1. 1. QUESTION

   Concert Reports
   You must attend a concert (Live concert; televised or online concerts not acceptable) and write a paper on the concert. It should reflect not only your opinion of the concert, but you should be able to express knowledge of the musical content using musical terminology. Here is a sample excerpt from a report written by a student. Reports should be at least four pages in length. MLA format. A program and/or ticket stub from the performance should be stapled on to your report also. Leave all concert reports in my box A-300 or at my office, A 237

   This is a sample concert report. It illustrates how you might use musical terminology in describing an actual performance, and does a pretty good job of explaining the music and conveying what it is about. Remember, a mere description of musical events is insufficient. You must show an understanding of the music, of how it works, and of what it is about. You will make different types of observations about different types of music and different concerts. For instance, a performance of German songs might lead to a discussion of vocal performance and how the music conveys the meaning of the words, whereas a performance of a Baroque orchestral concerto might entail a discussion of period instruments or instrumental performance techniques. On the other hand, certain topics of discussion, such as tonality, instrumentation, texture, form, etc., will be relevant to all concerts.

   SACRAMENTO ORCHESTRA, FREEBORN HALL

   On Sunday, May 23, 1993 at 8:00 p.m. the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra performed four pieces by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The program included the Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem, Op. 15, the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 35, the Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, and the Capriccio Italien, Op. 45. Geoffrey Simon conducted and William Barbini appeared as concertmaster and soloist. Although I was impressed by the whole concert, the second half made a more lasting impression on me.

   The concert opened with the Festival Overture. This piece began quietly. As the string instruments plucked in unison, the brass instruments entered with a slow melody. The mood became more dramatic as it progressed. The pace became faster and the texture more intense with fugue-like entrances. The different instruments succeeded one another until they ultimately all entered in unison. The trumpets were the most prominent players in the overture, effectively supported by the continuous beating of the drums and clanging of the cymbals. The trumpets were soon replaced by the strings, while the brass instruments receded to the background, quickly leading to the climax in the final section of the piece.

   The second work of the evening was the Concerto, which began with a striking solo violin melody, which set a lighthearted tone to the piece. Very quickly, however, the orchestra, and in particular the lyrical strings and pizzicato cellos, entered and provided a firm layer of support. Barbini’s solo, contrasted well with the orchestra, and culminated in a sustained high-pitched ethereal sound, suggesting an other-worldly character. The climax of the first movement occurred when the trumpets played a forceful hammering motive which punctuated the beautiful main theme in the violin. This was one of the most inspiring and moving passages of the entire concert. It occurred to me that it had almost a nationalistic tone to it, and I would be interested to know whether Tchaikovsky intended it that way.

   In contrast, the mood of the second movement was melancholy. The string instruments played a sad melody and the brass instruments enhanced the mood by their constant horn blowing in the background. The interplay between the soloist and the orchestra took on a more intimate veneer, and they appeared to be more comfortable with each other, as opposed to the first movement where they had appeared adversarial. The third movement began “attaca,” that is without a pause at the end of the second movement. The connection of the movements, in my opinion, enhanced the ever-building climax at the end of the third movement. The soloist took on a victorious role and seemed to triumph over the orchestra. The extremely lyrical closing theme brought an element of glory to the entire concerto.

   After a fifteen minute intermission, the orchestra played the last two pieces of the evening, though it was the Serenade, and in particular the first movement, which made the most lasting impression on me. An interesting characteristic of this piece is that it was composed for an ensemble consisting entirely of strings. I was at first suspicious about this, but soon realized that the absence of brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments in no way detracted from the effectiveness of the piece. The homogeneity of the timbre was quite satisfying, as the level of communication was greatly enhanced by the intimacy and familiarity of the sound. The movement opened dramatically with the entire ensemble playing together. The instruments moved from one chord to the next, as the dynamics gradually decreased, which fueled my anticipation of a significant event. Sure enough, after a pause, the violins made a dramatic entrance by playing the serenade theme, while the warm resonating sound of the cellos enveloped them in the background. The movement became lively and energetic, as the pizzicato cellos and the short violin strokes underscored the principal theme.

   The second movement opened with a flowing melody in the violins while the cellos murmured in the background, creating a sound similar to that of carnival music. The interplay between the alternating violins and cellos created an interesting dialogue which captivated my attention, as it confounded my expectations. The effect was further enhanced at the end of the movement with several fugue-like entrances in various parts of the orchestra: the cellos, then the violas, and finally the violins.

   The third movement began softly, increasing in volume as the movement progressed. A vibrant sound was created by resonating cellos and the long strokes of the violin bows. Whereas in the first movement, the serenade had opened quietly with the sound of violins, in this movement the cellos were the forefront of the piece, while the violins plucked quietly in the background. This was the only movement in which the cellos were the dominant sound, and the movement became livelier when the other string instruments finally entered, creating an exciting climax to the entire piece.

   The last piece of the evening was the Capriccio Italien. It made a lasting impression on me because of the brass instruments, which infused the piece with life. The piece opened with the trumpets sounding like a morning call of the military, an effect that was echoed at the climactic end with the simultaneous sound of cymbals, trumpets, and resonating strings.

   Attending this concert made me more aware of the diversity of style and compositional techniques inherent in Tchaikovsky’s music. I particularly enjoyed his mastery of orchestration, as he is able to combine the different sounds of the orchestra in an effective manner. Even when the ensemble is limited, as in the Serenade for Strings, he still manages to create interesting effects. The way he showed the dialogue between soloist and orchestra in the Violin Concerto heightened the dramatic tension in the piece. At the forefront of Tchaikovsky’s music, and the reason I enjoyed this concert so much, was the lyric quality of his melodies. Simply put, his music is lovely, and it speaks directly to me.

   Much of the success of this music lay in the faithful rendering of the performance. In this respect, Geoffrey Simon and the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra were able to bring out the spirit of Tchaikovsky’s music.

   https://www.atlanta.net/events/detail/signature-series-gsu-opera-theater-presents-pucci/116536/
   This is what I need the paper to be written about.

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