DuPage Symphony Orchestra brings “Magic and Spells” to Naperville
“The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun,” said British singer Midgard Morningstar. DuPage Symphony Orchestra, one of the most loved and appreciated orchestras in Chicagoland, invites everyone to join its family Halloween concert called “Magic and Spells” that will take place at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 29 at spectacular Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville.
The Halloween celebration will begin even before the concerts as Naperville Public Library members will entertain audience members with spooky stories in the lobby at Wentz Concert Hall starting at 1:30 p.m. and at 3:30 p.m. So, don’t forget to arrive early to hear those scary stories. The doors will open at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. Also, don’t forget to wear your Halloween costumes as the orchestra will be wearing costumes too. A skeleton playing violin or a witch playing cello – what can be spookier? Only ghosts in the audience. We will see.
That day, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra will be joined by the talented members of the Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra. Together, they will create an unforgettable musical Halloween celebration. Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra is part of Bach Academy and was created for young musicians seeking to enhance and grow their musical experience through orchestra and chamber music performance opportunities. Children and adults on the stage, children and adults in the audience, and together it will be a great family of music lovers who chose to celebrate this Halloween in a very elegant, yet mysterious way by being surrounded with the sounds of chilling symphony music.
The concert program will include “The Spell” from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty (Finale to Act I). The powerful sounds of this music will set just the right mood in the audience. Maybe Tchaikovsky didn’t know much about Halloween at the time he was writing the music to this ballet, but sure enough the sounds of this great composition will trigger just the right notes for the Halloween celebration in the heart of every audience member.
The next piece, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is written by Frenchman Paul Dukas who considered himself a teacher who composed. He is considered to be a one piece composer, not because he wrote only one piece, but because he became successful only with one composition that he wrote. He was very self-critical and destroyed many of his other compositions before his death. However, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, a symphonic poem about a sorcerer and his disobedient apprentice, became so popular that it was included in the 1940 Walt Disney animated concert film called “Fantasia”, where Mickey Mouse played the role of the apprentice.
Another musical gem presented by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra and Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra will be “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie Fantastique by popular French composer Hector Berlioz. The “March to the Scaffold” is the fourth of five movements in this composition. Berlioz, who as a teen suffered from isolation and mood swings, wrote Symphonie Fantastique about himself. This piece tells the story of his self-destructive passion for a beautiful woman and demonstrates various emotions that he went through. Obsession and tantrums, thoughts about suicide and even about murder, excitement and hopelessness – all these feelings are reflected in his music.
“Ritual Fire Dance”, a movement from the ballet El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician, or The Bewitched Love), written by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla will become a great addition to this concert program. It is a story about a young Andalusian gypsy girl who was haunted by the ghost of her dead husband. She performed the Ritual Fire Dance with that ghost, which finally caused him to get drawn into the fire and vanish forever. The sounds of this mysterious dance will keep the audience alert and engaged.
At the end, the orchestras will be happy to present excerpts from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by John Williams. The beloved sounds of this fantastic music will become a great conclusion of this spooky Halloween concert program!
Also, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra would like to inform everyone that the same day, October 29, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Chipotle located at 22 East Chicago Avenue in Naperville will be donating 50% of its proceeds to the DuPage Symphony Orchestra. Just tell the cashier that you are supporting the DuPage Symphony Orchestra and half of the price of your food will go to this great musical institution!
Wear your costume and join the DuPage Symphony Orchestra for “Magic & Spells” on Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Wentz Concert Hall located at 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville! For tickets and information, please visit www.dupagesymphony.org or call 630-778-1003.
Natalia Dagenhart