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
The first movement the orchestra was smooth and graceful.The violinist were playing gently,and soft. The second movement is quite faster than the first, and the performers were smiling and enjoying themselves. By the third movement the orchestra was playing faster and louder, and having much fun. The orchestra began feeding off of the crowd, who was enjoying the piece. The fourth movement, the orchestra slowed down and were playing beautifully. The performance was graceful, the conductor just let her hand flow, and barley had to the guide the orchestra, because they had it down pack. The performers did not just play Beethoven Symphony No. 7, but they told a story. one could hear when character went from happy to
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
...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
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
I liked it because it was a familiar tune where I have listened to before. At the beginning of the song, the tension was gradually built up by the bass, drums, and piano before the brass instruments joined in and started blaring. The performance was very harmonious to the ears and the audiences seemed to like it a lot. The trumpets gave out bright notes that helped to uplift the song even higher. The saxophone solos, once again, sounded great and added more dimension to the song.
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.
During the whole song, drums, piano, guitar, and a long instrument were played continuously in the background. It was a great performance. Another thing that took my interest during this performance was the instrument used by Marylou Brown. She was creating music by using a small brick and stick. I did not find the name of that instrument, but it was a very entertaining
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.
In conclusion, the concert was really interesting and I enjoyed myself. In my opinion the two pieces that I really like in this concert, are Sounden Horn and Polonaise from Engine Onegin, the shift between the melodic lines and the element of beauty is what made me like it. In the future I would recommend it to my friends and I will not mind to go with them at all. This kind of music is the best to me by far.
The choice of music was great and the energy I sensed as they danced was high. They all had smiles on their faces as they were dancing. They weren’t as serious and it was as they were letting all their problems go and just having fun. It really made me feel comfortable and relaxed. That’s why I chose to talk about this piece.
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 tempo of the piece was fast (allegro). However, the tempo of the piece around the third movement was presto. Throughout the piece, there was sharp rise in the pitch range. There were also a lot of trills that created sounds that were similar to birds. The texture of the piece was polyphonic.
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.
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