Oberlin Orchestra to Perform Orchestral Favorites. Will Feature Oberlin Concerto Winner Esther Noh, Violin, Friday, April 2, 8:00 p.m. in Finney Chapel Story by Michael Chipman, photography by Ramon Owens
	Esther Noh, violin performing: Brahms Violin Concerto		"I believe the Oberlin Orchestra should play works from the heart of the symphonic repertoire," says music director Paul Polivnick, who chose two standards -- the Prokofiev Symphony no. 5 and the Brahms Violin Concerto -- for the Oberlin Orchestra concert on Friday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m. in Finney Chapel. The Brahms concerto will feature violinist Esther Noh, a senior from Downers Grove, Ill. Student input heavily influenced the choice of repertoire for this concert, says Polivnick. "One of our percussionists, Greg Akagi, a senior from Aloha, Oregon, approached me last year about possibly doing the Prokofiev fifth symphony. I really like the piece and I have performed it several times with professional orchestras, so I know it well." Polivnick describes the Prokofiev fifth symphony as an expression of the composer's "great appreciation for life." He says, "It was composed just after World War II and it expresses the drama of war and the composer's joy at the war's end. There is a connection to wartime sounds in this symphony -- bombs going off and a certain brutality -- with a great degree of pathos and confrontation, but always a return to the joy of life. "Prokofiev's fifth symphony is a difficult piece to play. There are many solo passages for almost all the instruments, and it's unusual in that the first movement is quite slow. One of the challenges is to maintain a forward movement through the contrasting slow and fast sections. There is also a tremendous amount of balancing of different sections of the orchestra when they have the melody. It is of paramount importance in this piece to create a smooth transition of melody from one instrument group to another." Polivnick adds, "The Brahms violin concerto is a good piece to play in concert with Prokofiev because, while Prokofiev does display an emotional depth, it is more steely and intense, and not at all sentimental. The Brahms concerto, on the other hand, is quintessential Brahms: warm, relaxed, with a great emotional tension and sentimental passion." Esther Noh, who will solo in the Brahms violin concerto, was one of seven winners of the Oberlin concerto competition this year. Polivnick describes Noh as "a marvelous violinist with a great bow arm and a lovely instrument." Noh has worked on the Brahms concerto, on and off, for two years. She played different sections of it with piano accompaniment over the last two summers at the Aspen Music Festival, and she says it is her favorite concerto. "It has everything in it from plaintiveness to raw physical energy. I've wanted to play it with an orchestra for a long time because the harmonies are so much more full than with the piano. "I'm trying to build up my stamina for this piece -- it's really long," says Noh. In preparation for the concert, Noh will play through the entire piece every day to get a sense of the overall arch of the piece and her own pacing. As of this interview, Noh had rehearsed once with the orchestra. Her report? "It is sounding very good. Most of the violinists already know this piece and it's a general favorite, so they are anxious to play it well." Polivnick, who trained as a violinist and has performed the Brahms concerto, says "When musicians come to a piece with a deep, prior knowledge of its flow and rhythm, rehearsals start at a higher level of communication between the conductor and the orchestra. Since most of the players know and have a great appreciation for the Brahms violin concerto, their sensitivity and musicality in the actual performance is bound to be very good."
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