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Eastern Washington University Department of Music presented a program of Opera works by Giacomo Puccini, Aron Copland, W.A. Mozart, John Dowland, Franz Shubert, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann on Friday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., in the Music Building, Recital Hall. These Opera works were sung by Senior Recitalist, Alexandra Rannow. The concert started off with Mi chiamano Mimi by Giacomo Puccini that was sung extraordinarily well by Alexandra Rannow who was accompanied by a pianist. Mi chiamano Mimi is in the first of four acts of Puccini’s La Boheme. This piece is meant to be sung with emotion and is supposed to make the listener feel what Mimi is trying to say and how she feels about it. Although the performance was amazing, the singer could have put some more emotion into her singing like moving her arms around a bit. Alexandra Rannow sounds like she is a soprano which would make sense since this song has some high C’s and requires the singer to sing at a higher pitch. A contralto would have trouble hitting these high notes. This piece had sections where is was sung in legato which was amazing since Alexandra definitely sung it smoothly and it had a few parts were it was in Staccato which was also nicely done. The dynamics were accurately sung compared to professional recordings of this piece. The transitions from piano to forte were phenomenal because Alexandra didn’t rush through the transitions but she rather evened it out. The same goes for the crescendos and decrescendos. The long crescendos and decrescendos were smooth and same for the short ones. Some people have the tendency to rush through them and not sing them evenly. The closest description to Alexandra’s transition from decrescendo to crescendo was like watching t... ... middle of paper ... ...r choice of lyrics. This piece was definitely tonal. The listener has a sense of direction throughout the whole piece. The harmony was consonant because the chords were stable and there was very little tension. The mood throughout the piece was calm and loving. It had a bit of a slow tempo which is why the mood felt like it was calm and loving. The dynamics were from low to high. The pitch changes quickly in some parts while in others it stays around the same. Since the dynamics were tonal, there was no parts in it that will catch the listener completely off guard. In conclusion, the most enjoyable part of the opera concert was Alexandra’s beautiful angelic voice. She made it seem like singing those pieces was easy. She sounded like a professional with the pronunciation of the Italian and German words, and the articulation of the notes was absolutely incredible.
There was a vocal recital on October 19th, 2017 at 7:30PM, held at the performance hall in Mountain view college. Alex Longnecker, a tenor vocalist and Imre Patkai, (pianist) played a series of homophonic textured songs, some being sung in German and others in English. The Three selected songs I will be writing about are, The Lincolnshire Poacher, The Plough Boy, and Im Wunderschonen Monat Mai. This performance played a total of 24 Pieces, composed by 4 composers, being Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ernest Chausson, Benjamin Britten, and Robert Schumann.
This performance does a good job representing the different characters with the contrasting melodies. The tempo stays steady from the beginning through measure 8 when the clarinet melody takes control. The melody is well balanced among the band, there is good support yet the lower voices don’t drown out the clarinets. 8 measures after 18 there are a lot of solos, but I think the band does a good job staying together and keeping the balance among sections. According to which instrument has a solo the background adjusts their dynamic, creating a nice balance. At the key change the clarinet solo could have been better. Once the trumpet solo takes the stage the background voices could have done a better job staying together. This section of the piece seems a bit messy and not well balanced among sections. At measure 82 there could be better intonation and the band doesn’t sound completely together. At measure 115 the band is mostly upper voice heavy and could use a stronger base. At measure 135 the band sounds well balanced and the pitch sounds in tune. At 163 the band has lost intonation and the french horn does a good job of trying to keep everyone together. Measure 173 is a sloppy entrance and the intonation is very flat, everyone is flat
Many people may ask what is opera? Opera is a form of work that is very dramatic. It is sung by singers called opera singers who are known for their very beautiful voices. Opera began in the Baroque period, it originated in Italy and it quickly became popular spreading all over Europe. With this style, the singer has to have a certain type of voice, they have to be able to project their voices differently than normal singer. The opera singers were usually accompanied by orchestras and different instruments. In this paper I am going to tell you about Leontyne Price, Kathleen Battle, and Linda Maguire who are opera singers.
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 October 12th, I saw Tosca by Giacomo Puccini held at Atlanta Opera. Tosca is an Italian opera, directed by Tomer Zvulun, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Arthur Fagen, included a cast of Kara Shay Thomson, Massimiliano Pisapia, and Luis Ledesma (The Atlanta Opera). Opera is an art form in which singers act out drama through a combination of acting and vocal performance. Singers deliver conversation in a musical manner, essentially singing the conversation. Since we recently learned about opera in class, I want to explore the future of opera - where it will go next with the ever advancing modern technology, media and entertainment, and what researches are currently being done at both the industry and academic levels. I will briefly describe what the traditional opera is like using Tosca as an example. Next, I will look at modern opera after the World War II. I will also select one example from the industry and university that are experimenting with opera. At last, I will offer my imagination of what the future of opera may be.
