preview

Reflection Of The Marin Oratorio

Decent Essays

I saw the Marin Oratorio perform in the afternoon at College of Marin. The ensemble played classical was made up of every type of instrument including brass, woodwind, strings, percussion, keyboard and voice. They performed The Seasons by Franz Josef Haydyn. The venue was a pretty large theatre. The stage had two levels with most of the instrumentalists on the bottom and vocalists behind on risers. The stage was separate from the audience but pretty close. I could see nearly everyone, which allowed me to see who was playing each part. The Seasons is made up of four movements: “Spring”, “Summer”, “Autumn”, and “Winter”. The format is a poem that the vocalists sing backed up and emphasized by the instruments. It is subdivided into 35 verses. The Seasons is based on a collection of poems by James Thomson. It is the love story of common farmers that takes place throughout the seasons. The first movement, “Spring” is light and playful and has a lot of staccato and spiccato. The last song, “Wonderful, powerful, merciful God!”, is stronger with more drum and brass and serves as a transition to “Summer”. The second movement is legato and more powerful. “Autumn” is about a hunt and excitement. The last movement, “Winter”, is filled with stories from the soloists and the instruments are mostly backup and play long notes behind the vocalist. The ensemble is arranged with string instruments in the front and center in a semicircle around the conductor with brass behind the violins

Get Access