A Euphonium Takes the Spotlight at the Symphony's Fall Concert |
Brahms, Suppé and a rare brass concerto, Sunday at Delaware Valley University |
Sunday afternoon belongs to the orchestra.
The Bucks County Symphony Orchestra plays its fall concert on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 3 p.m. at Delaware Valley University.
The concert is in the university's Life Sciences Building, at 700 E. Butler Ave. in Doylestown.
This season's guest soloist is Michael Fahrner, a Philadelphia-based euphonium player who teaches at Rowan University.
If you've never heard a euphonium up front, this is your chance.
It's a mellow, warm-voiced brass instrument that usually sits in the middle of a band, not out in the spotlight.
Fahrner plays Edward Gregson's Euphonium Concerto, a piece written to show off what the instrument can really do.
The program opens with Suppé's lively Poet and Peasant Overture.
Then comes the big one, Brahms' Symphony No. 1.
Brahms labored over his first symphony for years, and you can hear why.
It builds from a dark, dramatic opening to a sweeping finale that has been winning over audiences ever since.
Maestro Domínguez conducts.
Come early for a free pre-concert conversation at 1:30 p.m., when the conductor and the soloist talk about the music.
Seats for the talk are free, but you'll need to reserve one online through the orchestra's website.
Concert tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors when you buy in advance.
At the door, they're $30 and $25.
Students get in free.
You can buy advance tickets online, at Rutherford's Camera Shop or at the Doylestown Bookshop.
With clocks falling back that morning, a 3 p.m. concert fits nicely into a slow Sunday.
Make an afternoon of it, then head downtown for an early dinner.
Hearing a full orchestra this close to home is one of the quiet pleasures of living around here. |
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Supporting local arts matters. Go if you can. These musicians work hard and deserve a full house.
I took my mom last year for her birthday. She still talks about it. Thinking about doing it again.
Nice to see the symphony still going strong. These community orchestras do not get nearly enough attention or credit.
Glad this is in Doylestown and not Philadelphia. Makes it actually doable for a lot of us.
The Gregson Euphonium Concerto is a real showpiece. If Fahrner plays it well the audience is going to be floored.
Donna PrzybylskiI saw him play at a brass event in Philly a few years ago and he is seriously good. The Gregson is tricky but he makes it look easy.
Would love to go but 3pm on a Sunday during football season is always tricky in my house.
Carrie MossingHa, tell him the clocks fall back that morning so it'll feel like 2pm. Maybe that helps your case.
Wish they had a venue a little closer to Warminster but DelVal is not too bad a drive for something this good.
The euphonium description in here is actually really good. Never thought of it as a spotlight instrument before.
That was exactly the point we hoped to make, the euphonium deserves a moment in the spotlight, and this concert is a rare chance to hear it front and center.
Phil RunyanRight, I always thought it was just a background instrument. The article kind of made me want to look up what it actually sounds like solo.
We saw the spring concert and loved it. Didn't know the fall one was already here. Time flies.
$30 at the door is still reasonable honestly. But buy in advance and save yourself five bucks.
Brahms First after the clocks fall back on a gray November afternoon. That is honestly the most Bucks County thing I have ever heard and I mean that in the best way.
Meg CallowayHa, you nailed it. Add a wool sweater and a cup of cider and you have basically described half this county on any given November weekend.
Michael Fahrner teaches at Rowan? Interesting. Hope some of his students come out to see him perform.
We had the same thought, there's something special about watching a teacher take the stage, and it would be a great lesson for his students to see him in the spotlight.
We do this every year. Dinner at the Blue Elephant after and it becomes a whole thing.
Now that's how you do a Sunday, the Blue Elephant makes for a perfect cap to an afternoon with the orchestra.
My kids are students so free admission is huge. We can make this a family thing without it costing a fortune.
Students get in free, parents. Take your kids. This is the kind of thing they actually remember.
The seats for the pre-concert talk are free but you have to reserve online. Worth doing. Those spots go fast from what I remember.
Absolutely worth reserving early, the pre-concert talk with Maestro Domínguez and Fahrner is the kind of inside look that makes the concert itself that much richer.
Early dinner downtown after a concert sounds like a perfect November Sunday to me. Maybe Honey or the Blue Beet.
Phil GraysonBlue Beet would be perfect for that. Not too loud, easy to get a table early. Good call.
That's exactly the kind of Sunday we had in mind, the clocks fall back that morning, so you'll have the whole slow afternoon to work with.
I played euphonium in high school. It is such an underrated instrument. So glad it is getting some spotlight here.
25 bucks for a full orchestra with a featured soloist and Brahms is honestly a deal. People pay more for a movie these days.
Honestly not sure the Gregson concerto is strong enough to sit alongside Brahms but I'll give it a chance.
Greg VolkovI actually think the Gregson is more fun than people expect. The second movement especially. Stick around for it.
The Gregson concerto was written specifically to prove what the euphonium can do at full stretch, so it may surprise you more than you expect.
Poet and Peasant is such a fun opener. Sets the mood right away.
