Concert in Dornbirn

Youth symphony orchestra traditional and new

Matthias Seewald succeeded Ivo Warenitsch as orchestra director in 2024.

(Bild: STEFAN HAUER 6850 DORNBIRN AUSTRIA)

Founded in the early 1980s, the Dornbirn Youth Symphony Orchestra is probably the most traditional youth orchestra in Vorarlberg. With this in mind, it has stuck to the program concept that has endured since Guntram Simma, the orchestra's founder and long-time director.

This year's concert also began with lesser-known music from the 19th century. The second part of the program featured waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss. The last three pieces were dedicated to the Waltz King, who celebrates his 200th birthday in 2025. As were the encores, the polka fast "Unter Donner und Blitz" and the obligatory Radetzky March. However, word has not yet spread as far as Dornbirn about which parts are clapped along to.

But let's start from the beginning: first, let's introduce the new orchestra leader who took over the baton from Ivo Warenitsch last year. It is the 28-year-old Matthias Seewald from Lustenau, himself once a member of the youth symphony orchestra as a trombonist. The spirit is right, and so there is no need to get hung up on certain impurities or shaky transitions in the orchestra, which can certainly be ironed out as they get to know each other better.

Musical journey all the way to South America
The orchestra wanted to "take its audience on a journey", and so it began its program, titled "Of Foreign Lands and People" after Robert Schumann, with Carl Nielsen's overture to the opera "Saul and David", i.e. in Denmark and Israel. The concert continued to Brazil with a movement from Ney Rosauro's Concerto for Marimba and Strings. Linus Weber from Dornbirn was a convincing soloist here. Back across the great ocean, they landed in Finland with Jean Sibelius and his "Swan of Tuonela", which Christina Harrant gave shape to in melancholy sounds on the cor anglais. The next destination was Armenia with a dance suite by Alfred Reed, before heading to England. This was followed by "The Merry Wives of Windsor", but also the coronation music "Pomp and Circumstance IV" by Edward Elgar, which King Charles III chose for his enthronement.

Then came Vienna with Johann Strauss. The youth symphony orchestra under Matthias Seewald played beautifully, cleanly and elegantly. The two presenters also gave a lot of pleasure with texts that were of an unusually high standard. And the golden streamers, which even came out of a bassoon this year, kept the mood high. Happy New Year!