On Friday, March 23^rd, the music theory class and the strings class visited the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for a concert.

At the Uilhein Hall, Edo de Waart, the music director, conducted the symphony in a program called, “Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathetique.’”  This consisted of Faure’s Pelleas et Melisande Suite, Camille Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, featuring the first chair cellist Joseph Johnson, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. 

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 was the highlight of the afternoon.  It was the last symphony he wrote and some say it was his suicide note.  The way he put his piece together was like no other composition.  The piece traced his life without following the normal cycle of moments.  It begins with the tragic beginning of his life, and then continues with the waltzing through his childhood.  Then it comes to the supposed conclusion in the third movement, followed by a solemn ending by the sound fading into the darkness.

Tori, a freshman who plays violin at Arrowhead, comments on the performance: “The soloist was amazing. He was very emotional and you could tell that he was really in to the piece and he really loved playing.  This was a very good concert and I enjoyed it a lot.”

David Novotny, a senior in the music theory class at Arrowhead, says, “It was a great time!  The music was very interesting and the players were amazing!”

There was a good review of the concert from the string and music theory students.

“It’s a good idea to take students to the symphony and give them a new experience.  Plus the players were from our own Milwaukee Symphony!”  Michael Uselmann says about his view on the field trip.

It looks like field trips similar to this one will continue for years to come.