“The first concert presented by the Austin Symphony Society on April 25, 1911, looked little like its modern-day descendant, the Austin Symphony Orchestra,” writes Jeanne Claire van Ryzin in Saturday’s (4/23) American-Statesman (Austin, Texas). “For starters, the 28-piece ensemble—composed mostly of well-intentioned amateurs—had plenty of string players but only a few playing woodwind instruments and one lone timpani player holding down the percussion section. … The musicians played the whole of Mozart’s Symphony No. 28 in C Major and Luigini’s ‘Ballet Egyptien,’ but played just two movements of Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Concerto for Violin. … On Thursday, the Austin Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its first concert with a gala celebration at the Long Center for the Performing Arts with world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. The nearly sold-out concert will be simulcast for free on the Long Center’s City Terrace, followed by a fireworks display. As a nod to the 1911 concert, Peter Bay, the orchestra’s current conductor, has included the Mozart and the Luigini pieces in Thursday’s program. … In 1949, the orchestra appointed Ezra Rachlin as its first full-time music director and conductor. During the next two decades, Rachlin ushered in many of the features the orchestra still offers: regular children’s concerts, a pops concert series and a season featuring international guest artists.”
Posted April 25, 2011
