First impressions upon hearing Dan Welcher’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Bay:

How nice to meet you: What a treat it was to hear Dan Welcher’s much anticipated, brand new Symphony no. 5; it had kaleidoscopic color for the ears. I especially enjoyed Welcher’s lovely use of percussion and wind instruments. He added just the right dash of dissonance, to keep things spicy but never so much as to alienate his audience. There were even echoes of Austin in the work….were those bats I heard? The piece was engaging and the final movement was satisfying, as it recalled some themes from earlier in the symphony. Isn’t it nice to say, “I was there”?

Dianne Donovan
one pair of ears