Hays Symphony opens season with Beethoven and Shostakovich

Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by RORY MOORE

Tiger Media Network

The 2024-25 season of the Hays Symphony started on a Saturday night with a performance that included an Overture by female Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz (1943), Cello Concerto no. 2 by Dimitry Shostakovich (1966), and Symphony no. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1812). The orchestra, which is assembled of volunteering musicians, was led by conductor Professor Brian Buckstead and featured Professor Benjamin Cline as the solo cellist in the Shostakovich concerto.

Audience members gathered in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center to hear the orchestra perform in an evening that would be remembered by the performance of Benjamin Cline, playing the second Shostakovich cello concerto. In a difficult piece that isn’t played as often as other creations by the Russian composer, Cline was able to pull the orchestra behind him and draw long-lasting applause from the audience. 

Cline selected the concerto himself even though it is a challenging piece not only for the soloist but also for the entire orchestra.

“I like to expand my repertoire, and I wanted to play this rarely played piece,” Cline said after the concert. “I want to thank the orchestra for making the effort and playing this difficult piece.”

Other than the cello concerto, the orchestra played another difficult modern piece, the Overture by Bacewitz, written in 1943, and the 8th symphony by Beethoven, a symphony that Buckstead described in his address to the crowd before the performance as: “A hidden gem that is often overlooked by the 7th and 9th symphonies, that are some of the greatest symphonies in history.” 

Buckstead also commented after the concert, explained the special picks of the concert’s repertoire, and addressed the performance level of the orchestra. 

“I chose the Bacewitz piece because personally, I like that composer, and I think she isn’t being played enough, the concerto was purely Ben’s (Cline) pick, and I selected the Beethoven symphony as an energetic piece for the second half of the evening,” Buckstead said. “We decided to try some more challenging pieces tonight, but even though there is always room for improvement, I am very satisfied with our performance.”

The Hays Symphony Orchestra will return to the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on October 27 to perform a concert titled Children Concert: Fiesta Mexicana!