Beethoven and Strauss works performed in musical tribute

By Stefani Green
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing writer

Why pay $100 or more for good seats to see the Hollywood Bowl's symphony orchestra, when for just $7 (with valid student ID) you can enjoy front row seats and experience the enchanting music of the Cal State Long Beach University Symphony Orchestra right on campus?

Since the start of the school year, the CSULB University Symphony Orchestra has been working hard to perfect their first public appearance; a tribute concert to billionaire philanthropist Richard D. Colburn. Conducted by Professor Richard Rintoul, the musicians dressed in tuxedos and proceeded to put on a concert that was most memorable. Colburn, who passed away in June at the age of 93, would not have been more pleased with the selection of the music (they performed one of his favorite pieces) but also by the execution and excellence of the talented young musicians.

This concert was offered as a tribute to his status as "hero" to the arts community. Among many contributions and efforts to support the arts and musical youth, Colburn founded the Richard D. Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, which has been a most beneficial and contributing factor to the growing appreciation and improvement in the Arts movement.

Professor Rintoul also had a personal connection to Colburn. Aside from being the Director of Orchestral Activities and Strings at CSULB, Rintoul is in his 18th year as a faculty member of the Richard D. Colburn School of Performing Arts, and has had many encounters with Colburn.

"[Colburn's] influence on the L.A. art scene is beyond calculation. His impact on the major performance institutions, in the field of music education and on many individual musicians, including myself is enormous," said Rintoul. "He has been hugely inspirational and I believe in fact that he is a hero."

Most appropriately the concert began with Beethoven's monumental "Eroica" symphony. In this symphony," originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, Beethoven intended his work to glorify the democratic ideals to which he lived by. After a brief intermission, Colburn's favorite piece, Richard Strauss' "Metamo- rphosen," arranged for 23 solo strings, was performed, complete with a strong finish with help from the very animated conductor Rintoul.

"It is a nice idea to honor those people who have helped promote music to young promising musicians," Cliff Goodrich, graduate student and violin player in the orchestra said. "In fact, it is thanks to many individuals like Colburn and their fundraising efforts that members of the University Orchestra are able to participate as recipients of scholarships."

A total of 80 students make up CSULB's Universtiy Symphony Orchestra, which is recognized as one of the finest programs in Southern California and gives students not only the chance to learn and master the musical material, but also to perform in a real, authentic atmosphere.

Look for more to come from the talented CSULB music department. The next symphony orchestra performance will be Saturday, October 30, 2004, followed by another performance Friday, December 3, 2004. For more information or concert dates please visit the music department's Web site at www.csulb.edu/music.