If you haven’t been to a Pacifica Chamber Orchestra concert, you may not know that director Fred Chu leads the ensemble from his seat as the concertmaster — the first chair violinist.
It’s fun to watch the ensemble breathe and move together without a conductor out in front.
Pacifica’s Spring Concert program Sunday afternoon in Everett lends itself to this sort of tight ensemble work.
The concert will include the Polka from “Les Vendredis” (The Fridays) for Strings by Alexander Glazunov; Wind Quintet, Op. 88 No. 1, by Anton Reicha; Prelude to “Le Deluge” (The Flood) for Strings by Camille Saint-Saëns; Symphony No. 5 for Strings by William Schuman.
Chu describes the opening polka by Glazunov as “light and lyrical.” The wind quintet by Reich, a Czech composer, is “flashy,” he said.
The mood changes a bit in the second half, said Chu, with Saint-Saens’ depiction of the biblical story of the flood. “This piece has both intensity and sweet characters. It’s a lovely piece that audiences will never forget,” he said.
For the finale, the American composer Schuman’s symphony for strings is complex, playful, instense and passionate, Chu said. The piece debuted under the direction of the late, great composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein.
“And we are the first string ensemble in the region to perform this work,” Chu said.
Pacifica is funded in part by the Everett Cultural Arts Commission.
If you go
Pacifica Chamber Orchestra’s Spring Concert will be performed at 3 p.m. April 9 at First Presbyterian Church, 2936 Rockefeller Ave., in Everett. Tickets are $20 for general admission or $15 for seniors and students. Buy tickets online through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2562442, or at the door on concert day.
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