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By Doug Janz
Johnson City Press Tempo Writer
djanz@johnsoncitypress.com
MILLIGAN COLLEGE — The Johnson City Symphony Orchestra by featuring an old favorite, a local hero and a new-look music hall on Saturday night.
The orchestra will give an all-Beethoven performance, “Beethoven The Immortal Beloved,” at 7:30 in Seeger Chapel. Guest artist will be pianist Chih-Long Hu, an East Tennessee State University faculty member who’s an internationally known performer.
The performance will benefit from the freshly renovated Seeger Chapel, which has new, more comfortable individual seats and has, amazingly, been improved acoustically.
“There’s a big difference now,” JCSO conductor Rob Seebacher said. “Seeger has always been a great hall but if there was anything that wasn’t perfect, it’s that it was a little too loud, too live. But now it really has become the perfect hall. It’s perfect for symphony purposes.
“When I first took this job, I couldn’t believe how good this hall was, tucked away in East Tennessee, and now it’s even better. It’s a real privilege to perform there.
“And the seats are more comfortable,” Seebacher added with a laugh, “so now people have no excuse not to come to a concert!”
The program will consist of “Consecration of the House Overture,” Opus 124; Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, opus 58, with Hu as soloist; and Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67. The piano concerto and the symphony are two of the most familiar and beloved of Beethoven’s works.
Beethoven’s music, Seebacher, said, is timeless because the emotions Beethoven felt were familiar to everyone.
“He was frustrated by a lot of things, he was living in the midst of the French Revolution, he was disappointed by Napoleon, and in that way he was an everyman with a lot of strife and a lot of grief, and he used music to work out those problems.
“He worried about paying bills, he struggled with how to incorporate religion into his life, he worried about his family, his health, his place in life. He’s so good at getting those ideas into his music. It has broad appeal because his music touches everyone.”
The JCSO did a Beethoven program two years ago so Seebacher avoided treading some of the same ground. But he loves this program, with the classic Fifth Symphony.
“Everybody knows those first four notes. It’s permeated our culture. The man died in 1827 and everybody still knows those notes.
“This symphony is very stormy, very angry, and it shows the frustration he was facing, but it emerges especially triumphant. I think it’s fitting for our time, too. And one of the roles of art is to reflect the times and provide inspiration.”
In describing the Piano Concerto No. 4, featuring Hu, Seebacher said, “Even among those who don’t agree that Beeethoven is the greatest composer ever, they believe that one is practically a perfect piano piece.”
Hu is the man to perform it. A native of Taiwan, he has received awards from competitions in Taipei, Italy, Andorra, Japan and California. As an active pianist, Hu has performed extensively in Asia, Europe and throughout North America appearing as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician.
His performances have been broadcast through NPR stations in the U.S. and televised in Taiwan, China and Japan.
“Chih-Long is one of those musicians who lives and works in the Tri-Cities who is in a fact a world renowned musician. People may not realize it but we have a very active roster of distinguished musicians around here, and this is an opportunity to showcase one of these musicians. “He’s a great artist, a great teacher.”
Tickets are $10 for students, $20 for seniors and $30 for adults. Seebacher will present an informal talk about the concert in lower Seeger at 6:30 p.m. Free buses will bring concertgoers from Colonial Hills at 6:15, from Appalachian Christian Village and Maple Crest at 6:30 and City Hall at 6:45.
The concert is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Commission for the Arts. Media sponsors are The Johnson City Press and WJHL-TV11. Jim and Sandy Powell are major sponsors for the concert. A reception will be held afterward in lower Seeger and the public is invited to meet the musicians. For information or tickets call the office at 926-8742 or visit to www.JCSymphony.com.