On September 26, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. the University of South Alabama hosted the USA Symphony Band performance at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center. The show opened with a series of energetic percussion hits of one the most famous Randall Standridge’s pieces called “Steel”. The beginning part of the composition featured powerful staccatos of the brass section, accompanied by the rest of the orchestra, which immediately produced a rather pompous and festive effect on the audience. As the piece progressed, the music took a softer approach with the help of a glockenspiel and a marching-style snare. Gradually the instruments started to crawl back into the music. At first it was the brass section, which came forward with a call and response pattern. The arrival of the elegant wind section symbolized a transition moment in the piece, creating a …show more content…
With the elegant move of the conductor’s hand the orchestra breathed all at once, creating an epic soundscape full of glory and magnificence. Steadily descending into the realm of melancholy and sadness, the music began to fall into individual pieces. The brass section produced a silent, monotone line, followed by solitary murmurs of a clarinet. As the music continued the orchestra united again to repeat the opening theme. Eventually, the tragic laments of the piece met the climax and deadly silence reigned in the hall. Suddenly the silence was broken by the cheerful staccatos of the brass section. Accompanied by the wind section, the orchestra progressed with careless motives. The presence of percussion emphasized the staccato pattern of the music, making the soundscape richer and more epic. But the light-hearted atmosphere was not meant to last, as the music dived back into the anxiousness. The band continued with the repetition of the first and second movements. In the very end of the piece the orchestra reunited together for the last time and then the music slowly faded
“You gotta play this piece like an English military band would,” said Jules during band one day while rehearsing the first movement of Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F. “1. March” begins with four notes played by the low brass which is then echoed by the upper woodwinds. The trumpets have a noble melody which broadens when the entire ensemble joins in. Next, the piece lightens up with an upper woodwind melody. Later on there is a euphonium solo, and following that is a grand theme with an extremely distinguished style. After, there is a change in style and time signature. One simple theme repeats with different dynamics and instrumentations every repetition. The Wind Ensemble played this piece at the Winter Band Concert on December 11, 2013. This work, though easy looking at first glance, was genuinely difficult to put together. It had few layers, so mistakes or intonation problems were extremely noticeable. Furthermore, the style of the piece was extremely intricate and hard to master. Therefore, “1. March” had positives and negatives regarding intonation, balance and blend, articulation, style, and dynamics throughout the entire ensemble and the low instrument section.
The sole concert performer was Anton Nel. The date of the performance was October 8th, 2017 at 4:00 PM. The concert lasted about an hour thirty minutes. The concert was located at Rainey Hall in Jessen Auditorium. The performer Anton Nel was a middle aged man. The audience was generally middle-aged to elderly. Nel is a very well known pianist who has taken his talents to several areas across the globe including Europe and Africa. He has received several awards including the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall. As a UT student, my ticket was free.
I chose to do my concert critique on Eric Clapton-MTV unplugged full concert-HQ January 16, 1992 at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England. Eric Clapton is my favorite rock n roll singer which has a mixture of genres. The concert was inside and on stage. The audience was seated up close to the stage which made the atmosphere comfortable; Eric and the band showed much warmth and connected with the crowd it wasn’t like the band was untouchable.
Almost definitely imitating the act of new life waking in the spring soil, Stravinsky starts the haunting introduction to his world-renowned ballet, Rite of Spring, with a high-pitched lone bassoon. The unstable eeriness continues as a horn and a pair of clarinets join in the rubato tempo. Just as everything wakes and bursts into life in spring, so does the piece as more and more instruments join in. Each instrument seems to have a different theme, but seems necessary in portraying the thick texture needed to symbolize the inevitable climactic arrival of Spring. After the orchestra has finished its first outburst and almost all instruments have initially come in, a strange harmonic effect is applied to the viola.
Appalachian Symphony Orchestra performed, Morning,Noon, and Night in Boone. The Orchestra was arranged on stage in a normal set up, the concertmaster was on the left hand side of the Conductor, the strings in the front, woodwinds in the middle, and brass and percussions in the back. The instruments in the back were on an elevated platform, so there sound could project and be heard. Before the conductor came out, the concertmaster signaled each section to play a note. Once, the conductor came out the crowd went crazy, they clapped loudly and shouted. And Mrs. Orth was so happy and kind and thanked everyone.
On May 2, 2014, Yoron Israel and The Key Players performed at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham. The concert lasted approximately an hour and a half and seven pieces were performed. The program included many original songs as well as a few covers from Stevie Wonder and Louis Armstrong. This performance was quite different from the last concert I attended, in that it was a much different style of jazz. Yoron Israel and The Key players concert was very entertaining. However, it was not only the music but also several different works of art that made the show successful.
The same line is repeated ecstatically by the quartet, which soars upward to it’s peak. The orchestra and chorus re-enter at a rapid tempo to bring the movement to its conclusion.
During the turbulent era of the 1960s, youth excelled boundaries and expectations to adequately improve the world. Throughout this time, many individuals were trying to juggle the conflicts between racism, sexism, and the turning point in the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive. This battle occurred in 1968, and was a watershed moment in the Vietnam War that ultimately turned many Americans against bloodshed. “The total casualties – dead, wounded, and missing in action – had grown from 2,500 in 1965 and would top 80,000 by the end of 1967” (Willbanks 6). Destruction from the poignant fighting convinced rising numbers of Americans that the expense of United States’ commitment was too immense. The Anti-War movement gained momentum as student
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.
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
Over Halloween weekend, Dance TCU in concert, performed at Ed Landreth Hall on the TCU campus, was a mid term showcase performed by the students in the TCU School for Classical and Contemporary Dance. The overall mood was very professional. These college level dancers performed various pieces from Giselle to video edited versions of dance to contemporary dances inspired by swing dancing. Each piece was unique and whether the style was classical or contemporary, the execution was very good. The quality of the performance was spectacular and showed all the work that everyone involved in the production has put out to perfect all the aspects of the show come together. While there were some minor technique errors, the staging, costume design, lighting,
...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.
Over this semester, I attended two concerts. The first concert I went to was a performance done by the Swedish band Graveyard at the 9:30 club in DC. The second concert that I went to was at the George Mason Center for Performing Arts. This concert was a jazz competition between bands call The Battle of the Big Bands. Both concerts were performed very well and kept the audience, myself included, very entertained throughout the entire show. In this paper, I will be discussing each individual show in depth, and then continuing on to compare the two concerts.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, I had the pleasure of watching the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125 by Ludwig Van Beethoven. The original performance was recorded and put on YouTube, May 7, 2015, in honor of its first premier 191 years before when Beethoven decided to share his 9th Symphony with the world even though he couldn’t hear it himself. The symphonic masterpiece was recorded at the beautiful Symphony Center Orchestra Hall in Chicago and conducted by Riccardo Muti. The performance was completely deserving of selling out every single seat for one hour and twenty-two minutes. In fact, the musicians did not disappoint, Stephen Williamson was in the first clarinet chair, alongside colleagues Mathieu
For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see student composers.