, a dance."

The dance provides a nice counter to the intensity of the two arias says Healy. "It's a very exciting piece to play; it's very upbeat," said the soloist, who also plays trumpet with the orchestra.

The second half of the concert will be comprised of the "Samson and Delilah" arias and dance; the first half will feature the Mozart concerto, along with another operatic piece by Carl Maria von Weber. The overture from von Weber's "Der Freischütz" is a technically challenging composition that is laden with many of the themes from the famous composer's score.

"We usually open with an easier piece to warm up the orchestra," said Navega about the Weber Overture. "This piece is actually hard. For the strings, it is especially complicated. But the students seem very excited about it."

Both Weber and Saint-Saëns are composers from the Romantic Era of music, which in part means that their music was influenced by folk culture. "Der Freischütz" was actually the first successful opera to incorporate elements of folklore and the supernatural, making it one of the most important pieces of its era. Romantic music is also considered to be one of the most emotional eras in terms of music, another trend that should be observable for the concert.

Navega added that in case the weather is uncooperative, there are other means by which people can enjoy the concert's offerings. "The concert is webcast live," said Navega. "In case there is a storm, people can decided to watch it from home!"