Maestro Dominguez is great. Saw him conduct last spring and he really connects with the audience between pieces too.
That connection with the audience carries right into the free pre-concert conversation at 1:30, which is a great way to experience his warmth before the baton goes up.
Anyone know if parking is easy at DelVal on a Sunday? First time going to something there.
nate_plumsteadvilleParking on a Sunday at DelVal is usually pretty relaxed. Lots of open spots near the main entrance. I would just give yourself a few extra minutes to find the Life Sciences Building if you haven't been there before.
A euphonium concerto as the solo piece is a really bold choice. Most people have never seen one played up front. Should be something.
Allison R.Right, most people think of a euphonium as just background noise in a band. Seeing one carry a whole concerto really changes your sense of what it can do.
The Doylestown Bookshop selling tickets makes total sense. Love when local businesses are part of stuff like this.
Went last fall with my mom and it was wonderful. Thinking about making it a tradition.
A fall concert tradition sounds like a wonderful idea, and with Brahms' First on the program this year, it's a particularly strong one to anchor the habit around.
Brahms worked on that symphony for like 14 years. When you sit and listen you can really feel all that effort in it.
I always forget Rutherford's Camera Shop sells tickets for things like this. Good to know.
Rutherford's is one of those wonderfully old-school spots that does a little bit of everything, glad the reminder is useful, and it's a convenient option if you'd rather skip the online queue.
Susan_DoylestownPASame, I always walk right past it. They also used to sell tickets for the Doylestown Film Festival I think. Little shops doing a lot of quiet lifting around here.
The Poet and Peasant Overture is such a fun opener. Instantly puts you in a good mood before the heavier stuff.
Suppé knew exactly what he was doing with that overture, it's lively and crowd-pleasing, a perfect on-ramp before the weightier Brahms.
Michael Fahrner teaches at Rowan? My nephew goes there. Small world.
It really is a small world, Fahrner splits his time between his Philadelphia base and Rowan, where he brings that same depth of musicianship to his students.
Clocks fall back that morning so you basically get a free hour anyway. Perfect day for this.
The pre-concert talk at 1:30 is such a good idea. Last time I went to one of those it made the whole performance make so much more sense.
$5 more at the door is a bit steep when you think about it. Just buy ahead of time and save yourself the hassle.
Dave OhlssonExactly. Five dollars is basically a cup of coffee you could have before the show. No reason not to just grab tickets at the bookshop when you're in town anyway.
The Brahms First is one of the greatest pieces ever written. Cannot believe we get to hear it right here in Doylestown.
Never heard of a euphonium before reading this. Now I kind of really want to go just for that.
Been to a few of these at DelVal and the Life Sciences Building is actually a really nice space for it. Good acoustics for a lecture hall.
Tom KesslerAgreed, we saw a chamber group there a couple years back and I was surprised how well the sound carried. Not what you'd expect from a science building honestly.
We're glad the space works so well, DelVal's Life Sciences Building has a way of feeling both accessible and surprisingly well-suited to a full orchestra.
I love that students get in free. More schools should do this. It gets kids interested in music they would never hear otherwise.
The Life Sciences Building at DelVal is a good space for this. Decent acoustics from what I remember.
Chris BohlerI was there for a recital a couple years back and thought the same thing. Glad they keep using it.
It really is a welcoming venue, and the Life Sciences Building gives the orchestra plenty of room to fill with sound.
I always forget about the pre-concert talk and then regret it. Reserving my seat today.
Maestro Dominguez is fantastic. Saw him conduct last spring and the whole hall was locked in.
Rutherford's Camera Shop sells tickets too? That place is a gem. Good to see them still around.
Rutherford's is a longtime local treasure, and we love that you can still walk in and pick up tickets the old-fashioned way.
Brahms spent like 20 years on that symphony. You can absolutely feel that when you hear it live.
skip_bucks14 years I think it was. And yeah, live is completely different from a recording. The finale hits you in a way a speaker just can't.
The clock change that morning actually makes this work out perfectly. Easy afternoon out.
We mentioned that detail for exactly that reason, gaining an hour in the morning makes a 3 p.m. Curtain feel like a natural fit for a slow, easy Sunday.
Never heard a euphonium solo before. Kind of curious what that even sounds like front and center.
I've bought tickets at the Doylestown Bookshop before. Love that they still do it the old fashioned way.
My daughter is a student at DelVal so she gets in free. Perfect Sunday plan for us.
That's a wonderful family afternoon in the making, and the free student admission is one of the orchestra's nicest offerings.
Liz M.That's such a great deal for students. Enjoy it with her, those afternoons go fast!
$25 is a great deal for a live orchestra. People spend more than that on dinner.
The pre-concert talk is such a nice touch. Always helps me actually follow the music.
Brahms No. 1 is one of the greatest pieces ever written. So glad they're doing this.
Dave ThompsonThe finale alone is worth the drive. One of those pieces that just builds and builds until you almost can't take it anymore.
I had no idea what a euphonium even was until right now. Definitely going.
Maria G.Same here, had to look it up after reading this. Sounds like a tuba but not? Really curious to hear it now.