Halloween concert includes Paganini

by Patricia Selman
Arts & Entertainment editor

Holly Murdoch, a junior from Kennewick, Wash., dances while the symphony plays “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Sean Miller / Scroll

The life of a legend was recounted in five performances last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in the Barrus Concert Hall.

The Symphony Orchestra and the Contemporary Dance Theater II, with the help of The Count, Symphony Orchestra Director Kevin Call; and Igor, Associate Conductor Kendall Nielsen, performed the program titled The Spirit of Paganini to sold-out audiences.

The first piece “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Edvard Grieg, allowed each concert member to promenade their costume creations across the strobe light-filled stage before sitting down to play. The audience caught glimpses costumes such as Gandalf, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Princess Leah and Queen Amidala.

During the next piece entitled “Danse macabre” (Dance of Death), an unknown fiddler appeared in the audience with a flood of red light over his hooded figure. He appeared suddenly in different places throughout the hall to play his part, and eventually made it on stage. He introduced himself as the legendary Paganini.

Nicolo Paganini was a violin virtuoso who lived over 200 years ago. His legend became “a common thread through the concert,” Nielsen said. He became a legend in his own time for various violin techniques he refined. Many wondered if he was a murderer — in league with the devil to be able to play so well.

Monte Belknap, a member of the music faculty, played the part of Paganini. He tried to prove his authenticity by playing “Caprice #24,” written by Paganini. Only Paganini could play that difficult of a piece, Call said.

Not only was Paganini a great violinist, but he was also a great ladies man who was torn between his love for the violin and his love for a woman, Call said.

The orchestra and Belknap performed a love song by Paganini titled “Concerto #1 in D, mvt. II.”

The orchestra then performed “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz. Paganini was said to be a wicked man who was beheaded by guillotine, Call said, and his walk to be beheaded could be heard in the song.

The program then turned from Paganini to a piece titled “Fantasy Variations on Dies irae,” composed by Darwin “The Phantom” Wolford. Dressed in a black cape and a mask covering half his face, Wolford played a piece on the newly rebuilt Ruffatti Organ that was flooded in erie blue lights.

“Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, was the last selection played. He composed the piece to musically describe the life of Paganini, and his supposed association with the devil.

Pianist Del Parkinson, an instructor at Boise State and former BYU-Idaho faculty member, performed with the symphony for the piece. He, along with Call, showed the audience how the main melody in the piece, when played backward, is the melody of the second movement of the rhapsody, which was a theme song in the movie Somewhere In Time.

They showed how Paganini, played by dancer Jarom Byington, had to make a choice between a woman and his ability to play.

During a ballet portion, the dancers were dressed in the costumes from the time Paganini lived in.

The music then changed as Paganini fell asleep. Kimberly Knisley dressed in black as the devil, entered with others dressed as demons. A more evil Paganini, played by dancer Bonnie Barlow, came on stage and danced with the demons, illustrating how Paganini got a taste of how it felt to play the violin so well.

In order to describe Paganini’s conflict to decide between his love, played by dancer Sarah Mortimer, and an amazing ability to play the violin, (of which he chose the violin), CDT II dancers had Paganini go to Hell by having Barlow fall through a trap door in the stage.

“The music is the most important thing to this program. [We were able to] bring two amazing musicians to the program and make them accessible to the audience,” Nielsen said.