Critiquing Amadeus by Peter Shaffer
I believe that there are two ways to critique Peter Shaffer's Amadeus.
The first, and the easiest for me, is as an artistic work only.
As an artistic endeavor, Amadeus is a triumph. Particularly stunning is
F. Murray Abraham's performance as the tortured Court Composer Antonio
Salieri. Abraham portrays a talented yet mediocre musician who, having
revered God all his life, shows us clearly that "pride goeth before the
fall". It is Salieri's greed for fame, and pride in his own "moral
goodness" that lead him to denounce Mozart as a "fiend". When God
continues to shower favor upon mozart, Salieri renounces God, and vows
that he will be the instrument to thwart God. Salieri's Fall from Grace
is brilliantly documented, and Abraham's performance utterly believable.
Tom Hulce does a splendid job portraying Shaffer's Mozart. His wild
antics and child-like behavior are charming, his laugh infectious and
singular, and his mannerisms unique. However, it is the moments when a
different Mozart is glimpsed -- the tender father, the infuriated court
composer, and the dying genius -- that Hulce's talent shines through.
To play a buffoon well is one thing, and to show a serious side to that
buffoon another. To do it all convincingly is the key to the range of
Hulce's abilities.
Additionally, the film is beautifully shot, the costumes enchanting and
the set design marvelously detailed. The lighting in the final scene
(depicted above), with its contrasting dark shadows and harsh glare, is
especially creative. This Academy Award-winning film was crafted with
great skill, and is worthy of the acclaim it received.
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...oung music student, hearing Salieri describe the beauty
of this piece -- the clarity of the oboe, and the lovely tune of the
clarinet -- and becoming just as entranced myself by its long,
mesmerizing journey to a final cadence.
Also impressive is the inclusion of the Requiem, K. 626, in its
entirety. The death-bed composition scene in Amadeus may be a bit
unbelievable, but the use of various movements to accompany Mozart's
dying, Constanze's return, and Salieri's passion is clever.
The movie begins with the furious Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183,
and ends with the deceptively simple Piano Concerto in D minor, K. 466,
2nd movement. So begins and ends Mozart's life, in Peter Shaffer's
Amadeus, and perhaps so begin and end we all: starting off in a fury of
noise and vigor, and in the end, slipping away quietly with time-taking
ease.
In spite of the fear which propels him, there is finally hope for Ignatius. Waddling fearfully into the world, he can now learn to accept his common fate with the rest of humanity--his own humanness and inherent vulnerability in a world over which he has no control. In her frustration and resignation, Ignatius' little mother, an unusual Earth Mother at best, once sadly and plaintively tells her son, "You learnt everything, Ignatius, except how to be a human being" (375). Therein lies a lesson for us all.
Andris Nelsons continues with a couple more pieces from him and the symphony. The piece titled “The Pines of the Villa Borghese” was performed. The melody brought images of the wizard like sounds from the magical Harry Potter. The piano and clarinet players had a lot of attention on them from the cameras. The two instruments put together a very sophisticated texture and form.
For the presentation we choose to focus on two episodes: “Encounter at Farpoint” and “All Good Things...” “E...
