AMY WINKLER

Music master, Jaymee Haefner, practices playing the harp Monday afternoon in the UA Symphony Orchestra class conducted by Thomas Cockwell in the music building. The orchestra will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday September 22 and 3 p.m. on Sunday September 23 as the first two performances of the "Concerts in Context" series.

Friday September 21, 2001

UA Symphony Orchestra performs array of music from Vienna

It's easy to pigeonhole Vienna for its sausages or General Foods International Coffees, but once - not too long ago - the city was one of Europe's cultural centers.

This weekend, the UA Symphony Orchestra will attempt to take audiences for a ride through artistic history.

This fall's Musical Vienna Festival, created by University of Arizona director of orchestral studies Thomas Cockrell, conceptualizes gathering of different aspects of a university education.

"This is the first in the series that I call 'Concerts in Context,'" Cockrell said. "I think (it is) important for a university to try and integrate the different aspects of education to pull the fibers together and weave a unified idea of history, society, the arts (and) the sciences."

Although generally not themed, this fall's concerts tap into the artistic influences of Vienna.

"I chose the early part of the 20th century in Vienna for this concert because it was a very fertile period for all the arts as well as the intellectual life," Cockrell said.

Throughout the series of "Cultures in Context," Cockrell said a variety of other composers with musical ties to Vienna will be featured. Future concerts will present renowned artists like Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms.

This particular performance will feature the melodious talents of not only the UA Symphony Orchestra, but also the abilities of several faculty members, both the Arizona and Symphonic Choirs and the digital talents of the UA Treistman Center for Digital Art through the inclusion of a slideshow.

"In this presentation I want to juxtapose the music of the time with the artwork of the time," Cockrell said.

He added the faculty soloists will perform pieces that highlight various composers and styles of the era, which encompasses the years before, during and after World War I.

"We begin with the waltzes of the Strauss family - which is emblematic of the 'good old days' of the empire," Cockrell said. "Then we gradually progress through music of foreboding, which in some ways predicts coming disasters."

He added the concert will continue with more recent works that invoked future musical change.

"We'll be playing examples of important watershed works of the 20th century - works that laid the foundation for great stylistic changes in 20th century music," he said.

Cockrell added that the shows in the series "Cultures in Context" are meant to appeal to all students and other prospective audience members because all shows incorporate aspects and elements of the 20th century.

"I want people to see that the arts reflect the spirit and aesthetics of the times in which it is created," he said. "And that no matter what discipline a student is studying - no matter what the focus - such a program will not only entertain with wonderful music but also help to integrate all the knowledge that he/she is at the university absorbing."

"Concert in Context" performs twice this weekend - a 7:30 p.m. Saturday show and a 3 p.m. Sunday show. Tickets are $4 for UA students and $6 for UA employees. Call 621-1162 for more ticket information.