She has a deeper voice, and there was not a video of her performing it, but you could hear the emotion in her voice as she sang in a softer dynamic, almost at a whisper at times. I could hear violins playing in a minor key in the background as well, giving a haunting vibe as the piece progressed. She also was not singing very opera either. It was styled like a more modern song and you could understand what she was singing, which helped me to understand and hear the pain of the song more. At the same time, however, I did not feel as if it was as sad as the other versions. The other versions were not in English, but pain is something universal that you can hear in someone’s voice. I did not feel like it was present as much
The elements of music used in “Honey and Rue” strongly emulated the elements that stem from classical style. Classical style introduced flexibility, contrast, surprise, and variety to music and the instruments. For example, in “First I’ll Try Love,” the sopranist and the pianist frequently exchanged between crescendo and decrescendo while singing about the emotion of love. Sometimes, Verner would raise the loudness of her voice, quicken the tempo, and increase her pitch to sing quotes like, “First, I tried love.” Other times, Verner’s pitch would be quiet, soft, and lower in pitch to express phrases such as, “Although I’ve never heard the word referred to, even whispered to me.” Also, Hahm would increase the tempo of the piano and change the dynamics from loud and dramatic to soft and tender. There was frequent use of accents of syncopations, especially in the song “The Town Is Lit.” For example, in the line, “Trees in the park dance after dark to music in all the cafes,” Verner and Hahm simultaneously stress the high pitched and long-held note sung/played during the word “music,” which caused the audience to look quickly as this syncopation caught them by surprise. Instances like this intermittently occurred, especially during the ends of songs where the last word/note is accented. The different rhythms in the cycle were also heavily
Singing is one of the most highly enjoyed and respected forms of art for Italians. Opera began in Italy around 1600, and it is still an enormous part of the Italian spirit. Italians are zealous about opera and about good singing in general. Pictures of composers appear on national stamps, and streets in every town are named for musicians. Almost every small town has its own lyric theatre, and opera is programmed regularly on Italian radio and television. Music’s renown in Italy did not burst into bloom overnight. It progressed over time through the innovative minds of brilliant Italian composers and a developing social hierarchy. The development of Italian song is best traced through the composers who brought it into existence.
I went to the grand opening of the Performing Arts Center here on campus, on Sunday March 2nd. I think this was the perfect introductory display of performance art for someone like me, who is science and math oriented. There were four acts encompassing many areas such as dance, musicals, orchestra, opera, and theatre.
How would feel if you were in the La Scala opera house, listening to a Vincenzo Bellini operas. Would it be warm felt or just would be nice to be there. To know that there is people out there that can sing with the power and flexibility that they can do. Vincenzo Bellini is one of the many opera composers that the nineteenth century had to offer (The National Opera Center America). Bellini like many of the composers in this time was born in Italy. During the nineteenth century, opera stories most of the time was had a theme of passion and romance. That is one of the reasons that this century is also called Romantic Era.
“Reuben, Reuben” was a much happier song and the first of the songs performed in English; however, my favorite pieces were “Water Come-A-Me Eye” and “Great Day!” I especially enjoyed “Water Come-A-Me Eye” because of the percussion instruments that some of the choir members played. Jasmina Begovic kept a steady beat on the maracas and provided a pleasant accompaniment to the melodies of the choir. The other percussion instruments were equally enjoyable and added an element to the song that other songs did not have. “Great Day!” was particularly enjoyable because of the fast-paced rhythm and the energy of the performers. This song had a faster tempo than the other songs and was a great way to conclude the concert. Though it seemed as if the entire concert had picked up speed when the choir sang “Reuben, Reuben,” “Guantanamera,” and “Water Come-A-Me Eye” consecutively, the rhythm eventually slowed down when they performed “Fare You Well,” a traditional American folksong with a rather melancholy sound to it.
...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 pianist and concert conductor, Christian Zacharias opened the Los Angeles Philharmonic Classical Music concert with a fascinating performance that left the audience in party mood and in happy f...
Courage can be rewarded as you decide to go through with something that's outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, you are put in positions that you don't expect to be in. Yet, it is your mindset and your actions that determine how the journey goes for you. I chose to attend an audition for the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop at my University in the previous Spring semester. My expectation was to simply receive a role in the chorus. However, I believe God had another plan in store for me. When I received the results of the audition, I'd found out that I was double cast for the main female lead in the Opera. I freaked out! I realized that if I put my all into this performance, while remaining at a good standing in my academics, I will do just
There is an event that I just can describe as one of the most unique and memorable in my life: attending my first concert. After years of listening to Ron Pope’s music, watching his YouTube channel, and following all of his social media accounts, the satisfaction of seeing someone whose music has been the soundtrack to my life for so long was unreal. There were moments that I had to internally remind myself that this is, in fact, happening in real life. Being a dedicated (some may say eccentrically so) fan is tough work – and I was rewarded with two hours of pure magic for one night. Attending my first concert was a unique event that I will always remember fondly because of the atmosphere, the amazing performance and the sense of connection