Bruckner’s 4th Symphony: with the Concordia Symphony Orchestra
If you’ve ever studied late on a Wednesday at Concordia, you may have heard the sounds of an orchestra echoing through Tegler. That is the Concordia Symphony Orchestra practicing one of their symphonies. This April, they are performing Bruckner’s 4th Symphony with Pétar Dundjerski conducting.
The symphony was chosen by the CSO’s conductor, Danielle Lisboa, who is currently on sabbatical. Mr. Dundjerski has stepped in to conduct the orchestra this year and he spoke to me about Bruckner and this symphony. “This is a monumental piece… that turns from darkness to light,” Dundjerski explained as he gestured between the strings and the brass, “It is like a slow walk through a dark hallway. There’s a sense of surprise, a sense of journey in it all.”
We also spoke about Bruckner himself, and his musical inspiration. Frank Ho, concertmaster of the CSO, talked about how Bruckner was guided by his devotion to God in the way he composed his symphonies. For Bruckner, there was something sacred and divine in these creations. This could be felt at points during the rehearsal when light, quiet pieces that tickled at my skin turned into momentous walls of sound crashing like waves on a beach. Bruckner eloquently communicates his vision of the majesty of God through his symphony.
For one member of the orchestra, this is a new and exciting experience beyond the wonder of performing Bruckner. Kaitlyn is a first year music student here at Concordia and she was invited to the orchestra by her violin instructor, Mr. Ho. For her, being in the orchestra has been an exciting and unique experience. Her smile spread across her face as she told me how she had been welcomed into the orchestra and her eyes sparkled when describing the inside jokes and camaraderie of this group.
If you have never experienced a symphony before, the Concordia Symphony Orchestra invites you to enjoy their performance of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony on April 12th at 7:00PM in Tegler. Like Kaitlyn, you will get a chance to have an exciting and unique experience. Months of practice by these musicians will be distilled into 70 minutes of music that will reach through your body, to your soul. It can be very easy to get caught up in the pressures of our lives and our studies, I hope you get the chance to hear this symphony and be reminded that you are connected to greater things in this world than your day to day routine.
