Berks Sinfonietta brought a night of dramatic contrasts and expressive depth to Atonement Lutheran Church on Saturday, April 25, as the homegrown chamber orchestra presented its “Sturm und Drang” program.
The performance, led by Artistic Director Dr. David A. McConnell, focused on a style of 18th-century music known for its strong emotions and dramatic shifts in mood. At the center of the program was Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 in E Minor, “Mourning,” alongside works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Baptist Vanhal, and Christoph Willibald Gluck.
The concert highlighted a time in history when composers began moving away from perfectly balanced, orderly music and started leaning into something more expressive and personal. Instead of staying predictable, the music explored tension, contrast, and feeling in a way that still resonates with audiences today.
“I am continuously fascinated by ‘Sturm und Drang’ music,” McConnell wrote in program notes. “The shift to music of individual subjectivity and emotional extremes of emotion paved the way for the music of Beethoven, Mahler, and film scores. This concert gives us a chance to explore why we listen the way we do today.”
The evening opened with Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue, which moved between slow, serious moments and faster, more urgent sections. It was followed by Vanhal’s Sinfonia in A Minor, a piece that blended elegance with a darker, more dramatic edge.
After intermission, the orchestra performed selections from Gluck’s Don Juan, a piece filled with storytelling and intensity. The music builds toward a powerful finale that portrays the downfall of its main character, shifting from suspenseful to chaotic in a way that keeps listeners on edge.
The concert closed with Haydn’s “Mourning” Symphony, a piece that carried a darker tone throughout, while still offering moments of contrast and release. Its steady drive and emotional weight captured the spirit of the program, showing how music from this era could be both powerful and deeply expressive.
For musicians, the program presented both artistic and technical challenges.
Louis Villafane, a Reading native and double bassist with the ensemble, described the music as “very powerful,” noting its wide emotional range. “There’s lots of light, almost dance-like music in there, and then just shocking,” he said.
Villafane said the contrasts were evident in the audience’s reaction during the performance. “I could notice some audience members tilting side to side, almost like they’re swaying to the dance music and then suddenly getting very still when we got to the more frightening music,” he said. “It’s always very fun whenever we have a program quite like that.”
Preparing for the performance required close coordination among musicians, particularly given the technical demands of the repertoire. “Especially when it comes to some of this more challenging music, it just takes a lot of coordination as a section, making sure that we have all of our bowings in agreement,” Villafane said. “And as our own practice, just taking it very slow, little by little every day until we can get it to our tempo.”
He pointed specifically to the Don Juan selections as one of the more difficult portions of the program. “We as a section were discussing and thinking, ‘Oh, this one’s quite challenging,’” he said. “And we were trying to figure out some of the ways that we can navigate that.”
Villafane, who graduated from Reading High School and studied music at Penn State, has performed with Berks Sinfonietta for several years while also teaching in the Reading School District and playing with ensembles across the region.
Berks Sinfonietta brings together musicians of varying backgrounds, including professionals, educators, students, and dedicated amateurs, with a mission to present engaging and inclusive performances. The ensemble continues to contribute to the cultural landscape of Berks County through both concerts and educational outreach.
