Dallas Symphony Orchestra Concert Report Sample

On December 7, I had the honor of attending a very popular Dallas Symphony Orchestra Concert. It was the first formal concert I have been to since I was in middle school (excluding the school concerts). Despite playing a woodwind instrument myself, I decided to see the DSO’s Organ and Brass Concert, curious to hear how instruments traditionally assigned bass or harmony parts would step up to play treble and melody parts. When I sat down close to the front stage, where all the brass players and percussionists sat (or stood), I expected mostly trumpet sounds and lots of sound from melody percussion instruments. But as the concert progressed, I observed that the melody was shared jointly by the trumpets, French horns, and tenor trombones. Overall,

the concert lasted a good 100 minutes, with one intermission, and it felt very refreshing.
The organ and brass symphony played a total of 14 songs that evening, all somehow related to Christmas. The director of this symphony orchestra was Lawrence Loh, a Yale graduate in music. There were many brass players, all of whom have played for at least one other symphony orchestra or have majored in music. The brass and percussion players were overwhelmingly male. Haley Hoops, a French horn player, was the only female player on stage. The other female player, Mary Preston, played the organ at a balcony next to many large metal pipes above the performance stage. Although it is the director’s job to introduce each piece (or set of pieces) before playing them, Mr. Loh seemed to give two particular players the honor to introduce: Ryan Anthony, the principal trumpet and Haley Hoops, the aforementioned French horn player. Mr. Loh seemed to focus more on his conducting than on talking to the audience.
The first piece that the organ and brass symphony played was the Fanfare for Christmas by Snedecor. Because the piece was a fanfare, it was very trumpet and French horn heavy. I noticed that many players, particularly Ryan Anthony, was giddy about playing this. He seemed to look forward each time he played. It let the audience know that he cared about his music, that he was passionate about this concert. However, I feel that I should have heard more of the tubas that fanfare. Balance-wise, the trumpets virtually dominated all sound in some passages. Overall, the fanfare was a great way to start the Christmas Concert.
After the first piece, Mr. Lawrence Loh introduced the next three pieces: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” by Mendelssohn, “Fantasy on In dulci jublio”, and “Canzone e Sonate 1615 (Canzon XVI)” by Gabrieli. Since I never have heard any of these Christmas songs before, it was a bit difficult for me to comprehend. One particular aspect of the second concert piece was the director’s movements. My music director was often calm in his movements. By contrast, Mr. Loh was very erratic in his movements. He seemed to move his hands and conducting stick with rapid movement. This was the piece I first observed the director’s pattern of raising his conducting stick to the sky as a gesture that the piece has ended. The third piece, “Fantasy on In dulci jublio,” was entirely an organ piece; Mary Preston was the star of the piece. It seemed that Lawrence Loh did not bother to conduct Ms. Preston because she was not facing him during her piece. I noticed that she often danced around on her bench as she played and moved from one part of the giant organ to another. This piece of music became a little irritating towards the end only because it ended with a dynamic higher than fortissimo. For the fourth piece, Mr. Loh conducted three separate choirs: a trumpet choir on stage, a trombone choir to the right of the stage, and the organ as its own choir. This separation of parts showed that the director was willing to give his players a lot more freedom on the stage.
After these three Christmas songs I barely heard of, the three choirs returned to their respective chairs upon the stage and played the remaining three pieces to intermission: “Greensleeves,” “Do You Hear What I Hear” by Shayne, and “O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)” by Wade. For the fourth piece, however, a few players remained off-stage. This piece was particularly memorable because I remembered hearing sounds above and around me, even though there was no one on stage playing. After the piece, the director revealed to the audience that the sound is coming from atop a balcony which we cannot see. I felt surprised. The next song, “Do You Hear What I Hear,” had particularly memorable trumpet movements. This was the first movement I began noticing trumpet players besides Ryan Anthony. The trumpet player whom I noticed the most was Kevin Finamore. He stood out because he seemed to use all his air. His sound was so clear and in tune that I did not hear any fuzz or airy sound, even though I was one of the closest people to him.
The three pieces after intermission were all traditional pieces: “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” “Fum, Fum, Fum,” and “Patapan.” Unfortunately, I did not hear any of these songs before, so it was, once again, a new experience. For the eight piece, I noticed that the trumpets switched parts. Ryan Anthony no longer played the primary trumpet part. The piece also included a tuba feature, something I had waited for the whole concert. The next Christmas piece, “Fum, Fum, Fum,” was fairly louder than the one before it. The brass players all played with lots of air; their sounds resonated across the stage and the audience floor. I also noticed many of the trumpets switch to mutes. The tenth piece of the concert, “Patapan,” was one of the less memorable pieces of the concert. However, one feature of the piece that stood out was that it sounded like something straight out of a marching show. The piece particularly reminded me of one from Haltom High School’s Area marching band performance last year.
The next piece, “The Little Drummer Boy,” by Davis/Onorati/Simieone, featured, as the title suggests, a drummer.

The drummer had many soloistic features. But when he played his solos, he did not bother to make any eye contact with the audience. I speculate that he was too focused on his part to notice anyone hearing him. The twelfth piece of the concert featured “T’was the Night Before Christmas,” with a special guest, Ms. Clarice Tinsley, narrating. It was played in the exact same format as the Wind Ensemble piece from my school during the Toys for Tots concert. This song was the funniest of them all; the audience and I had some major laughing moments, especially the moment after Santa hopped down the chimney. The second to last piece of the concert, “In the Bleak Winter,” by Holst, was a variation of the same piece played by the Concert Band at the Toys for Tots concert. Generally, this slow piece is supposed to feature heavy vibrato. Unfortunately, the brass did not use such type of vibrato. This was a little offending to me, but I am a biased flute and do not know if the director had the time to ask them to use vibrato. The concert ended with the most familiar piece, “Joy to the World.” This piece was the most memorable because the volume was very well-managed, with trumpets, French horns, and trombones constantly adjusting. The melody was also well-shared in the piece. It was heard

clearly.
On the whole, I enjoyed this concert. Though there were some things the symphony could have improved on, I believe they can perfect it by the time they return to the full orchestra. I was glad to have the opportunity to listen to such a serious and professional group put on a rather lighthearted concert. Next semester, I hope to listen to one of the DSO’s full orchestra concerts, noting how these organ and brass symphonies fit in the context of all the string and woodwind instruments.