Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sold out: Riverview Theater at capacity of 1600 for the return of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra

Anticipation and enthusiasm filled the air inside Riverview Theater on Sat night as the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra returned from a one and a half-year hiatus.

Musicians and the SSO board have produced a 3-concert series after a lengthy impasse based on funding.

The anticipation was answered by the size of the audience at the Tchaikovsky concert. Music lovers filled the 1600-seat Riverview Theater.

The orchestra seemed almost intact. There were familiar faces across the front of the stage, including Peter Haas and Chris Allen on basses, Ruth Drummond on cello and Kermit Poling and Elizabeth O Bannon at the head of the violins. On the podium was animated, hair-tossing conductor Michael Butterman.

Soloist Jennifer Frautschi presented a singular and springy performance. Clad in a long dress with a metallic sheen, her musculature taut with anticipation, she played with clarity and string-biting energy.

See terrific rehearsal photos from Susan Rogers at her ShreveportMusicians4ever blog.

More snaps at Shreveport Faces blog.

The next concert is Cirque de la Symphonie, a production with circus flair that is selling well with orchestras across the country. The show features an international array of aerial fliers, acrobats, jugglers, and dancers. Music is by Dvorak, Bizet, John Williams, and others.

Shreveport Symphony Orchestra

Cirque de la Symphonie
Friday, March 5, 2010
7:30pm - 10:30pm
Riverview Theater, Shreveport LA

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I realize it is a bit late to post this, but has anyone read a genuine critical review of this concert. I thought surely the Times would post one, but I guess not.