WASHINGTON, IL -- 'September Serenades' was the title of the Heartland Festival Orchestra's opener for its '21-'22 season. The concert at Five Points auditorium featured four pieces with 'serenade' in the title, and ranged from Mozart to three 20th century composers.
The most interesting work was Serenade for String Orchestra by George Antheil (1900 - 1959,) an atonal number with contrasting key changes.
The other works, Serenade in D Major, K 239 by Mozart, Serenata in Vano by Carl Nielsen and Serenade for String Orchestra, Opus 6 by Jose Suk, were more conventional. The Suk piece sounded a bit like movie music Conductor/artistic director David Commanday called it "a treasure" rarely heard.
Commanday played the cello in the Mozart and Nielsen pieces, but conducted the other two. He told the audience that all the pieces are "beautiful," and he was not wrong.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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