Saturday orchestra concert ranges from recognizable to uncommon

Jan. 20—One of the first CDs purchased by Kokomo Symphony Orchestra's artistic director was a collection of recordings from the New World Symphony Orchestra (a Miami-based group of young performers). In that list of recordings, José Valencia was introduced to George Antheil's work.

Years later, Valencia performed "Serenade for String Orchestra" with a chamber orchestra in Illinois. He'll be conducting the same piece this weekend, along with a handful of other compositions, at Havens Auditorium.

The first KSO concert of 2023 is titled "The String Theory of Everything."

Keeping in line with the 2022-23 season's exploration of orchestral music's connection to film, the majority of compositions in the Saturday concert have been featured in television shows or movies.

The artistic director and conductor said audience members are in store for a concert with a bit of everything. They can expect to hear a recognizable piece, something that at least feels familiar and, hopefully, something they haven't ever heard before.

"Come with an open mind," Valencia said.

Valencia explained the concert will be bookended by the concert's two "bad boys." Antheil, who wrote an autobiography proclaiming himself as the "Bad Boy of Music," will be featured at the end of the concert. The show will begin with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik."

Valencia explained both composers were considered avant-garde for their time. However, he added, their similarities in lifestyle and lack of outside influence do not mean their work will sound the same.

"Even in the context of being a composer for the masses, through his compositions for the movies, this 'Serenade for Strings' is entirely different than the familiar Mozart 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,' which is also kind of a serenade for strings," Valencia said. "It's dissonant, it's forward looking, it's brilliant."

Valencia noted "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" will likely be the most recognizable in the concert. The Mozart composition has been used in 13 episodes of "The Simpsons," "Alien" and the 1989 "Batman."

Following the Mozart composition, the orchestra will transition to modern minimalist works by Philip Glass, performing compositions from the film "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters."

Glass, the only living composer to be featured in the Saturday concert, might also be recognizable for writing scores for "The Truman Show" and "Candyman." He was also commissioned in 1999 to write a score for the 1931 "Dracula."

Valencia said he hopes audience members will leave the concert with the notion that "living people are writing music for people who were alive today to listen to."

While most orchestral funding is from people who want to hear older, more familiar compositions, Valencia said he hopes audiences are still able to enjoy newer interesting music.

"Not enough of it is getting played," he added.

After the "Mishima" works, the orchestra will perform "Ancient Airs and Dances," a neo-renaissance piece by Ottorino Respighi.

The Respighi composition doesn't have a particular link to cinema, Valencia said. Instead, the piece was selected to help balance the program, lending a sense of familiarity to the concert as juxtaposition to Glass' modern take on classical music.

"Ancient Airs and Dances," Valencia explained, is a set of compositions that recontextualize renaissance tunes for a string ensemble. In contrast, the conductor said, a renaissance ensemble would feature a lute, a percussion instrument and something resembling a flute.

"I like the way that this sounds familiar — renaissance like — but actually is not," Valencia said.

Following the Respighi composition, the orchestra will perform a medley from Jóhann Jóhannsson's soundtrack for the film "The Theory of Everything."

Valencia noted the spacey, atmospheric composition nearly reaches minimalism.

"It's not as static as a true minimalistic piece would be," Valencia said. "And it has some melodies that go along with it as well."

While each of the featured pieces (the Mozart, Jóhannsson and Antheil compositions) are connected to film in some way, audiences will likely find each composition to have a contrasting sound.

Valencia explained he tries to program each of his concerts with contrast.

One reason for the contrast, the artistic director said, is to allow audiences to compare different sounds to figure out what they prefer.

"I think that we can build audiences for the future by not just only playing the familiar," Valencia said.

Another reason for the contrast, he added, is to create an arc of mood changes throughout a concert.

"Any good film has mood changes in it," Valencia said. "It has action and then some stillness. And I think contrasting that also helps us last longer in a film."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.