San Bernardino Symphony Concert Report

The San Bernardino Symphony has been Inland Southern California’s longest running professional orchestra. It was originally founded by nationally recognized conductor James K. Guthrie in 1929, and has provided world-class symphonic music for audiences around the region for 87 years. On Saturday, May 28, 2016 they performed their season closing “Finale Bravura”, which featured Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Magic Flute Overture”, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo Variations”, David Popper’s “Hungarian Rhapsody”, and Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8”, at the California Theatre of Performing Arts with the help of Russian cellist Ruslan Biryukov. I had the opportunity to experience this event firsthand and was, to say the least, dazzled by the performance
The streets and sidewalks were filled with men, women, and children dressed in formal clothes, casual clothes, and everything in-between. This was the first time I’ve attended an event such as this, and felt a bit relieved seeing such a diverse group of attendees considering I initially felt underdressed. Entering the theatre felt like walking out of a time machine into a different era. The carpets, ceilings, walls, and lighting made the venue feel like a place with a vast history, which it most certainly does. Its history surpasses even that of the symphony. It was originally built in 1882 as the San Bernardino Opera House, demolished in 1927, and built again in 1928 using it’s current name. In the 1930’s, audiences viewed the first screenings of classic films such as “King Kong” and “The Wizard of Oz” at this very theatre. After I explored the venue and took in all the surroundings I made my way up to my seat on the left side of the balcony to get ready for the show. As I sat in my seat I paid close attention to the musicians on stage getting their instruments ready for the performance that was to come. Soon after, the president of the symphony, Judith Valles, introduced the symphony’s current music conductor, Maestro Frank Fetta, and the performance began a few moments
It began with a slow, soothing introduction, which eventually turned into a scurrying pace that was maintained throughout, and eventually concluded with a loud, spirited ending. The second piece, Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo Variations”, is where the Russian cellist Ruslan Biryukov joined the orchestra. The piece started off with an elegant somewhat majestic sound, which eventually led up to seven different variations. The difference in these variations was astounding to me. I enjoyed how the variations could evoke different moods and feelings. Some bits were frightening, some were soothing, and some were elegant. The third piece was Popper’s “Hungarian Rhapsody”, which also featured Biryukov. This piece started off with a calming piano tune followed by the cellos playing a tune that sounded haunting, but in a beautiful way. It eventually concludes on a very fast pace played by the entire orchestra. The final piece, Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8”, is a hefty piece of work with four different movements. The melodic ideas in the first movement, Allegro con brio, seemed to always be changing. This made the movement very exciting and added a level of anticipation to what may come next. In the second movement, Adagio, the sound alternated between somber and gently cheerful. It concluded with a thrilling and satisfying ending. Allegretto grazioso, the third movement, was a luminous piece that had a waltz like feel to it and evoked