The theme word for the Northern Orchestra's season finale is "surprise" said conductor Gordon Lucas.
The word is built into one of the pieces the group will play: Symphony 94 in G Major by Franz Josef Haydn. It's nickname is The Surprise Symphony.
"The second movement contains one of Haydn's most famous musical jokes," said Lucas, "[Haydn] alternates a very simple, almost tedious melody with a sudden loud chord, ostensibly to wake up his snoozy patrons who had a habit of falling asleep during concerts. But he then weaves an incredible set of variations on this simple theme, amongst the best he ever wrote. The entire symphony is one of his very finest."
The Northern Orchestra is a teaching ensemble comprised of amateur players of all ages and walks of life from the Prince George - Vanderhoof region. As a not-for-profit society they perform concerts to raise money, since the players are not charged a membership fee.
Another surprise is the anticipated audience response to the level of talent, said Lucas.
"This has been a year of rebuilding, and it has been going very well," he said. "An amateur orchestra always has turnover, and last year we lost several key players to higher education, moves and health issues. But we've brought some young talent to higher levels, have some new players, and have come up almost to where we were last year, so I'd say this is Surprise No. 1 of many we have to offer on this concert."
One of those emerging talents, violinist Rachel Eagles, will be featured as a soloist. She will take on Mozart's Concerto No. 5 in A Major. It is the first time that a member of the orchestra has been billed as the main soloist at one of their main scheduled concerts.
"Some may consider this a 'surprise'," said Lucas. "But I certainly don't and neither do the orchestra players. We've watched Rachel develop. There are lots of good young violinists out there, but few with the maturity, interpretive abilities and poise that Rachel displays. She really plays this piece beautifully, and she right now plays to an entry-level professional standard, and could certainly win an audition in a professional orchestra. I know - I've sat on enough audition committees. I guess the real surprise here is that she also wrote her own cadenzas, and they're really good."
Other pieces on the program include Leroy Anderson's Serenata, the Gold and Silver Waltz by Franz Lehar, and Handel's Musick for the Royale Fyreworks which will introduce several new young players to the audience.
There are two performance locations for this concert. The first is Saturday in Prince George at the PG Playhouse at 2:30 p.m. The second is on Sunday at Nechako Valley Senior Secondary in Vanderhoof at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door - $10 regular, $5 students and seniors - and season's passes for the upcoming Northern Orchestra season will also be available. Their season runs from the fall, through the winter and into spring, providing a number of shows in the package.
