Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert - Essay Example

Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert On Tuesday, April at 8:00 PM, a percussion concert of superb quality was held at the Osher Salon. This concert featured graduate student Gregory J. Simonds as well as other percussionists from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. This particular concert was free, and – with a wonderful selection of music and musicians – certainly should not have been missed by anyone. (SFCM, 2008). The performed compositions included J.S. Bach’s Lute Suite in E Minor, G.H. Green’s Log Cabin Blues, and Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel.

Lute Suite in E Minor, a composition by J.S. Bach, was the opening song. Alemande and Gigue performed this piece very musically and with great accuracy. This showcase of talent was a superior way to draw in the audience from the very start. With only two performers playing such a serious piece, this song could have easily dragged, becoming boring and losing the attention of much of the audience. Alemande and Gigue, however, did a superior job. I never thought I would hear this piece performed by percussion only – and it was great.

The second song, Log Cabin Blues, by G.H. Green, provided an enjoyably light, fun contrast to the seriousness of the first piece. I couldn’t help but tap my foot along to the beat of this upbeat song. Katy La Farve, Jonathon Goldstein, Ryder Shelly and Iskandar Rashid carried away the delightful tune on the marimbas while Keaton Snyder kept the beat on the drum set. Particularly enjoyable was the part of the lead marimba, which was fast and covered a wide range of pitches. In the past I have encountered percussion and other ensembles that fail to attend to dynamics in their musical performances, especially in a fast-paced song like this that requires the performers to focus on so many other things.

This group managed to include fantastic dynamic contrast, and it was delightful. These performers really got into the song – and in effect, so did the audience. After several other percussion excerpts from various composers, the final piece, Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part, was performed. This was a very moving piece, performed in such a way that filled me and other members of the audience with intense emotions. I also must mention that it is wonderful that skilled percussionist Jonathan Goldstein is so multitalented as to have mastered the vibraphone so well.

Overall, the concert led by percussionists from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music was superior. My favorite piece performed by them was probably the rag, Log Cabin Blues, but the other songs made it a difficult choice because all of them were performed superbly. There was a good variety of music selected, and it was evident that the musicians are able to deliver an excellent performance for any style or genre of music. Percussion ensembles always seem to put on a good show, and this recital was certainly no exception to the rule.

I suppose nothing less should be expected from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with its consistently high quality of performances. Sources Cited San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). (2008). “Calendar.” San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Retrieved online on May 13, 2008, from http://www.sfcm.edu/calendar/calendar.aspx?performanceID=2305.