a critique of two concerts
Music is one of the most unique performing arts due to the way it has evolved. Styles and melodies considered unfit in one era are displayed prominently in another. The two concerts previewed in this report have two different and distinct techniques. The first performance that I attended was a symphonic concert playing a mix of contemporary and early 20th century works at Carnegie Hall. The second performance was an organ recital highlighted by the by the live performance of Bach's most well known pieces. Hopefully this term paper will objectively and subjectively critique and compare the two performances. An orchestra is a collection of a variety of instruments usually consisting of brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion sections. In the concert at Carnegie Hall, the music was abundant in tone color and a variety of pitches and moods. While the Bach music played by the organist could only demonstrate one type of sound, the multitude of instruments at the conductor's disposal can flood the listener with a variety of sound. The key pieces of music performed were "Music for Violin and Orchestra" by Maazal and "Symphony No. 1 in D major" by Mahler. Maazal's piece pits the virtuoso, Maazal, against the entire orchestra. It seem
The feeling of closeness to musicians in chamber music is different from the feeling one receives while listening to orchestral music. While many times, the non-virtuoso players are not displayed prominently in the orchestra (with the exception of Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra"), the few musicians, (or in the organist's case, one) provided more intimacy with the musician. Not that chamber music is superior to that of orchestral music, it only sounds more personal. Still, orchestral music provides the listener with a variety of sounds and melodies that are just not possible with only a small number of musicians. As such, orchestral music can display a depth and breadth of music unattainable by chamber music. The key characteristics of 20th century music differ from those of the Baroque period. First, there is a variety of tone color provided in the music. In Maazal's "Music for the Violin and Orchestra" violins, flutes, basses and even bongos are used to create images such as a ferocious monster. Moreover, the music played in this piece had dissonance and consonance, another important feature of 20th century music. While Baroque and Renaissance music does not use dissonance extensively, Maazal and Mahler use dissonance as a major tool in developing the music. In the final part of "Symphony No. 1 in D major", the music shifts abruptly from C minor to D major. The monstrous orchestra in Maazal's music uses unstable chords to convey a horrific beast. In addition to this changing melodies and rhythms are another characteristic of 20th century music. The rhythm and melody of Maazal's sad violin solo at the end of "Music for Violin and Orchestra" are different from the calming tones that he plays to soothe the orchestral beast. s to be a sophisticated concerto with the violinist and the orchestra dueling with each other. Unlike Baroque music, the mood changes constantly, at one moments the violin conveys a tranquil image only to be shattered by the dissonance created by the orchestra. While Toccata and Fugue in D minor is a piece of absolute music, Maazal's music is program music. The main theme is sort of a violinist's journey and struggle with the much more powerful monster-like orchestra.
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Approximate Word count = 1682
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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