Wednesday, Oct. 8, was opening night for the University of Denver’s Lamont Symphony Orchestra. At the Newman Center for the Performing Arts was an intersection of elegant music and the art of painting.
Soft, golden lighting highlighted the orchestra as a cohesive group while emphasizing individual features. Bryant Denmark conducted the first piece titled, “Semiramide Overture,” composed by Giacchino Rossini, which captured the audience’s attention with each intentional note.
A highlight of the Symphony was a piece focusing on the life and legacy of Vincent Van Gogh, titled, Vincent in Arles and Auvers” for violin and orchestra, composed by John Heins and conducted by Scott O’Neil.
When speaking about the piece, O’Neil said, “the kindest person doesn’t want anyone else to suffer… Celebrate goodwill, the more we can get of this the better,” O’Neil emphasized and then began to conduct the piece.
“Vincent in Arles and Auvers” for violin and orchestra, featured Yumi Hwang-Williams who represented Van Gogh on the violin. Gauguin, the man believed to have really cut off his ear, was personified by a bass clarinet.
The music represented stages in his life, from his travels to Arles, France to his death. Audience members followed along with backdrops of his paintings. Each art piece told a story through crescendos, pizzicato and tempo.
“I felt very anxiety ridden because it was high pressure, quick and certain notes made you feel unease,” said Sylvia Jones, a second-year at DU studying philosophy and strategic communications.
She explained that the music made her feel for Van Gogh as she originally knew him to be an aggressive individual, but the peace within the art made her think otherwise.
“Most people would’ve given up and quit but he was able to find beauty and peace,” Jones explained.
Hein’s piece emphasized the humanity and goodness within all of our hearts through the power of our senses.
Hwang-Williams’ emotional portrayal of Van Gogh, accompanied by the orchestra, comes together in a cohesive and beautiful way. Echoes of harmonies compliment each musician giving every person on stage power. Each note had an essential purpose to the plot of the story.
A dreamy feel swept across the theater as Anastasia Arango and Alex Wong gently strummed two harps while the percussion section made people jump in their seats.
The piece concluded with the backdrop showcasing Van Gogh’s last two paintings with a constant beat in the backing of the music. The photos faded as the music slowed and Van Gogh’s life turned into a legacy. Applause amplified the room while O’Neil held the composition book in the air.
“It was a very beautiful [and] well written symphony to characterize his life,” Jones said.
The Symphony Orchestra returns for another recital on Feb. 4, 2026.
