The first rehearsal for this concert created an emotional groundswell. With great anticipation we all were looking forward to working with Maestro Eugene Ormandy, the conductor who had preserved and cultivated the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra string sound for many years, since the time of Leopold Stokowski. When Ormandy asked to begin with the Barber Adagio, something was about to happen in that large room at Williams Hall, Michigan State University. It would cast an indelible mark on the souls of 100 string players for the rest of our lives. As Maestro Ormandy held up his arms, what an incredible sound filled the room! It was an indescribable, unbelievably massive, but hushed, wide sound, pregnant with pathos. It enveloped everyone and seemed as if we had been lifted out of our skins, transported by pure sound, lifting us up and out into the soul of the universe. It was almost as if we were not actually playing but riding some omnipotent, divine wave. Looking back to the ecstasy of those few moments...which seemed timeless, I now realize we were experiencing what some would later describe as an epiphany. - James Kreger, Cellist
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 03:05:25 +0000
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