The Madison Community Orchestra will be having their free fall performance on Nov. 17, where they will play pieces from around the world.
Dr. Blake Walter, the group’s conductor, has held his position since 1994. The public schools he attended sparked his interest in music, and now he is sharing his experiences with the orchestra, and subsequently the Madison community. The performance will include an overture, which is the orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, and continue will pieces by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, French composer Léo Delibes and Viennese composer Franz Suppe.
Blake will open the concert with program notes. A printed program will also be available for the audience so they can have more information on the pieces.
The overture piece may be recognized by most — it has been featured in many cartoons. Blake continues the cartoon theme with the composition by Franz Liszt. This piece has been featured in the “Tom and Jerry” cartoons. In the episode “The Cat Concerto,” Tom plays Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” It’s recognized as one of the best “Tom and Jerry” cartoons ever made.
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Over the years, the orchestra has seen substantial changes in the number of players. When Blake came to the orchestra, there were eight first violins, eight second violins, some violas and a couple cello players. Today, the group is made of over 50 string players with about 18 cello players. The group today also has a wide age variety. The youngest player is 18 and the oldest is 90, but someone as old as 96 was once apart of the group.
The group has been practicing for the fall show since the Tuesday after Labor Day and has been practicing each Tuesday since then. This equals out to 10 rehearsals, Blake said.
“I think the program is a tiny bit above their level, and I think they’re going to rise to the occasion,” Blake said.
One of the challenges of being a conductor is picking songs that can be taught to everyone in the group. Not only does the group have a large age range, but each member has a different ability level. Finding music that everyone can learn and still enjoy was one of Blake’s problems when organizing this show, he said.
The performance will also try to keep things fresh. Many orchestras do the same thing over and over again, which Blake avoided, he said. His plans for the orchestra reach far into the future to ensure the orchestra becomes exactly what he is envisioning.
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“I have literature planned out six, seven, eight years in advance,” Blake said. “I don’t always stick with those, I’ll substitute in things, but I know where I’d like the orchestra to be in that amount of time, and I find pieces that I think will help me accomplish that.”
When reading scores, Blake tries to make the piece as similar to the original as possible. His interpretations of the pieces are limited because he wants to deliver the same sound that the composer wanted to accomplish. He tries to research how things in the past were, so he can better understand how a piece would have been performed if the composer were there. Blake is not a creator, but a re-creator, he said.
The performance will only last for 45 minutes, but Blake is looking forward to seeing the accomplishments of the orchestra. The orchestra has come a long way in performance ability, Blake said. For Blake, the best part of any performance is seeing everyone’s hard work come to fruition, and performing live while being in tune with the musicians is an adrenaline rush. After the performance, there will be snacks and treats offered to audience members.
Following the fall performance, the orchestra will continue to practice for their Holiday performance, which will take place on Dec. 16 at the Capitol.
