Concert at the American University in Washington DC - Report Example

Concert Report In the universe today, there are different types of music that capture all sorts of emotions, such types of genre are inclusive of hip-hop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, eccentric, and many others. Music has a long line, and each sound has an origin from another genre, yet intertwined with another .This is the simple fact that allows music to define more than a single type of sound, but rather influence entire generations and lifestyles. I had the privilege of attending two concerts, one a symphony music concert at the American university in Washington DC, which was a classical music concert. The other being a concert of eccentric performances in a place by the name of Jamming & Apos,: Java in Vienna. Both of the genres of music were new to me but I had an open mind to the experiences. To deeply understand and enjoy music, we must learn to appreciate other genres as well, since music is intertwined. For this music report, I would like to particularly focus on the musical pieces that intrigued me, and the overall experience (Medearis 134). The classical concert involved a sophisticated performance from a number of instruments, which represented different types of music. The atmosphere of the concert was very intense, probably since the concert was housed in a performance hall that could be approximately to the size of a living room, with the capacity to house a maximum seating of approximately 80 people. The chamber performances had two separate parts, having an intermission of approximately 15 minutes apart. There was a group of artists who sat in a uniform manner by the size of the instruments. This group was known as the Washington Symphony. In addition to this, there was an orchestra that was mainly formed by a group of older individuals, wearing black outfits. The beginning of the concert was colorful and rich as two pieces, by the violin and the cello were featured. The two pieces presented an aspect of magnificent darkness since the steady tempo and continuo bass was maintained in the whole piece. The cello, which was more pronounced, gave most of the melodies. At the time the harmonies seemed very piercing to my ear. For an individual with limited knowledge in musical melodies and harmonies, the unusual combination would have been difficult to digest. I personally interpreted the melodies to be carriers of emotion, which was intercepted with sudden burst of anger from the bass which made the piece exciting. There was also a piece that sounded like a love song, it was slow and smooth. I found the piece to have an aspect of romance, as it was leading up to a proposal. The piece was beautifully dominated by a solo violin. The second session of the performances was filled with a texture that was thicker. The instrument presented in the piece was only the piano. What made this very captivating for me was the fact that two pianos played a single piece like a duet. It was an intriguing experience for me as I have never had the pleasure of experiencing two pianos play opposite each other, yet play a single piece, with perfect synchronization. A fascinating back to the melody was built by Mozart Sonata as he played a D major. My interpretations of the whole performance were that it was an expression of romantic feelings for a couple that was in love. The rest of the pieces were either solos or duets, but they were not much to desire in comparison to the Sonata for the two pianos. There was a session in which a conductor, by the name Zuckerman, played the violin. What made his piece unique and interesting is that he played it in a primary position. I found the fact that he managed to maintain a balance between the position while simultaneously being the conductor to be very impressive. He made an announcement that the piece was the a work of Mozart. The piece was very interesting since the flow of the music mimicked the story line of a movie. The initial parts of the piece had a very outstanding contrast, accompanied by deep instruments that presented loud tones, and soft notes formed what to me sounded like it was from wind instruments. The middle of this piece was however slow or dull as they were occupied by larger string instruments and violins. The end seemed like it was the story of someone that was trying to make an escape from authority. There were parts in which the conductor was the center of attention as he played the violin so spiritedly that it gave the impression that the rest of the orchestra was only to fill the back-round music. The performance of the orchestra and the conductor was an expression of heart and talent and the deep emotional sounds had a great impact on the entire audience. I found the music to be soothing to the soul. Brian McKnight’s (Quiet City) was also another piece that was very outstanding to me. The piece was begun with the a series of quiet and slow noise from the violin which gave the image of a dark night empty space. The night then transitions into dawn, as it is filled with the blaring of trumpets all through the piece. The music made me think of the world as full of many people and yet sometimes it can get to be very lonely. The blaring of the trumpet made me wonder whether the opportunities of the city are worth the frustrations that the individual encounters. In addition to the classical concert, I also attended an eccentric concert. Thirteen pieces were performed during the concert. “Fly Me to Heaven”, “Waltz for Suzy” and new memories were two pieces that I found to be very stylistically intriguing since they gave the audience an opportunity to enjoy a variety of eclectic sounds. Eccentric music, just like any other forms of music allows a story to be told. The “Fly Me to Heaven” was a piece that was presented in a famous manner by Gerry Machos. The being of the performance was spiced up an instrumental version of the song, that had a Spanish- inspired consonance that established a very romantic atmosphere. Alterations in the melody were then made between the piano and a guitar, as if they were having a lovers dance in the heavens. The texture of the songs changed up as the passion of the song got more intense, as the guitar dominated the melody and the piano and other instruments of the ensemble were in complement. The previous rhyme seemed to shift to a faster heart-beat like rhythm as the song reached its climax. At this point in time, the dynamics of the song were increasing as the song got louder and louder, till the pitch of all of the instruments were at the climax, with the bang, which slowly cooled off as the song came towards its conclusion. The piece named “Waltz for Suzy” which was presented by don Sadeky, was a consonant with slow- beats. The texture of the piece did not change and a constant 1, 2,3 pattern was evident in the entire piece. The drums, electric, bass guitar and the piano, played alternatively enhancing the melody that was the same for the sole and the moderate level performances. The dynamics of the performance were soft and then increased to moderate level as it shifted into a decrescendo, and once gain to a softer level. The entire ensemble did a remarkable job at ensuring that they kept to the beat. The piece that captured my interests was the new memory piece, which had dissonant tones in the beginning combined with the harmony and interjections of the piano and the drums. The song changed into a constant harmony, which was steady throughout the rest of the performance. The texture of the song was polyphonic as it shifted between the piano and the guitar as well as other instruments. The song had some brilliant melodies and cool in some places, yet relaxed in other parts of the song as the drums dominated with emphasis. The performance was characterized with a variety of dynamic The beginning of the song had a crescendo from a soft to very loud, and remained constant to the end when the pattern was reversed. The fly me to haven performance was in my opinion a song of romance, this was from the first note. The song in itself was not only passionate but also deeply essential, and portrayed a dialogue without the use of any words. The ensemble presented the piece with steadiness and the solo performance of Cassi extended the dialogue, and this made it sound like a twirling and dancing that was taking place in the heavens. The song was somewhat similar to the “my heart will go on” by Celine Dionne with regard to the instruments. I found myself listening with admiration and only wishing that the concert would not end. For me the eccentric concert at & Apos,: Java in Vienna, was an enjoyable evening that was full of captivating music, including an intellectually arousing experience of musical performances that I would not have engaged myself in were it not for this assignment. Making a comparison between the eccentric concert and the classical concert, I enjoyed the classical concert more as it gave a wide range of foreign melodies and harmonies to digest. In this instance, I have come to be aware of the fact that diversity is a critical aspect when it comes to listening to music since nearly all music mushrooms from other genres, and taking recognition of this fact makes one a very diverse individual. Work Cited Medearis, Angela Shelf. Music. New York: Twenty-First Century Books, 1997. Read More