Subscribers get to see Elgin Symphony Orchestra rehearse

Watching the sausage get made can be pretty interesting after all.

Members of the Daily Herald’s Subscriber Total Access program had a rare opportunity Friday night to enjoy the final rehearsal of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s “Night of Enchantment” concert, in performance Saturday and Sunday at the Hemmens Auditorium.

Fortified with appetizers and cocktails, STA guests sat around the Hemmens auditorium and watched guest conductor Andres Franco rehearse the fiery film score “Las Noches de Los Mayas,” Aaron Copland’s “El Salon Mexico” and “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.”

Longtime Daily Herald subscribers Stephanie and Roger Pelczynski came from Des Plaines to kick off their anniversary weekend — 50 years on Saturday.

For them, hearing Franco stop and start, rehearsing sections and transitions, was a treat.

“This is a very good introduction to the symphony,” Stephanie said. “How wonderful to introduce people to what our community has to offer.”

For his part, Franco ran a tight rehearsal but turned to the audience between pieces to clue them in and keep the evening light.

The ESO is in a transition year as it searches for its next full-time conductor. Franco is not a candidate but came in specially for the Latin concert. So did virtuoso violin soloist Elena Urioste, whose rehearsal of “The Four Seaons of Buenos” was a highlight of the evening.