LIFE & CULTURE 6A | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016 | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Sweet sounds of nature Sinfonia de Camera to play bird-themed concert “Oiseaux exotiques” was composed in the mid-1950s to resemble the sounds of exotic birds from around the ery rarely are bird chirps heard indoors — world. Moersch said the bird songs assembled in the maybe when a bird is accidentally trapped piece could never be heard together in nature. inside a supermarket, or maybe when one is Moersch, who will play the xylophone during the piece, nearby a window. Music, however, has pro- said Messiaen’s reconstruction of birdsong through vided a solution for those who appreciate instruments is very precise. birdsong and wish to hear it in places other than out in “He has done an absolutely incredible job of transcribnature. Now, the sounds of birds can be imitated through ing accurately the various bird songs, and then he has various instruments. used the skill of orchestration to transfer those into the Sinfonia da Camera will explore this concept with instruments,” Moersch said. “The most striking thing its “Classical Tweets” concert on Saturday, March 12 when you listen to one of these actual birds is that the at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The rhythm is absolutely right on; he just nails the time, chamber orchestra affi liated with Krannert and FAA which I wasn’t quite expecting at fi rst hearing that the will play three pieces pertaining to pulse is absolutely correct.” the bird theme: Olivier Messiaen’s Ronald Romm, trumpet professor “Oiseaux exotiques,” Frank Marat the School of Music and princitin’s Concerto for Seven Winds and pal trumpeter in Sinfonia da CamMaurice Ravel’s “Ma mère l’Oye.” era, said recreating bird songs is Ian Hobson, music director of not easy. Sinfonia da Camera, founded the “To make the birds sound authenchamber orchestra in 1984. Hobson tically like bird sounds is very will conduct “Classical Tweets,” challenging because we have to which will feature 50 musicians. put notes together in a certain Sinfonia da Camera is composed pattern and have that pattern not of faculty and students as well as sound like it’s bricks being thrown musicians from the surrounding WILLIAM MOERSCH at one another — it has to sound PROFESSOR OF PERCUSSION community. like birds singing to one another,” “We get to do whichever concerts Romm said. that we sort of feel like,” said Adam Messiaen’s “Oiseaux exotiques,” Kosberg, operations and personnel manager at Sinfonia however, is the only piece Sinfonia da Camera will play da Camera. “They tend to be on the chamber music side that is meant to sound like birdsong. Martin’s Concerto of things, so it’s a little bit different than, maybe, the for Seven Winds has no particular extramusical element, concerts that the C-U Symphony would play. The rep- and Ravel’s “Ma mère l’Oye” is based on five children’s ertoire just tends to focus more on smaller things, a lot fairy tales, Moersch said. All three pieces were composed during the 20th more emphasis on soloists.” For “Classical Tweets,” William Moersch, percussion century. professor at the School of Music and principal timpa“I think it’s unique to know that classical music is very nist in Sinfonia da Camera, said he was one of the musi- engaged in nature and in all aspects of life,” Romm said. cians who pitched Messiaen’s “Oiseaux exotiques” for “The more we go through various periods of history, the the chamber orchestra to play, and the other two pieces more we realize that we have classical music as always taking great interest in nature and in life.” were added later to fit the bird theme. Kosberg said despite its title, the concert “doesn’t have anything to do with Twitter.” mschafr2@dailyillini.com BY MARIAH SCHAEFER
V STAFF WRITER
“The most striking thing when you listen to one of these actual birds is that the rhythm is absolutely right on.”
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