Remember the classic movie The Princess Bride? There was a much-feared creature that lived in the Fire Swamp – the R.O.U.S (Rodent Of Unusual Size). This week, the Oregon Symphony tackles a composition by another much-feared creature – the R.O.U.S.E (Christopher Rouse) called Phaeton. His music is renowned for its difficulty, and he does, in fact, seem to take delight in seeing just how miserable he makes life for the musicians who take on his music. The other aspect of his music, other than its speed, which makes life hard for us is its sheer volume level. This piece is loud. I described the percussion section as sounding like a tornado demolishing a Bed, Bath and Beyond. Principal percussionist Niel DePonte said it was like a typhoon in a car repair shop. Cellist Tim Scott noted that the horns sounded like trumpeting, rampaging escaped elephants from the zoo. Get the picture? After all, the piece is a representation of Phaeton, son of the sun good Helios, and his ill-fated attempt to pilot the sun’s chariot. It’s the oldest story in the parent playbook: child goes on joyride, wrecks family car.
This weekend’s concerts will be quite the spectacle, between the Rouse, which opens the program, and the incredibly difficult Symphony-Concerto for cello and orchestra by Prokofiev, featuring returning cello fave Alban Gerhardt; and the audience favorite Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” by Antonin Dvorak. Get your tix here.