An evening of experimentation

The IU Symphony Orchestra put on a nearly flawless musical display Wednesday at the Musical Arts Center. Conducted by David Dzubay, the orchestra performed music by Sven-David Sandstrom, Stravinsky and Bartok. This was by far the most innovative and experimental evening of music that has been organized by the School of Music this year.\nThe music began with the U.S. premiere of Sandstrom's "First-pieces." The piece was short but succeeded in showing off all the instruments that comprised the orchestra. The strings and the wind section of the orchestra were especially impressive in this piece. The composition was short and sweet.\nStravinsky's "Concerto for Violin in D Major" was next. This is one of the most experimental pieces of classical Western music ever written, with diverse characterization and no consistent harmony. It was chaotic and a difficult piece to play. Graduate student Katja Laemmermann on the violin was impressive, keeping up with the twists and turns of this highly unorthodox piece of work. The Russian ballet's influence on Stravinsky was obvious. Many who have watched a performance of "The Nutcracker" would have noticed similarities between the two pieces.\nThe concert concluded with a performance of Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra." This piece effectively showed off the prowess of the Symphony Orchestra. In many ways, this was the most conventional music played during the one-hour concert. It brought out the best in the orchestra and every instrument was given ample performance time to display its capabilities. As a piece of music it was a melodious and harmonious whole.\nThe evening's concert consisted of the most varied music that has been performed at the MAC so far this year. It was experimental, innovative and harmonious. It was a delightful musical experience.