Tchaikovsky Concert Review

The first concert I attended was performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra had performed Shostakovich’s “Symphony NO. 7, Leningrad” from the Romantic era. The orchestra was a large ensemble (1) containing various instruments that contributed to the overall sound of the piece. Since the orchestra was a large ensemble, just like the instrumentation common in the Romantic era, the orchestra was able to perform in a lively, vigorous manner, probably vivace (2). The orchestra performed tutti

When the concert first began, the three instrumentalists walked with energy despite their age. The first song, “Sonata I in G-Major Op. 2, Nr. 1” by Michel Blavet, was a Baroque Sonata. There were five movements and was played by the harpsichord, flute, and cello. All movements of the song were polyphonic because of the three instruments that had different parts and equal importance. In the first movement, I noticed that the flute tended to rise in pitch. In the second movement, I noticed that the melodies often repeated. Throughout the rest of the song the tempo changed from fast to slow and the flute would usually take the lead. On the last movement, the cello and the harpsichord

I have never attended an orchestral concert. Although my taste ranges between several different types of music, the only concerts I have attended are of the rock and country variety. I was not sure what to expect in attending The Houston Civic Symphony’s performance on Sunday, October 9, 2016. It was held at the Dunham Theater within the Morris Cultural Arts Center at Houston Baptist University. Once inside I saw the beautiful stage with all of the performers warming up and three stories of seating. Many of the patrons were in the age range of 30 and up. I did see some kids and young adults but not many. The HCS marked its 50th year since the very first performance this season. The first performance happened in 1996 when a group of music lovers in Houston came together to play a concert just because they wanted to play and share their love of music with others. From that day they became known as the Houston Civic Symphony. Some of the players I watched in this performance have been with the Symphony for 25 years or more while others are barely reaching their first year if not their first performance; only two of the players have been there since the very first season. Out of the three pieces performed the one that caught my attention the most was the last, it hold a powerful message of fear and desperation for

Overall, the performance turned out a success. Both the symphony and opera act enhanced the audience with the feeling of warmth and laughter. The symphony made me to realize how each section is structured and in order, while the opera act was simple, yet made it very delightful to listen to. Also, It’s amazing how different the symphony and opera act turned out. The symphony followed a four-movement pattern: fast, slow, minuet/dance, fast, while the opera combined both musical and singing element. In essence, the combination of voice and strings as well as the unstructured nature and freedom of the opera led me to emotionally connect with all three pieces of the

The concert started off at a quick and stimulating pace with Brahms’s Sonata for Two Pianos in F Minor. The piece starts with descending arpeggios echoing a sensation of distress or confusion. There are frequent slight pauses, creating a sense of suspense for what is to follow and building on the emotions

As I was sitting in the audience, the first thing that I noticed was that the audience consisted of all ages, ranging from eighteen years of age to perhaps eighty years of age. In preparation for the concert to begin, several performers entered the room and tuned their instruments to the keys on the piano. The performers’ attire was highly conservative, covering almost every inch of their entire body, and they wore all black from head to toe. When the concert began, the audience clapped as the performers were introduced and were walking out onto the playing area. As the performers took their seats in front of their stands, the audience became quiet and there was a short moment of silence before the performance commenced.

The stage was not furnished with any elaborate decorations. It contained just enough chairs and music stands for the musicians. The bare stage allowed the audience to focus on the music and the musicians’ talent. The musicians would enter and exit the stage depending on who was playing for each specific piece. The work was carefully thought out and arranged in a way that was easy to follow. McDonald took the time to introduce the players and briefly explained why and how the works were chosen and arranged. Since the festival spotlighted Beethoven they made Beethoven as the center point and expanded on both directions to include German, Austrian, and Polish composers. This was extremely helpful as it provided the audience context regarding the pieces and allowed them to follow

