Community Orchestra Peformance – Melville

Community Ensemble, South Side Symphony Orchestra will shed some light on two masters of the twentieth century, Kurt Weill and Dmitri Shostakovich in their upcoming performance of Symphonic Shadows on Sunday 16 June.

The program reflects the darkness of the interwar period in both the Weimar Republic and the Soviet Union.

Derived from his famous Threepenny Opera, and featuring some of the most well-known tunes of the early-Twentieth Century, Kurt Weill’s “Little Threepenny Music” is a selection of orchestral ballads that portray the gritty underbelly of the Weimar Republic. The work incorporates elements of musical theatre, jazz, and classical music with its swinging rhythms and brooding lyricism foreshadowing the turbulence of the years ahead.

Shostakovich’s epic Fifth Symphony is an unflinching portrayal of life under the totalitarian regime of the Soviet Union. Written in the aftermath of public derision in the State press, the Fifth Symphony was Shostakovich’s attempt to placate the authorities and potentially save his life with a piece of music that conformed to Soviet aesthetic demands. At the same time, it is also an all-consuming expression of terror, unbearable grief, and defiant sarcasm—an exquisite expression of humanity in the face of the greatest adversity.

South Side Symphony Orchestra is a not for profit, community ensemble. Established in 2011, the Orchestra is based in Melville with over 60 enthusiastic, vibrant musicians from all sorts of backgrounds united by their passion for sharing classical music with the community. Music Director Izaak Wesson says “Symphonic Shadows is a performance that celebrates the ability of two greats to paint a picture of a world that isn’t always what it seems on the surface. The orchestra have been hard at work for months rehearsing and I think the audience will really appreciate the hidden layers, double meanings and light and shade of this performance”.