Musical Surprises and Enigmas at Utah State University

Sergio Bernal, director and conductor of Utah State University’s Symphony Orchestra, poses an interesting question. Is there a relationship between Sherlock Holmes and 18^th and 19^th century music? Is there a connection between this legendary — and fictional — detective and the milieu of Classical and Romantic orchestras, Bernal asked.

That mystery might be answered when Bernal and the USU Symphony Orchestra appear in concert Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kent Concert Hall in the Chase Fine Arts Center on campus (approximately 1110 E. 610 North).

Bernal makes the connections to his own question.

“According to Dr. Watson, Holmes’ friend, biographer and narrator of Conan Doyle’s famous stories, this remarkable detective not only had a profound knowledge of literature, politics, botany, anatomy, geology, chemistry and astrology, was an expert boxer and swordsman, but he played the violin very well,” Bernal said. “This is just the beginning. There are many other fascinating connections between Holmes and music, all of which can be discovered at our concert.”

In that concert, “Surprises, Enigmas,” USU’s orchestra will play two intriguing and exciting works whose premieres happened 100 years apart but in Holmes’ own London, Bernal said.

Tickets for the concert are available at the door. General admission tickets are $5, and USU students with current ID are admitted free.

The concert’s two selections are Haydn’s celebrated Surprise Symphony and Elgar’s best known large-scale work, the Enigma Variations.

“Both pieces deal with the unknown with the expectation of it becoming revealed,” Bernal said. “Even though Haydn’s Surprise Symphony is famous for a single surprise embedded in its music, it ought to be called the ‘Symphony of Surprises’ for its many striking moments, packed with humor and flair.”

 

Elgar’s Enigma Variations, on the other hand, may not be as full of surprises but, like Haydn’s symphony, became an overnight success at its premiere.

“The success was a result of the mystic aura that goes with its title, but also because of the compelling beauty of its music,” Bernal said.

 

Like Holmes, Elgar was fascinated by puzzles and riddles, and he loved to include ciphered messages in his letters and compositions, Bernal said. Such is the case with the Enigma Variations, a work that contains enigmas at several levels, ranging from the titles of its movements to the inner workings of its music.

“Aside from all that has been long speculated about this amazing work, to me, the ultimate enigma is how the music seems to constantly generate itself in such an unbelievably beautiful yet effortless way, something that one cannot quite fully explain,” Bernal said. “I am excited to perform the variations and the symphony with the USU orchestra, an ensemble that is reaching remarkable levels of skill and musicianship.

“In our Thursday night concert, I hope the audience will enjoy the musical surprises and enigmas that would have captivated Holmes’ mind, had he existed,” Bernal concluded.

 

 

 

Contact: Sergio Bernal (435) 797-0487
Source: Orchestra program