The concert I attended was called the Faculty and Student Recital, which took place in the Cisco Auditorium on April 11, 2017. The music that was on the program was mostly what is called “classical” music, as well as a Chinese Folk Song, an electronic composition, and variations on an Indian Tala. In the classical pieces, the instruments that were used were the violin, the piano, the cello, and the oboe. In the electronic composition, the computer was used to make music. In the Chinese Folk Song, the piccolo was used to imitate the unique timbre of a Chinese flute. In the Indian tala, drums from Ghana were used to imitate the rhythm and sound of Indian drums. The piano, the violin, the cello, and the piccolo all originate

The next composition was “Next Exit” written by Scott Martin. At the beginning, played piano, guitar, bass, and two percussions. After several seconds, joined the brasses and a violin. The tempo was played at medium, in my opinion. At the middle of the piece, one of the brass had improvisation after which the audience applauded very loudly. It was very nice to watch each of the musicians. Especially, I liked the end of the composition as they stopped all in an instant. It was just awesome!

Both movements in this sonata began with slow introduction played by cellist, and later accompanied by the piano. The first movement, Andante, was first gentle and soft, giving me a sense of serenity and peace. However, the tempo suddenly increased after the abrupt shift to Allegro vivace. The sudden change in tempo, rhythm, and dynamic surprised me like a ringing alarm suddenly wake me up from a sweet and placid dream, bringing me back to the cruel reality. The second movement, Adagio, also started with a slow introduction but both performers played together instead of just the cellist. As the second movement progressed the tempo became faster and the melody became more playful and animated, along with unexpected pauses. The second movement reminded me of the story of Alice in Wonderland. I could imagine a little girl experiencing a wonderful adventure in the wonderland and encountering and playing mysterious characters and objects. I enjoyed all three sonatas performed by Anton Nel and Bion Tsang, but I especially loved the Sonata in C major, Op.102, No. 1, by Ludwig Van

Another piece I appreciated was Flight of the Bumblebee. Composed in 1899-1900  by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Korsakov wrote this piece for his is opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan.I savored the music because it was rapid and reminded of this movie Bee Movie. Also we sat on the seats where we could see the pianist fingers go quickly and elegantly.

Standing on stage behind The Philadelphia Orchestra, I peered into the empty auditorium. The red velvet-lined seats were plush; the crown molding was elegant and classic. As I stood on the stage of Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, I wished I had smuggled my camera onstage to capture the scene from my vantage point as some of my fellow choristers of The Philadelphia Singers had done. Here I was, at the mere age of twenty-five, performing on the same stage as musical greats such as Enrico Caruso, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Yo-Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell, and Itzhak Perelman. In the moment I felt scared and excited, and unsure I even deserved to be there.

The concert that I attended was on November 14th, 2017, on a Tuesday night. Those that were performing were the Chamber Ensemble of Kutztown University. The Concert began at 7:30 p.m., and concluded at 8:30 p.m. When the concert was just beginning I was unsure of what to expect, besides the obviousness of a piano portion to the whole event, because there was one sitting in the center of the stage.

On April 14, 2016 I attended the Dvorak Cello Concerto at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. The instruments that were being played were made up of the whole symphony orchestra. In addition, the instrument that was featured was the cello. The reasoning for this is because there was a special guest musician, Susie Yang who was performing with the orchestra and she played the cello. The structure of the performance consisted of three different main pieces of music with different sections within them. In addition, this was the first time I had been to the Tennessee Theatre. The theatre was very intriguing because of the elegance that came with it. The décor was very nice and looked expensive. It is exactly what I imagined when I thought of the setting for a symphony. It was well lit with beautiful crown molding in the celling. In addition, there were lovely curtains blocking an area that looked to be a balcony beside the stage. In addition, there was back drop lights on the walls highlighting pieces that looked to be Grecian Urns.

The performance that I attended was of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra playing the Overture to The creatures of Prometheus, by Beethoven, the Concerto for Orchestra by Kodaly, and Harold in Italy, by Berlioz. The orchestra was conducted by David Currie, and I think that they played very well overall.