December 10, 1999


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Orchestra tunes up for fall concert

By Deirdre Conner | Phoenix Staff

Every year, classical music lovers gladly shell out big bucks to hear the 'greats,' so a concert with two of the Big B's (Beethoven and Brahms) would definitely top the A-list at big orchestras around the world. But there's no need to hop a train to Philly to seek out a performance of this caliber - it's right in your own backyard (and free too!).

After a semester of work, the Swarthmore College Orchestra will play its concert this Saturday. On the program: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat and Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E.

Conductor Sarah Ioannides leads the Swarthmore College Orchestra in a rehearsal for their concert tomorrow night.
"It's a good pairing of pieces," said Eva Allan '00, 2nd violinist and writer of the concert's program notes. "I think the pairing of a strong classical piece and strong romantic piece has been subconsciously helpful to the orchestra."

The first work to be performed is Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto. The soloist, Kristin Chadderton '01, is one of the two winners of the college's concerto competition held every January. Saturday's concert is the culmination of over a year of practice - Chadderton started working on the concerto in the summer of 1998.

"This is a piece I have always really wanted to do," she said.

One of the Beethoven's most beloved works, the "Emperor" was written when he was almost completely deaf, and is his last piano concerto. Despite the difficulty of the piece, Chadderton, a double major in music and engineering, said that the work is one of her favorites.

"It feels better than any other piece I've ever played," she said. "Playing it is the most uplifting thing in the world. I could be completely tired, and the piece would energize me."

After the concerto, the orchestra will perform Brahms' Symphony No. 4. Brahms, a romantic composer who came a generation after Beethoven,

"My favorite part of the piece is in the second movement when the violins come in," Allan said. "Communicaton between the string sections has really improved this semester. We have a lot of complimentary duets."

A reception in the Upper Lobby will follow the concert.