Allen High School Symphony Orchestra Review

Though my ears are not exceptionally honed nor trained to point out musical mistakes, I would like to add that mistakes, if any, were not thoroughly noticeable. The musicians blended well and produced the right effect based on the musical context. However, when the vocal soloists sang in the final movement of the Ninth Symphony, their voices were drowned out by the loudness of the orchestra and large chorus. It did not help that the soloists were located lower than chorus, which made the perception of hearing the soloists more difficult.

The music played throughout all of the concerts adhered to be diverse. The instruments, the individuals performing, and the conductor all proved to be outstanding. The concerts proved to be interesting as I witnessed them, first hand.

Overall I actually enjoyed the piece more than I thought I would. It had a nice tempo that allowed listeners to be engaged and even when the volume dropped the violins played a softer texture as if they were inviting you to listen closer and pay more attention. Generally, the theme was also joyful which I took notice of and enjoyed. Lastly, I didn’t notice any musical mistakes, and thought the piece was well played.

The Masterworks concert I attended at the Colorado Symphony was Watkins Plays Edgar. A formal event with an audience of older more sophisticated adults. Dressed well and already knowing the appropriate etiquette for a symphony was a prepared crowd. The artists were lined up perfectly on the grand stage all dressed in black ready to go, the conductor was standing in front of them all and started the piece moving his hands back and forth up and down. It was beautiful. With selections from The Sleeping Beauty and in-between was a short solo violin piece that was perfection lead us to close the suite is a grand conclusion, the kind that we all recognize when something is coming to an end. Throughout the performance the audience clapped when they were suppose to and the conductor even said a few words about the piece and what inspired it.

The Sartell High School’s bands, choirs, and orchestra had their first concert of the year on October 16, 2017. I will be evaluating the wind ensemble’s performance of their two pieces.

For instance, the Liberty Bell March by Sousa was the first piece that the musicians performed. This song from the late romantic period and is very cheery in nature. Within this song, the band had long phrases and good pitch. Also, the dynamics throughout the march were overall good, but the pianissimo sections could be quieter. The blend of this song could have been a little bit better,

The second episode, Somewhere, was my favorite episode because it was pleasant and harmonious. In my opinion, the string instruments and French horn combination sounded the best in the episode because ,the French horn gave a warm tone and, it blended with the string instruments. It was harmonic and it sounded very delicate and pretty. The next episode I enjoyed was “cool”. It had a mixed meter because at first it seems to have a steady beat and then it was constantly changing. There were different beats all throughout it. It was never boring because of it. It also had a jazzy feel and, the low brass sounded buzzy and they often did rips. The last episode in Symphonic dances from west side story was very lyrical and it sounded like it was minor. It was light and I really enjoyed it. The rest of the pieces from Symphonic dances from west side story I felt were not engaging and not memorable. I felt they weren’t as engaging as the other episodes had been and they sounded

The pathways used by the dancers were very remedial. The direction of the movement always seemed to move upstage right then back down to downstage left. The speed of not just the movement of the dancers, but the whole play in general was high beat and high tempo as well as some parts becoming super dramatic. The rhythmic patterns of the material performed were to a beat while being sung. There was a pulse in every song the dancers/actors were executing. But, there was not one off beat movement or part, that I could notice anyways, throughout the production. The overall piece of the performance was marvelous, I enjoyed sitting and watching. My favorite thing about this play was that the actors actually interacted with the crowd and didn’t just treat the audience like they weren’t there. I think that the director/choreographer was trying to put the message of it doesn’t matter what you look like, as long as you can act/dance/perform to the best of your abilities. Also, the performance was well put together and obviously had some time put into

In the May 16th concert, the Sartell High School Concert Band played six pieces in the Sartell High School auditorium. Those six piece were, “Into The Clouds”, “On The Rising WInds”, “Adagietto”, “A Westward Expedition”, “From Russia With Music”, and “Prospect”. I will be evaluating the band’s dynamics and intonation.

I believe that the routine was not well put together. A necessary component in the piece was an overly cocky, in-your-face attitude. The piece was set to “Whuteva” by Remy Ma, which reflects this attitude. The dancers however, did not deliver. They weren’t exuding the confidence that the piece demanded from them and because of this, the music overshadowed the performers.

On September 30th, I had the pleasure of attending the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the Fisher Auditorium. We walked in quietly to the back row of our section because the show had already started, so it would have been rude to walk up to where our actual seats were. As we took our seats the orchestra sat up there in the beautiful auditorium dressed in their all black formal attire holding their various instruments including the woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussions. The orchestra was in the middle of playing Symphony No. 8 in F major, Opus 93. This symphony included 5 compositions that were all very similar to each other. In most of the compositions they took the audience on a roller coaster ride. The rhythm of the compositions would

Entering the Chicago Symphony Center my face must have looked completely memorized as I gazed at the design and architecture structure that was before me. The amount of intricate detail that was on the ceilings and trim work must have taken months to complete with a construction army. As I walked through the hall and stepped into the elevator the smell of fresh clean red carpets filled the air with a slight scent of floral. Before I entered the venue a punch size bowl of cough drops was to my left. The usher grabbed my ticket and escorted me to my seat right in front on the third level. The entire venue was covered with three basic colors gold, cream, and red. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1904, consists of three levels with the

I believe that the routine was not well put together. A necessary component in the piece was an overly cocky, in-your-face attitude. The piece was set to “Whuteva” by Remy Ma, which reflects this attitude. The dancers however, did not deliver. They weren’t exuding the confidence that the piece demanded from them and because of this, the music overshadowed the performers.

I feel that the fourteen members of chamber orchestra and the two vocalists did an outstanding job. This piece was well put together. I loved the harmony that was brought forth between the orchestra and the vocalists. The two vocalists a tenor known as Paul Groves and a soprano known as Anna Larson, did a beautiful job staying in tune. The way that their voices went back and forth in harmony was just beautiful.

At the end of the piece, specifically, the woodwinds’ dynamic was so low, but their tone and blend were very clear. One weak point in the song was at the trumpet solo. As a section, the trumpets were fantastic, but the soloist cracked a few notes. The performance of the song was immaculate, but the most remarkable point was the focus of each person. You could hear how focused each person was, but, especially at the end of the piece, you could see everyone watching. The concept of giving your full focus and effort is a value that would greatly improve our rehearsals.