UW Music 162

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

The concert performed by the Allen High School Symphony Orchestra, which combines the Chamber and Sinfonia Orchestras, was an amazing concert but was not a flawless one. The pieces all sounded quite wonderful on the outside, but by diving deeper into the music and truly listening to and observing the performance with a sharper eye, there were some problems that appeared in a couple different areas, and those problems came mainly from three distinct areas: tone, technique, and musicianship.

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.

I understand how difficult it is not to portray certain elements in a opera that were meant to be conveyed through story. Things like the ocean were portrayed on a projection screen and the shore of the captains home was also the same as the the setting for the ship. This for me, made it a little harder to interpret what was going on from act to act. I did enjoy the music performance, but I felt that the performance took what would have happened in two short conversations and turned it into a three hour opera. I don’t think it is fair to assume that this opera represents all operas, and I believe I will attend another opera potentially in English so I do not feel that I am watching a teleprompter for the majority of the performance instead of absorbing the

as well as concert, and I was not disappointed. The performance was wonderful, and the opera

The Concert Culture: On April 14th, I experienced the Tennessee Theatre for the first time. The Tennessee theatre was beautiful. The decor reflected an era much earlier then today's time period. The walls and ceiling are all accented in gold with beautiful arches and designs. All the curtains in the theatre are red with gold accents as well. The ceiling is a turquoise color also accented in gold. The seats in the theatre are red with a velvet look and feel. The stage is rather plain tan color with a very simple red design on the walls and lights overhead. The stage mainly consists of the symphony orchestra players all of which are seated in chairs. All the musicians are dressed the same, in a black suit with a white shirt. The music feels like it is all around me even though the musicians are only right in front of me. The music is loud but not to the extent of being annoying or irritating. The musicians have a way

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.

I wasn't entertained by any of the pieces they played or by anything specific related to the actual orchestra. One thing I did find to be entertaining was people watching. A gentleman sitting three seats over from me looked like he was asleep, although his wife looked like she very much enjoying the concert. During one of the compositions, she looked over at him and hit him on the shoulder as to wake him up. If I had to guess I would say that she made him go. Observing the audience and their actions and reactions was enjoyable. I could tell each person had a different view on a song, or a different opinion about an instrument. Noticing things like that is what got me through the symphony.

The opera was a very fascinating and awestrucking show as they brought the biblical story of Samson and

I liked watching everyone play their instruments and how amazing it sounded. Hearing the music in class was not the same as hearing it in the symphony. The song came to a solo part then faded into a quite yet unresolved close. Everyone stood up to applause, then they announced the next song to be played which was called “Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op.58” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This section of the symphony lasted about 25 minutes. As it started I could hear the bassoons and bass clarinet playing. Tchaikovsky features are elaborate, virtuoso orchestration with sound effects. For example, horns play with “pavillon en l’air,” with bells raised upward for a more climactic passage.

I have never had the chance to sit and watch a symphony before. I have heard them in plays and other performances, but they have never been the main production in something I have seen. It was very interesting to see the structure behind the sound. The amount of people and different instruments all together making a cohesive piece of music was absolutely incredible. There appeared to be well over 50 musicians working together to produce different sounds that fit together so tenaciously. Among the instruments involved in the orchestra, I noticed cellos, flutes, clarinets, cymbals, tambourines, trumpets, violins, trombones, tubas, french horns, and even a few instruments that I could not recognize. The diversity in the instruments created a strong yet effortless feeling in the listener. The music flowed so well that it seemed simple and easy, yet when I looked into the orchestra and saw how many components go into the composition, it is clear that it is quite intricate.

In the month of March, I attended the musical performance “Harp Magic” by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at the Michigan Theater and the performance of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at Hill Auditorium. Though the two orchestras, repertories, and venues were all different, experiencing the two performances in the same month allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role that symphony orchestras play in today’s society. By attending live performances of symphony orchestras in Ann Arbor, one can learn become engaged with musical history and the symphonic tradition, recognize the transformation of the function of symphony orchestras, and take part in enjoying and continuing the art that has also been undergoing

This was my first symphony I've been to and I thought it was really interesting and fun. Since this was my first symphony I really didn't know what all to expect, but the quality of the performance exceeded the exceptions I had coming into this. There were several terms I learned in class the was relevant to the performance. I noticed the first terms before the performance started. It was in the program with the terms of Soprano, Alto, and the various instruments listed. Other terms that were prevalent to the performance included concerto with work from the orchestra and soloist, dynamics with the varying loudness and softness, melody with the organized succession of musical tones, tempo with the speed of the music, and several more. The main

In my opinion, I believe that the second performance was very different from the first performance. The second part of the concert had a variety of melodies and more people sung than during the first part of the concert. Some may consist a dramatic, happy, love, suspense, and others melody. For example, one of the play that they sung that really interested me was the end of the opera music that they sung called La Traviata by Giusseppe Verdi during the romantic period. During this performance, it consisted a solo pianist, two soloists singers which is a man and a woman, and a chorus which is all the cast of the Repertory Opera Company. La Traviata by Giusseppe Verdi is a libretto opera that was inspired from the novel by Alexandre Dumas. I believe that this piece fits the style of the romantic period because based on their performance, the play consisted arias which the singer sung the music piece beautifully, lively, and happy. And lastly, the libretto allowed the audience understand what is happening during the play. Having a staged also allowed us to see the play in a more realistic

On the opening night, although the performance was good, the audience did not respond enthusiastically as the unconventional and wide range of music in the opera were breaking the norms and expectations of what an opera was. However, this sparked immense curiosity and drew in huge