On December 1, 2017 I attended a performance of Musica Nova: December Magic in the Jonsson Performance Hall. The show was a classical orchestral concert and included works by Bach, Mozart, and Faure, representing three different time periods in classical music. It was a mixture of a string orchestra, horns, and piano dominating a specific part of the show by having a respective solo in each piece. The piece Divertimento in D in Largo; Allegro provided listeners with a unique dynamic, a tiembre that occurred multiple times, adding something that catches the ear, and a powerful orchestration, which caught the audience off-guard and provided for dramatic effect. The piece was played after the horns played their duet, giving the audience a song …show more content…
It slowly progressed to a much more forte beat, with the volume increasing gradually in comparison to the beginning. It would switch between relatively piano and forte dynamics, but each piano moment was countered with a forte. There were moments in the song that made me think that the song was going to end because of how soft it was getting, but I would be surprised by the sudden increase in the dynamic. There were times where the dynamic was relatively mild. However, most of the time it was extreme, going back and forth with piano and forte. The tiembre was an interesting mix, providing the audience with an abundance of sounds, even with the same note being played. In the middle of the piece, the orchestra came together and while it seemingly was sounding the same, it still sounded different. I could distinctly tell which instruments were playing what, creating a new blend of sounds that kept my ears interested. While some instruments were sounding monotone, the others were sounding bright and vibrant, providing a contrast between them. The tempo of the music did change multiple times …show more content…
I originally planned to leave after the intermission, but after listening to this piece and the others, elected to stay and listen to more classical music. The movement kept me very engaged. I did not doze off or lose focus during it. The constant changes kept me on my toes, not sure what was coming next. The end was seemingly coming before a drastic change in dynamic and tempo would come in and change the perspective of the song. The dynamic changes were very unique, as they helped grasping your attention when it seemed like it was over with. The addition of a soft, then loud, then soft, then loud again, then soft was instrumental in keeping the music from becoming stale. The addition of new sounds was also very useful, as the horns provided a much different taste after the first piece, which was dominated by strings. The horn gave a crisp sound that could not be emulated by any string element, and when paired with the strings, helped add an almost ying yang effect. It happened multiple times throughout it, with a new unique sound dominating the stage and capturing the audience’s attention. The orchestration with the instrument choice was very well done. As stated previously, the horns provided a different, unique sound that would almost surprise the audience. Usually, a horn is associated with a band, which are more known to play poppy, exciting music that is at times a controlled chaos. In this
I was impressed by the range of the pieces that were performed as they were from 18th century classical symphony arrangements to contemporary techno pieces. However, the pieces that moved me most were Mozart’s Molto Allegro, Oaken Sky by Chris Rogerson and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. In hindsight, I am surprised that the two pieces from the Classical Era had such an impact on me. Perhaps, “classical” pieces were what I expected to hear at a Symphony. Oaken Sky evoked the most imagery for me and the conductor’s introduction of the piece was perhaps partly responsible for my ability to go from the earth to the sky in my mind’s eye. Oaken Sky was definitely a pleasant surprise and very pleasing to all of my senses. I was fully engaged in body, mind and soul with Rogerson’s composition. Cielito Lindo was interesting and the soloist really enhanced the piece with a stellar performance. Warehouse Medicine caused an incongruent stirring in me; perhaps I was not prepared for electronics to be added to the symphony. Ravel’s composition, Le Tombeau de Couperin, was a moving piece, but did not engage my senses, only my intellect. This work essentially left me feeling confused and although I appreciated the description of the dedication of the work by the composer, this was my least favorite piece. The “CPCC” soloist, Juan Caljero’s, rendition of Cileito Lindo was mesmerizing. Charlotte
Thursdays at Cal State L.A. seemed like any other typical day- warm, busy, and tiring. However, on December 2, 2015, something was particularly different; not only was it the last day of class before finals, but there was also a Mariachi concert directed by Cynthia Reifler Flores. As I was walking towards the State Playhouse, I thought about how the music would be composed. The first thing that I expected was the music to have a quick, upbeat tempo, something that would be played at a festival or a party. I walked through the screen door and was given a pamphlet. In it contained detailed information about their programs, musicians, Flores’ biography, and the prodigious mariachi group. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the doors
On Friday, November 15, 2013, I attended a concert that I found very interesting. It took place at 7:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. The group performing was the Erie Chamber Orchestra, but as a special the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir was also there. During the performance I attended, two pieces were performed. The first was a Mozart piece by the name of Symphony No. 41.
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, I attended a musical concert. This was the first time I had ever been to a concert and did not play. The concert was not what I expected. I assumed I was going to a symphony that featured a soloist clarinet; however, upon arrival I quickly realized that my previous assumptions were false. My experience was sort of a rollercoaster. One minute I was down and almost asleep; next I was laughing; then I was up and intrigued.
Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna, was very upbeat and humorous, it had the crowds attention. It started with the percussion then the brass, Oh man! it sounded like a band, with its sonata allegro fast and lively pace. Then the strings came and the whole orchestra was playing, the notes just flowed. Some would say the percussions and brass overpowered the strings, but this piece was different. The strings were loud enough to be heard. By looking at the string performer's face expressions, they were really feeling the piece, and were not stringing hard trying to compete with the
...xcited to have this experience. Part of the drama of the concert at first is felt when the musicians come in and sit down and begin tuning up their instruments. I would not be able to comment on the performance of the orchestra. During the performance, I seen the audience were moving with the music, but I felt like that everyone seems knows more music than what I learned throughout this semester. After I went home and did some of the research on these music I finally understand why these people like to attend the orchestra concerto, it was because that every piece of music has a history behind it. The Los Angeles audience seemed to me to be people who know music and who will listen to something new in a respectful way. All the same, when the more familiar sounds of the last piece were heard, I could feel a little sense of relaxation and fun coming into the room.
Throughout the piece, the oboes, first and second clarinet, first alto saxophone, and second cornet, all have the same melody. Measures one through five are a four measure phrases that gets repeated again in measures six through nine, and again in fourteen through seventeen. Around measure ten, the dynamic changes to forte and is slightly faster, then slacken. Measures fourteen through seventeen mark the end of the first statement of the melody. There is also a slowing effect added in measure sixteen through seventeen by a sustained note. After measure seventeen the dynamics go back to piano adding shape to develop with the melodic outline. Around measure twenty-six, the ensemble gets filled out by other instruments such as the tuba, euphonium, and trumpet. This makes it go from the darker cornet sound to a bright trumpet sound. The last few measures slow down, going from about eighty beats per minute, to forty beats per minute, ending with piece with two
...re was very interesting transitions between the variation, for example, string section plays the variation from low to high, when they reach the highest note, the brass family takes over and continue with the scale and make it more higher. Tremolo style was used in this piece, which is a quick ups and downs stroke mode. The music were very soothing and attracted the audience. Lastly, they end the piece with the same variations that was played at the beginning.
The tone of piece was loud and upbeat giving the song a carefree feel to the entire piece. It started off with a bass solo followed by the saxophone and so on. The entirety of the piece was uplifting and fun, which made it a fantastic choice to end the night
Prior to this class, I did not realize the amount of classical music that has influenced our society. Tchaikovsky compositions are a prime example of how this style of music has essentially become correlated with Christmas and the holiday season. It was surprising how recognizable the music was from this performance, and listing to it throughout the years without knowing the origins. The Pennsylvania Ballet and The Cleveland Orchestra combined to perform The Nutcracker.
The music was soulful, emotional music, which took its basis from the pianos and metzopianos of the piece. If it had been as loud as part one, it would have been nowhere near as effective, yet because it was soft, it created a feeling of tranquility and peacefulness. The third part of the piece was Sensato, which blends part one and part two together. This section starts off around a solid mezzoforte, and raises and lowers in intensity, led by a trumpet or cornet solo during the opening. After the soloist finished, the piece became more intense, with a heavy percussion presence coming from the back of the band.
The final and twelfth piece was made up of excerpts from a longer work called Five Short Pieces for Clarinet and Bassoon. To me, maybe because the concert was beginning to get long or maybe because I did not have many notes over it, the last piece seems fairly similar throughout its movements, or “Short Pieces.” The first was an up-beat piece with a distinct melody. The clarinet and bassoon alternated, with the clarinet playing the higher notes. The second movement had a have complete feel to it. The two instruments played at the same time, close to it. The third movement was an impressive sounding mix of ups and downs. It seemed that the performers were working very hard and it sounded very complex.
After the first concert set was finished, the seamless transition into the Chamber Orchestra’s piece “Masters In This Hall” impressed me and caused fellow audience members to think of the concert not as just another high school concert, but as a polished, professional feeling show.
The viol created a contrasting sound that was different and was distinguishing among the other string instruments. The quartet had a different bow technique and fast hand movements. There was also terraced dynamics that created a contrast in the volume of the piece. At the fourth movement, the tempo also started to slow down compared to other movements. At the end of the piece, the violin movements stopped and the cello took the final notes making the composition end with a tuneful and a sweet-sounding
Also, we could describe the rate of speed as adagio since the the tempo is quite slow but not too slow. Even though the song was slow and mellow, the dynamics of the work was quite aggressive, similar to mezzoforte. The whole performance kept me engaged and excited, but I was curious why he was hitting the strings with the bow several times towards the middle of the