PEORIA -- There's always a surprise at a Heartland Festival Orchestra concert.
The event on March 20 -- with an animal theme, Music Alive -- was filled with the unexpected.
- An exquisite ballet danced to The Swan by Camile Saint-Saens, as performed by Rebakah von Rathonyi of the Peoria Ballet. Her costume included feathers "shed, not plucked" from live swans at a Peoria lake, artistic director and conductor David Commanday told the audience.
- The Livery Stable Blues performed by a brass quintet from the orchestra -- complete with horse whinny, followed by The Lion Sleeps from The Lion King musical.
Other animal numbers included Respighi's The Birds, and Hayden's Bear Symphony, No. 82 in C Major.
Beautiful live animals, a python, a white parrot, a hedgehog, from the Peoria Zoo greeted the audience at intermission. The zoo was a charity partner for the orchestra.
All of the music was perfectly performed, aided by the wonderful accoustics at the excellent venue Three Points in Washington, Il., with safe, free parking, and no stairs.
As usual a large screen presented a live televised version of the performances, enabling the audience to see close ups of the musicians and conductor.
There was even a surprise instrument -- an antique Celesta, found in a distant basement and refurbished for the occasion.
This orchestra is a gem, and its concerts are informal in ambience but exacting in performance. It received a well deserved standing ovation from the audience.
Its new season has been announced with information available here.
-- Elaine Hopkins
Comments