PeoriaStory

Joy is joyful by Peoria Symphony

PEORIA, IL -- The concert "Joy at the Cathedral" by the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, held in two performances on November 19 was indeed joyful.

The setting, at St. Mary's Cathedral, was lovely with its soaring architecture, stained glass windows, paintings and art.  Its acoustics are perfect for music (though not great for the spoken word so there was none). 

The two hour concert featured six Baroque pieces from Bach, Albinoni and Vivaldi, all concertos with three movements.  Brilliant young soloists played the violin, the flute, the trumpet and the harpsichord.  They were wonderful, though the delicate harpsichord was overshadowed by the small accompanying string orchestra.

Still it was a fine event, beautiful, and with a detailed printed program. So much more intimate than the Civic Center, with its intrusive security measures.

At the cathedral audience members were welcomed, and there were no searches or armed guards.  Open seating was mostly full revealing that classical music has many fans in the area.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Vienna Light Orchestra Show -- Pretty Good

PEORIA, IL -- The Vienna Light Orchestra played in Peoria on Nov. 12, with two concerts at the Scottish Rite Theatre. I saw the 4 pm concert which was pleasant and fun though not brilliant. 

The show at first consisted of Broadway songs and one from an opera arranged in classical music style for an orchestra of about two dozen, mostly strings. Then it morphed into rock numbers with a great percussion performance, also in classical style.

All this was fun but as a classical fan I noted that these numbers lack the interesting complexity of authentic classical music.  These pieces are not the  new Beethoven. 

The stage was lovely with  hundreds of candles at the foot and exciting lighting throughout the show. The orchestra's women, beautifully dressed in sparkling gowns, faced the audience and not the conductor. Two women soloists were very talented. There was a stage set of a house, somewhat inexplicable.

However -- the two hour show was weakened by the lack of paper programs. Who were these talented people? What were the rock numbers? What shows were the pieces from?

When will producers realize they can email programs if they can't afford to print them, and advise audiences to print them along with the e-tickets?

The theatre,  recently remodeled, is nice but its side seats left me with a crick in my neck. I will avoid those seats in the future.  At least it has free parking and no heavy security like the horrors that plague the Civic Center.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Come From Away plays in Peoria

PEORIA, IL -- The fabulous award winning musical Come From Away opened on Nov. 2 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater and runs through Nov. 4.  If you can get a ticket, don't miss it.

The musical is lively and filled with energy as it tells the true story of how 38 planes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11 when terrorists attacked the U.S. and airspace was shut down for five days.  

 The story is funny, sad, filled with emotion as well as energy. If you can listen to the music beforehand, do so, as the fast paced lyrics carry most of the play, and deserve to be heard in full.

The performances by an Actors Equity cast are terrific, and the audience leaped to its collective feet at the end of this fine musical. There is no intermission, and the play doesn't need one.

There are even printed programs with cast information, a huge improvement over last years plays which had none.  

The theater remains its grungy self, with a dirty carpet that screams 'renovate me.' And getting a ticket isn't easy, as the Civic Center box office isn't open daily any more.   It's only open for four hours on Fridays. The theater box office opens at 6 pm before the performance.

  -- Elaine  Hopkins