Empyrean Ensemble: Young and Restless - Essay Example

Empyrean Ensemble: Young and Restless Introduction The concert, Empyrean Ensemble: Young and Restless II, is directed by Mika Pelo and Kurt Rohde and conducted by Matilda Hofman. It was held on June 1st, 2015 at seven in the evening. The venue was the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center. The concert was held to expose the audience to original compositions by both the rising and the already established composers and for entertainment. Over two hundred musical works from all over California were displayed. Some of California’s proficient musicians who are conversant with contemporary music made appearances at the concert. Prior to the concert, I had my own expectations and so did everyone else. I was hoping to expand my knowledge in music by pointing out unfamiliar musical aspects while the concert was in procession. I understood that for maximum gain, I had to listen carefully and observe the various trends in the way the different performers delivered their pieces. I did a background research about the musicians that were to perform at the concert to familiarize myself with their work before getting a chance to listen to them. This made it easy for me to understand and relate to their pieces effectively. There were seven musicians in attendance and all delivered amazing performances. The audience was mainly composed students from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Excitement was a major observable characteristic among the students. Most music concerts are never gloomy and this was not any different. Everyone was expecting epic performances from the musicians. The students had the liberty of choosing their own mode of dressing. Some dressed casually while others decided to go for the official or formal dressing code. The entry of the different musicians on to the stage constituted the peak moment of the whole concert. The excitement among the audience was amplified as the performers proceeded to adjust and tune their musical instruments in readiness for the performance. When musicians get on stage in any given concert, their first impression on the audience is always established by their dress code. First impressions are vital because they shape or influence the audience’s attitude towards the whole concert. In this particular concert, some of the musicians were dressed formerly while others opted for casual regalia. Their dressing styles were diverse and made each of them distinct and unique from the rest. On a personal basis, the preparations for the concert aroused a lot of anticipation in me. The excitement among my fellow students made the experience even greater. Seeing the musicians on stage amplified the excitement because the performances were the main purpose of the concert. I was there to enjoy myself and to learn more about music. Instrumentation was a basic component of the concert with various instrumentalists on stage. Tod Brody played the flute, Hrabba Altladottis was on violin. Ellen Ruth Rosa was in charge of the viola, Peter Josheff, the clarinet, Michael Graham, the cello, Megan Shieh, the percussion and the piano was played by Michael Seth Orland. The simultaneous playing of the instruments creates an interesting melody and rhythm. This is what brings the music to life. I personally give credit to the instrumentalists because they complemented the composers’ music in a manner that would be appealing to various audiences. Different instrumentalists displayed unique styles while playing the instruments and all of them contributed substantially to the whole concert. In my capacity, I cannot judge and single out an instrumentalist that was better than the rest because they all delivered and met the audience’s expectation. The smooth sound from the violin coupled with the piano set the pace for the initiation of a melodious piece. The incorporation of the flute is not a common aspect in most concerts. Therefore, the concert achieved a particular level of uniqueness that distinguishes it from other music concerts. The flute drew most of my attention because playing it seemed so simple yet its melody contributed a lot to the overall instrumental music (Morgan, Goodman & Irwin, 4). The performances were presided over Matilda Hofman who was the conductor. The conductor’s role was to guide the instrumentalists especially on the pitching of their instruments. She made sure that the instrumental melody was consistent and in line with the vocal performance. I was able to learn a few moves used to conduct instrumentalists and comprehend the meanings of the various non-verbal gestures that most conductors use. From my experience, the music performance was a success. The different components of the concert made it lively and effective to the audience. The stage setting was well lit and thee arrangement of the instruments was orderly making it quite appealing to the audience. Before the actual concert began, a pre-concert talk was conducted. The talk introduced us as the audience to the constitution of the concert and the specific aspects of the performances that we were to expect. The talk was informative and widened my knowledge in music (Ward, Goodman & Irwin 2). The concert was comprised of a few pieces from the seven artistes in attendance. All the pieces were accompanied by the relevant instrumentation styles that were distinct from each other. Each piece displayed the different characteristics of music for instance a specified rhythm, melody and an appropriate pitch (Six, Olmo & Leman 113). The instrumentalists were able to make transitions between various performances and their flexibility and experience is quite commendable. This was not the first time the pieces had been performed. The same music works had already been performed in previous concerts across California including well known music festivals (Hanninen, 317). Apart from the entertainment aspect of the concert, the whole activity was also educative. Music students and other students with interest in music were able to gain more knowledge. Students observed the dynamics applied when playing instruments and the different ways of making a concert successful by satisfying the audience. I was able to learn about instruments that I was not conversant with before attending the concert. For the music students, the concert served as reinforcement to the theoretical lessons covered in class making them understand the particular lessons even better (Lokki, 28). The program was composed of three pieces, State Representative by Ramteen Sazegari, Up/down-assign by Alex Van Gils and Glance by Fang-Wei Luo. From my perspective the performances by Alex Van Gils and Fang-Wei Luo stood out from the rest. Alex’s piece displays a soothing rhythmic variation with a low but constantly changing pitch. This piece explores the different musical aspects but remains consistent by maintaining its low but interesting pitch. I loved this piece because of the creativity that is evident in it. Alex does not stick to one style which may prove to be monotonous. He weighs his options by varying his style and at the same time keeping his work authentic and pleasant to listen to. Alex displayed what it means to be a good pianist and the orchestral skills prove his competency as an entertainer and a musician (Joren, Cornelis, & Leman, 114) Conversely, Fang-Wei Luo work was also unique and drew a lot of interest in me. His pieces are distinct from the others because he includes traditional tunes that give the audience a feel of the ancient music. Luo’s musical work also varies in terms of rhythm and pitching. From listening to his piece, I was able to deduce that when developing his work, Luo considers different cultures. He establishes his style of music on a multicultural basis. A good musician should be able to incorporate diverse musical aspects in his work regardless of culture or any other affiliations. Conclusion Taking part in the concert was an amazing experience. Students left the concert theatre hall with a couple of new interests as far as musical aspects are concerned. The instrumentalists motivated me to make an effort to learn how to play a variety of musical instruments. Most of my attention was drawn to the flute in spite of it being a simple instrument. Not mentioning the fact that the concert was entertaining would not be prudent. Work Cited Hanninen, Dora A. A Theory of Music Analysis: On Segmentation and Associative Organization. , 2012. Print. Lokki, Tapio. "Testing Music Like Wine: Sensory Evaluation Of Concert Halls." Physics Today 67.1 (2014): 27-32. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 June 2015. Six, Joren., Olmo, Cornelis, & Leman, Marc. "Tarsos, A Modular Platform For Precise Pitch Analysis Of Western And Non-Western Music." Journal of New Music Research 42.2 (2013): 113-129. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 June 2015. Ward, Morgan., Goodman, Joseph & Irwin, Julie. "The Same Old Song: The Power Of Familiarity In Music Choice." Marketing Letters 25.1 (2014): 1-11. Business Source Complete. Web. 2 June 2015. Read More