Loyola's Spring Instrumental Showcase Review

1765 Words4 Pages

At 7:30 pm on February 28, 2018, the Loyola Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble all performed a diverse set of pieces for the Spring Instrumental Showcase. Each musical group performed a wide range of pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries with pieces written by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benny Carter, and Léo Delibes. The concert was held at the Mundelein Auditorium which is a spacious concert hall with ornate stained-glass windows. In other words, the environment where the concert was held was impressive and designed to allow the music to reach the audience with a full, rich, natural sound. The first group to perform was the Loyola Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Colin Holman. The first piece of the concert …show more content…

The whole composition was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). The three movements were the March, Intermezzo, and the March. The first movement was titled “Seventeen Come Sunday”. The piece was very light and martial. In addition, the piece moved quickly yet utilized both percussion, brass, and woodwinds in a way that played well with each other. In other words, each timbre was able to be observed. In addition, the dynamics ranged throughout the piece which gave the piece an overall good contrast. The first movement also included different styles within it where there were fast moving notes and then more longer harmonic notes. The second movement was the Intermezzo called “My Bonny Boy”. This piece was noticeably less martial and the tempo seemed slower. In addition, there was more flowing notes rather than shorter notes from the previous movement. The long tones were a nice breather and provided a space for the listener to sit back and enjoy the beautiful music that was being crafted. Much like the first movement, dynamic contrast was present and added a unique perspective to the overall piece. In addition, I enjoyed how in the middle of the movement that there was a bouncier and dance-like

Open Document