Music Education - Essay Example

Prof. Horn MUS 100 On January 4 at seven O’clock in the evening, I tended a music concert at Benerayo Hall. The concert was part of the Masterpiece series, performed by the Seattle Symphony and conducted by Herman Michael. It also included a performance by the pianist Hélène Grimaud. The band performed four pieces, two by Maurice Rave, one by Richard Straus, and Maurice Ravel performed the last. I enjoyed going to the symphony, because the music has more quality than any other type of live music I have ever attended. The part I enjoyed most was the Piano Concerto, because it was intense with instrumentals and the artists showed all their energy in performance. The Seattle Symphony is an important part of the Pacific Northwest cultural scene and is acknowledged for its extraordinary performances, recordings, programming, and community engagement. With a dedicated subscriber base of more than 30,000 patrons, the band presents over 200 performances annually to an audience of more than 300,000 music lovers. The Seattle Symphony made its first performance on December 29, 1903 and still holds an important place in the world of symphonic music. The Orchestra is currently under the mentorship of Ludovic Marlot, one of the leading conductors of his generation. The band performs at Benarayo Hall, where people of all ages come to explore the world of symphonic music through classes, exhibits, and live music presentation. Symphony orchestra uses a number of instruments depending on how big the symphony is. Seattle Symphony used violin, viola, flute, harp, violin, trumpet, double bass, cello, marimba, Piccolo, Timpani, piano and trumpet. The instruments that Seattle Symphony uses to play melodies include xylophone and marimba. They soloist plays only the melody instruments in the first movement. Generally, all instruments in an orchestra can play harmony, excluding unturned percussions. The instruments that Seattle Symphony uses to play include violin, piano, and cello. Instruments used in rhythm section usually vary, but Seattle symphony used bass, piano, drums, xylophone, timpani, snare drum, chimes, and guitar. The aim of these instruments is to provide the backing for melodic instruments such as saxophone. The orchestra mainly played major keys but deviated on the Symphony in G minor, resulting in a dramatic, expressive piece. Symphony music is quite better than any other type of performance. The concert opened with the track “Concerto Fantasy,” which opens brashly. It has interplay between two timpanists against strings on the other end. The track begins without pause and launches its dance-like energy with a popular, blues, Latin feeling, shifting between 4/4 and 7/8 meters. The second track presented by the Orchestra was the Piano Concerto, which had an odd meter of 7/8. It came with an enormous sound marshaled perfectly to the text and to the shifting tonalities of Bb-minor to Bb-major tonalities. It was my first time to watch the group perform live on stage. They have many good records but hearing an orchestra on stage gave me a really disarming and illuminating experience. The performance was great since they had come to our school and it was free. I managed to secure the front from where I could watch the orchestra perform. Before the concert, I enjoyed the large number of musical instruments the group had and the manner in which they presented themselves. All of them wore classical suits that served as a trademark to the type of music they perform. The first piece on the program was Concerto Fantasy. It was new to me, and it was a pleasure to hear one of the most rarely performed symphonies of Seattle Symphony. My first impression with Seattle Symphony was the fact that they played with a beautiful sound. They had a great sense of lyricism in the orchestra as they played something that I have never experienced with other orchestras. Another interesting thing that I experienced was their great attention and care to detail in shaping phrases. The second piece featured the principal violinist of the orchestra, Elisa Barston. Her appearance is part of a series in which artists from the orchestra are invited to appear as soloists, a wonderful idea that all orchestras should employ since there are very many talented individuals playing in an orchestra settings these days. The performance of Barston to the fifth violin concerto was airy and light. She relished in her beautiful sterling sound and took quite a few liberties with stretched phrases and tempo, more than I have ever experienced. It brought the overall effect like listening to French art song being performed by a great singer. It gave a unique way of thinking about Mozart and I need to credit her for originality. She supported her creative approach t the concerto with pristine intonation and unfailing technique. She concentrated on lyrical beauty over flashy technique. Several members of the orchestra had solos, which served to point how good this orchestra is nowadays. Not only concertmaster Alexander Velinzo, but assistant principal cellist Efe Baltacigi;, principal clarinetist Christopher Sereque, and English hornist Stefan Farkas and others played performed notable solos, expressively phrased, technically excellent, and richly timbered. The principal trumpet player also gave an amazing performance of the long solo on the Posthorn in one of the final movements. This was really taken with the principal flute, Concertmaster, principal oboist, principal bassoonist, and piccolo player. They presented with significant solo passages that they played with amazing soaring tones and effortless phrasing. The piece resembled a concerto grosso for the many talented members of the orchestra that it seemed like a true Serenade meant for background music. The overall performance was awesome as the whole school come out of the hall demanding for more. Overall, the performance was professional and had all the properties that a concert should have. The orchestra presented itself in a mature manner and the performance was awesome. The music had quality and professionalism in the performance. The Seattle Harmony can take a music class and teach them everything they need to know about music. The music of the group made me realize that just like other professions; an individual can pursue music as a career and have a successful future. I also learnt that not all music has quality. In fact, I realized that orchestras are the best performers of quality music that any generation can enjoy. Work cited: Walker, Robert. Music Education. NY: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2007. Print. Read More