The Symphony of Westchester performed their inaugural concert Nov. 9 in Murphy Auditorium.

The night was dedicated to the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, as the symphony wanted to “go back to basics.”

The first piece of the night was Piano Concerto No. 4, op 58 in G major.

This concerto featured Alon Goldstein, a noted pianist from Israel. He was a guest to the symphony.

The concerto started off with a short piano solo, but quickly turned into a full orchestra.

Double bass solos were prominent throughout the beginning, which succeeded in giving off a dark and mysterious sound.

Woodwinds like bassoons, flutes, oboes and clarinets took the forefront of the piece, shifting the sound away from darkness and into a light sound.

Midway into the concerto, Goldstein’s outstanding piano playing came forth. The emotion showed by Goldstein was the most powerful aspect of the concert.

Any time he played, even if it was only to play a quick bar of music, he looked as if he was moved to tears. He played the piano as if the ivory keys were an extension of himself, like every note played was a part of his soul.

When Goldstein was not playing, he swayed along to the music. But when he did play, his eyes were closed and his mouth moved as if he were speaking.

Some of the piano parts in this concerto were extremely fast. The music was heard, but the fact that only two hands were creating this fast-paced sound was incomprehensible to those listening.

After Goldstein’s big solo finished, the orchestra and the piano went back and forth. The orchestra played one line softly, but then the piano fired back with more intensity and fire.

After the concerto ended Goldstein’s time with the orchestra was over, but he came back to treat the audience with one last solo performance.

The second piece of the night was Symphony No. 5, op. 67 in C minor. This is considered Beethoven’s most famous symphony.

Right when the orchestra started playing, the audience knew exactly what song they were playing.

The song started off with the strings playing with full intensity. The sound became soft, with mostly the woodwinds playing, but increased quickly into a full orchestra again.

Drums were at the forefront of this piece. Although the strings were loud, the percussion carried this piece. They made loud and intense sections more vibrant and made softer sections more quiet, peaceful and relaxing.

Sophomore Nora Callagy spoke highly of the symphony’s performance.

“I would say it was an excellent experience and I strongly recommend others to go,” Callagy said.

“The concert displayed a wonderful atmosphere of culture.”

After the symphony was over, the Symphony of Westchester left with thunderous applause by the audience. Overall the symphony was a success and a perfect tribute to some of the most famous music pieces in history.

The Symphony of Westchester will be performing at Iona again on Dec. 15 and next year on Feb. 9.