Southeast's symphony and choirs pair with SIU for Beethoven's Ninth

The opportunity to hear one of the most influential, beautiful pieces of musical ingenuity doesn't come around very often in the southeast Missouri region.

A rendition of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, a renowned classical work of art, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 27 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus.

The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra, University Choir and Choral Union will be joined by the Southern Illinois University Choir to perform the Ninth Symphony.

More than 100 choral singers are required to recreate the final movement.

The symphony was completed in 1824 and is the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony.

The words are sung during the final movement by four soloists and a chorus. They were taken from the "Ode to Joy," a poem written by Friedrich Schiller.

The concert kicks off with a trumpet concerto by Giuseppe Tartini. Robert Allison, SIU trumpet soloist, will perform the piece. Allison has played in various locations around the globe including England, Latvia and Sweden.

Following the concerto, Sara Edgerton, a professor of cello and string bass as well as the artistic director of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the timeless piece.

"It's a wonderful dream I've had to conduct this piece," Edgerton said. "Every time I hear the Ninth Symphony I hear something different. Like any great masterpiece -- literature, art, music -- each time you revisit it you see different things in it. It's very inspiring and awakens new responses every time I listen to it. Each rehearsal brings about more awareness of the complexity and beauty of the work."

According to Edgerton, this will be the premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Cape Girardeau.

"Beethoven's Ninth Symphony represents an accumulation of everything he has ever wanted to say," Edgerton said. "You hear the tenderness of the beautiful string quartets, the power and majesty of the big symphonies he's done, such as the fifth. If one were to ask what Beethoven is all about they should just listen to this piece."

Edgerton said that hearing it performed live has much more of an impact than listening to a recorded audio version.

"The connection and experience you get with live music," Edgerton said. "There's electricity that flows from the stage to the audience and the audience to the stage, and you can't explain that any other way except to be here."

Nicole Bollig, principal violist for the Southeast Symphony Orchestra, looks forward to the challenge. Bollig said this piece has challenged all of the symphony's members to truly listen and play together as a unified group.

"We have been preparing as a group for this concert since the middle of March," Bollig said. "This piece has absolutely affected me as a performer. On a personal level, I've learned much more about expression, leadership and musicality. One cannot play Beethoven half-heartedly. You really have to pour all of your energy, attention and passion into it."

Bollig said she's truly honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the symphony.

"The more I learn about music, the more the depth of this symphony completely awes me," Bollig said. "To be a part of the performance, I feel connected to the thousands of musicians who have performed this piece throughout history as well as audience and symphony members alike who are a part of reliving this masterpiece. It's an incredible feeling."

Tickets for this performance are $10 for general admission, $9 for faculty, staff and senior citizens or $3 for Southeast students.

Tickets may be purchased by calling (573) 651-2265, by visiting the River Campus Box Office during office hours or online at RiverCampusEvents.com.