UC Davis Symphony Orchestra

Today May 5, 2002 I attended a concert featuring an orchestra and chorus. The concert is called "The Creation." The concert was one of the longest concerts I attended and lasted 2 hours. The concert was held at the University California of Davis Freeborn Hall theatre.

The concert begun at approximately 8pm. The theatre had a large interior that could seat several hundred people. The audience for tonight's show was very large; well over a hundred people. As I walked in about half an hour early I noticed the orchestra warming up a little before the concert began. The choir sat in back and the orchestra was laid out in a semi circle in front. I sat in the first few rows on the far end.

The concert was about God and the creation of the earth. The orchestra accompanied by the choir told this story of the earth. The concert had four pieces. It started off very slow and soft. A man stood and began singing with the orchestra. Suddenly the entire choir began singing softly then a different man stood and sang while the orchestra played their instruments. Then the choir and orchestra got all exciting and loud. The soloists sang clear enough to hear distinct words, which made understanding the story even better. The female soloist sung a rather long piece. I particularly didn't like the sound of her singing. For some reason, she just didn't sound right to me. She sounded like she was trying too hard to make her voice sound flawless. She sat down then a male soloist stood and sung a brief statement then sat down. The entire choir took over with great passion. The orchestra played fast and furious at that point. All three soloists (2 men and 1 woman) sung at the same time towards the end of the first piece, which is called a trio.

After the first piece ended, which lasted about half an hour, the second piece was on its way. The second piece started off with the female soloist who sang for a rather long time with the orchestra playing quite gently and softly. The orchestra would take brief pauses and the solo singers would change. The soloists sang in another trio. When the choir would sing the orchestra would play faster and overall the music would get much louder. The choir's singing definitely amplified the sound of the music being played.

Now the third piece was under way. A soloist male began singing. The music sounded very peaceful and tranquil. The orchestra played low notes. Another male soloist stood and sung about how God created man as the previous soloist sat down. Then the orchestra began playing vigorously as the soloists finished their parts. The choir kicked-in and the music became even louder. The soloists stood and sung in yet another trio. The choir and orchestra started up again and the singers sat. The music sounded very exciting for quite some time with the orchestra and choir playing simultaneously.

The fourth piece lasted only several minutes. The piece contained several parts with just two singers - a duo. The choir played loudly for a large majority of the piece. At one point the conductor even started jumping on his little stand. A man and woman soloist appeared to sing to each other one at a time. They almost looked like they were flirting with each other while they sang. The song ended with a great big "Amen!"

The concert ended roughly at 10:30pm with the large audience applauding and cheering because that was also the last concert to be played in Freeborn Hall, as a new theatre is being built. Although the concert was long and even had a 20-minute intermission, the quality was pretty high. I didn't find myself getting bored or too tired just sitting, listening and watching. The concert went by fairly quickly and I had fun.