"The End of the Beginning." The End of the Beginning. The Churchill Centre, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
It has a very nice combination of the woodwind and violin. The music goes slow for first three minutes and suddenly it goes fast with the sound of violin and slows down again with the melodious sound of the flute and violin and repeats again giving the feeling of nature and after eleven minutes it is in very high notes. And again, from the 14 minutes, begins the second movement with the melodious sound of violin followed by other instruments. This part is very sad and attractive part of the orchestra too. It feels tragedy and sad music. The music is slow and in low notes. The flute in the fourteen minute is so attaching and alluring. I felt like listening to it again and again. The third movement then begins from twenty-three minute which also feels sad music. It reminds me of the good old childhood days. After the thirty minutes comes the most powerful and weighty part that is the fourth movement. It ends comfortably in F major. Among the four symphonies by Johannes Brahms, I liked the Symphony no.3. And I would like to thank Mr. Madere for giving us with such assignments which help us relax and get free from our
Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia combines science with social concerns and principles, exploring the universe’s influence in our everyday lives and destiny through the relationship between past and present, order and disorder, and the certainty of knowledge. With Thomasina Coverly and Hannah Jarvis, the two are from different eras but are very much similar. They believe that romantic feelings would distract people from their work and both are very much a classical character. Therefore, I pointed out Stoppard’s shift between the two eras to help the audience understand that clues from our past are evidence how we can use it to interpret the present. In my program introduction I wanted my audience to be intrigued by the periods centuries apar
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 was his last and longest symphony he composed. While listening to this breathtaking piece of music, one specific aspect of this piece stood out to me; this being the instrumentation. In this symphony, many different instruments were used. While listening, I recognized many of them. A flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings make up this famous piece that is known world-wide by millions of people.
My book report is from the biography of Mozart written by Robert W. Gutman. It was illustrated by the Jacket art courtesy of Music Lovers Society and was published by Harcourt Brace and Company. It was printed in New York City and the year of publication was 1999.
is a tale of loneliness and greed caused by the sin of preceding generations. The opening
At bar 54 the theme in the oboe, clarinets and cellos is based on the
And a musical genius Mozart was indeed! As I analyzed this piece, I was continually struck by his following of major voice leading and counterpoint rules. The times Mozart did break away from the standard were masterfully done, engaging to the ear, and he was always able to bring us back home. In this paper I will share with you what I learned about Mozart’s Requiem, Domine Jesu measures 1 through 43. I will start with the big picture and whittle it down to the minute details.
The third piece was a duet for the flute and the oboe by Julia Grace Brown. The piece contained two movements, but I could not tell when one stopped and the second began because there was no pause. While they played the flute was quicker, playing in short, fast, high pitched notes. On the other hand, the oboe was steadier and carried the notes slightly longer, and it lead the flute through the song. Sometimes the two instruments played simultaneously, and sometimes the flute would mimic the oboe and follow it through the movement. Overall, the piece started out fast and eventually slowed with the two instruments ending together, but the flute always played in a higher range with a more piercing ...
...chestral introduction with an imperfect cadence. A strong rhythmic ¾ allegro passage, with sequences and descending scales is played by the orchestra, with timpani and cymbals. The music modulates, and a short, quiet woodwind passage is then alternated with an orchestral passage with dotted rhythms, creating a `terraced dynamics' effect. Part B begins with a major clarinet melody accompanied by pizzicato strings. A minor flute sequence follows, and is followed by a repetition of the oboe melody. A string sequence is then played, imitated by the oboe. There is a crescendo, then the rhythmic orchestral melody returns, alternated with a short flute passage. There are suspensions, descending scales and a crescendo, followed by a strong rhythmic passage with the timpani playing on the beat. Imperfect cadences are played, before the piece finishes with a perfect cadence.
Heffernan's definition stems in part from his dissatisfaction with Murray Krieger's interpretation of ekphrasis 1 and Michael Davidson's ideas about the painterly poem.2 On Krieger, Heffernan writes: 'While Krieger's theory of ekphrasis seems to give this moribund term a new lease of life, it actually stretches ekphrasis to the breaking point . . . where it no longer serves to contain any particular body of literature and merely becomes a new name for formalism' (Museum, 2). And on Davidson he writes: 'Having replaced Krieger's ekphrastic principle with a diachronic polarity between classical and contemporary ekphrasis, he leaves us with no coherent sense of the synchronic mode that might contain them both' (Museum, 3). Furthermore, Heffernan
The Classical Period brought forward new musical innovation. The sudden change in emotion and contrast in the music from the classical era is one of the many fascinating topics. However, the topic most talked about to this very day is Mozart’s Requiem. The mystery of which parts were composed by Mozart puzzles many. Even the rumor that surrounds Mozart’s cause of death is fascinating. Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus, added more controversy to this intriguing mystery.