WASHINGTON, IL -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra's Feb. 4 concert at the Five Points auditorium, 'West Side "Stories," ' featured an A-list group, the Harlem Quartet, in an exciting and innovative program.
The show stopper was the 'West Side Story Concerto, for String Quartet and Orchestra,' which combined all the music from 'West Side Story' arranged for the quartet and a full orchestra. It was a brilliant piece, and brought a standing ovation.
That generated an encore from the Harlem Quartet, the jazz piece 'Take the 'A' Train.' The quartet does both classical and jazz music, and played with expression as well as musical precision.
The program also included George Gershwin's 'Cuban Overture,' 'Strum for String Orchestra' by the award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery and 'Afro-American Symphony' by William Grant Still, classical with a blues theme. Sweet.
-- Elaine Hopkins