The San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra gave an outstanding and memorable performance of the last concert of the 2015-2016 season on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Maestro James Domine addressed the audience, explained the evening's program, and thanked them for their patronage and support.
After the playing of our National Anthem, Maestro Domine began the concert with John Williams' Harry Potter Suite. This delightful medley, in five movements, is based on the endearing themes from the smash hit Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Following the Suite were excerpts from four other Harry Potter movies, as arranged by Katherine Ramos Baker, with the CSUN Women's Chorale joining the Orchestra.
The next composition, "Nocturne," in three movements, by Claude Debussy, was inspired by a series of impressionist paintings, also entitled Nocturnes. The Chorale of young women sang it like angels, even though they were supposed to be the sirenes,"with their haunting strains of mysterious and enchanting voices from across the salty spray and play of the wind and waves," and the Orchestra did a great job on a very difficult piece.
There followed an intermission and a silent auction, with the happy winners receiving the good news at the end of the Concert.
And then came the "piece de resistance," James Domine's Piano Concerto #3 in A minor (Wind of Time), played brilliantly by pianist extraordinaire, Joanna Ezrin. Words fail me, but I can say that at the end of the performance, the audience exploded, stood, and cheered her and our illustrious Composer and Maestro, James Domine. Ms. Ezrin came back for three curtain calls and then, to the delight of all the women, sat down at the piano to play and sing a lovely homage to mothers because, in fact, it was Mother's Day. Brought a tear to many an eye I'm sure ... I know it did to mine!