Concert Music Review Essay

The music performance I went to see was the University Symphony Halloween concert held in Comstock Concert Hall. This was the first time I had been to a symphony production and was eager to see what was in store. The show started off with each part of the orchestra introducing themselves in different costumes and skits. For example, the cellos were dressed in camouflage and the tubas were dressed as sheep. After a long introduction the lights dimmed and the show started. Attending this performance opened my eyes to how many elements there really were to music. It also showed me how each specific element has its own specific roll and impact on each performance.

Never have I ever attended a performance like this without my parents dragging me against my will. The only other time I have ever attended a concert of this nature is when my parents force my sister and I to go to the local opera house every year on Memorial Day to honor our troops and watch a couple boy scouts earn the title of eagle scout. Honestly, because I have only been to these types of concerts against my will, I did not know what to expect. I was extremely stressed out about what was appropriate to wear and how early I should show up, without my mother’s time schedule, I was more than just figuratively lost. I did not pick this concert because I was interested, I simply picked a concert that I could attend without any conflicts to my class and practice schedules and went for it.

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

I chose the genre string quartet and attended a concert at First Presbyterian church on October 19th, 2014. Because of its location the sanctuary where the concert took place had many stained glass windows. It was marvelous and in my opinion well suited the feel of classical music. The audience was very responsive and attentive. They applauded when the musicians appeared, in between pieces, and at the very end. They were quick to join in the sing along portion of the concert. Overall the people attending were an older crowd but you could tell they truly appreciated the music. The concert’s duration was around an

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.

A few pieces gave me emotional responses .The theme from “Jaws” made me tense up a little, the music reminded me of the movie and made very conscious of my surroundings. I didn’t want anything to happen to me. As I mentioned earlier I enjoy Star Wars and Harry Potter, so when they played the music I was a little excited about these music pieces being played. The highlight musical piece would have to be the Suite from “Star Wars”. All of the pieces were great but,

Musical Time Period: As far as the musical time period we haven’t covered the Classical era yet in class. However, new developments such as Mozart’s daring harmonies and the rise of opera music were characteristics new to the classical era.

The show takes place in Paris, France after World War II. The first song was “Concerto in F.” There was no singing but it simply used dance to introduce the

This afternoon at 12:30, I went to the listening hour, a free noontime concert, at the Music Building. The concert of the day is SJSU Saxophone Studio and Dr. Victoria Lington’s Saxophone Ensemble Concert. Since it is just a one-hour noontime concert, most of the students there just where their t-shirts and jeans to the concert. The SJSU Saxophone Studio students have played six pieces of music in one hour. They began the concert with Sonata no.3 composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1789). The second piece is Quartett (Allegro de Convert) composed by Caryll Florio (1843-1920). Then the third piece they played is Saxophone Concerto. After that, they played Premier Quartet op. 53 that composed by Jean Baptiste Singelee and Cello Suite No.1 BVW 1007 that composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The last piece is Rondo, composed by Zdenek Lukas (1928-2007). All of the music performed today is classical music. Only the first and third piece play by alto saxophone with piano accompaniment. And the second, fifth and sixth piece is quartet that include soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. At the concert, I think I am a referential listener. I would think of a scene when I heard the music to understand the music and its mood according to the dynamic changing. For example, in the piece of Premier Quartet op. 53, I would image that people are dancing in the ballroom. When I heard the slow tempo, I think that people just began to dance or have the rest during dancing. When I heard a

Overall the performance was a great experience. It was wonderful to hear music from an area that was previously unknown to me. The ancient musical language and centuries old instruments were a wonder to uphold. Not to mention the brilliant collage of Kyrgyz and American styles. I hope to hear more from this ensemble in the

On Thursday April 25, 2013 , I attended a jazz vocal concert at the Music Concert Hall. The first vocal ensemble opened up the performance with a slow rhythmic song called Blue Skies. It began with vocals and I noticed a light auxiliary percussion and drum rhythm. Also, the bass guitarist used walking bass and the piano and electric guitar joined in as well. The first song also consisted of two soloist Regina and Chantel who took the front stage to show off their chops. After the solo performances they fell back into the vocal sections and finished off the song as a complete band. The second performance had a piano opening which led to vocals joining in at the same time as the rhythm section. This performance

This semester I have experience many live musical performances. Some of these performances have let me down but for the most part, these performances have been everything I ever expected. My two favorite performances this semester were Festival Vallenato and Ultra Music Festival. Although these two types of music are different in every way possible, the people and the performers are exactly where I feel I am in the right place.

As we all waited in line to go into the concert there was a thrill of

Especially the age difference. There were old people, middle aged, teenagers and even little kids. There was this one woman that stuck out like a sore thumb. She was just going crazy with the dancing, and was just singing out every lyric to every song. But what was more impressing, (especially since her dancing wasn’t) here kids that couldn’t have been any older than 9 or 10, were also singing every lyric. They were singing songs that I had never even heard.

This afternoon, I went to the music concert hall where is located in the music building for the listening hour, a small noon-time concert which is performed by the staff and students from the music majors. Since it is a free noon-time concert, most of the audiences just wear the t-shirts and jeans to the concert. Dresses are not required for the concert. The performance today is given by the Ananda Jazz Ensemble. They have played “Running Away”, composed by Bob Marley; “Madalena”, composed by Ivan Linz; “Conejitos y Ananda”, composed by Abi Romero; “La Bikina”, composed by Ruben Fuentes; and “Chukaro”, also composed by Abi Romero. Because this is a Latin Americdan Journey, all of the music performed is jazz music. All pieces played in the concert are an ensemble of piano, bass, and drums. During the concert, I was trying to be a perceptive listener; I enjoyed the music with concentration and paid attention to the music’s unity and variety, such as the dynamics and tempos. I also tried to associate the music with a picture when I listened to it and understand the emotion in the music.