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Bronx Arts Ensemble: Chamber Music Concert Review

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For my first concert report of this semester, I attended the Chamber Music Concert put on by the Bronx Arts Ensemble. The performance consisted of three chamber pieces from the classical and early romantic periods; “String Trio in B Flat Major, D. 471” by Franz Schubert, “Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 2 No. 1” by Bernhard Henrik Crusell, and “Divertimento in E Flat Major, K. 563” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Each song was played in true historic fashion (although we only heard four of the six movements from Mozart’s composition), and it was very stimulating to be able to see the music we have been listening to in class being played live. The first song that we listened to, composed by Schubert in the early renaissance period, was very light and airy. However, certain sections within the piece did have aspects of dissonance, creating a dramatic contrast to the otherwise playful melody. In addition, I noticed that the composition was clearly in sonata form, with four evident themes (one of them in cadence) repeated and developed quite consistently. Even though I did …show more content…

2 No. 1” by Crusell was my personal favorite of the concert. Bernhard Crusell was an early romantic composer and notable virtuoso of the clarinet; he is known as one of the first to incorporate the instrument into his music. Moreover, he was especially inspired by Mozart, and this inspiration is heavily reflected within his compositions. This particular piece was played for us by a quartet consisting of a cello, viola, violin, and (of course!) a clarinet. To my ears, it almost seemed that the clarinet was somewhat of a leader for the other instruments, providing a springy and peaceful contrast to the lower, fast-paced, and seemingly darker melodies of the string instruments. This contrast was perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of the composition for me; it made the music feel suspenseful, fearful, and somewhat flirtatious all at the same

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