Last night I went to the Utah Symphony performance of Brahms' 2nd Symphony, Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques, and Ravel's La Valse. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance. The conductor, Carlos Kalmar, did an excellent job of bringing out the emotion of the pieces.
Brahms' 2nd Symphony happens to be one of my all-time favorite pieces, so I undoubtedly held the orchestra up to a higher standard than for the other two pieces. However, I was not disappointed. The playing was smooth and articulate, and filled with emotion. The conductor's gestures matched the music well, and it was fun to watch him. I don't think he looked at the score even once (he may not have even had it- I didn't see one), but moved with the flow of the piece. My biggest criticisms are that the first trumpet botched a couple high notes in the first movement, and that at a few points some important woodwind lines were buried by the strings. Other than that, the piece was exhillarating and left me smiling.
Oiseaux Exotiques was also a fantastic piece. I had often heard of it, but had never had an opportunity to listen to it before. The instrumentation was intriguing: piccolo, flute, oboe, Eb clarinet, 2 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, piano soloist, and 7 percussionists. The piece was well-played and very engaging. Jason Hardink's piano playing was superbly demonstrated; he showed grace and finesse without drawing attention away from the rest of the ensemble. Balance was excellent except for a couple gong strikes which were a little too loud. My biggest criticism, though, is reserved not for the musicians, but for the audience. About 1/3 of the way into the song, a woman two rows behind me loudly declared "That doesn't sound like any bird I've ever heard" and walked out. Walking out is one thing, but to interrupt the performance for the rest of the audience with a smart remark is rude in every way. I was pleased, though, that Hardink received two curtain calls after his performance.
La Valse was an interesting piece. It was full of color and passion as only Ravel could write it. Excellent orchestration and tibral shifts highlighted the different sections of the orchestra. Although a few times the brass and the gong covered up the woodwinds, balance was generally well-maintained. The conductor's loud breathing for cues drew some attention away from the music, but overall it was a very pleasing piece that left me feeling very satisfied.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Where Did The Posts Go?
I have now moved all my political blog posts over to my second blog, Dynamic Government. This blog will contain reviews and observations about cultural things, and anything else that might capture my attention.
Review: Don Pasquale
At first, I was a little leery of an opera, originally cast in Rome, to be staged instead in the wild west. However, it turned out to be an enjoyable experience, and they actually made it work. As it turns out, it is the custom for Don Pasquale to be set in the time and place of the current production, so if it was performed in 1940 in England, the director would incorporate elements of World War II. If it was performed in Greece in 1900, the director would probably set it as though it was written in Greece in 1900. So, it wasn't too much of a departure to set it in the wild west during a production in Utah.
Even though it was still sung in Italian (there's really no getting around that), the supertitles did reflect the cultural shift. For example, one of the characters said, (roughly translated, since I can only understand a little Italian), "Wait for a moment," the supertitles had it translated to "Hold your horses."
The singing was done excellently, and the set design was wonderful. A few added extras, such as a mariachi band on stage and two of the leads "accidentally" getting stuck in front of the curtain when it closed after a duet (they both turned around and looked at the curtain, at each other, then sheepishly at the audience) added a little more humor into an otherwise already funny plot.
So, it ended up being a great experience, and I'm really glad I was able to go.
Even though it was still sung in Italian (there's really no getting around that), the supertitles did reflect the cultural shift. For example, one of the characters said, (roughly translated, since I can only understand a little Italian), "Wait for a moment," the supertitles had it translated to "Hold your horses."
The singing was done excellently, and the set design was wonderful. A few added extras, such as a mariachi band on stage and two of the leads "accidentally" getting stuck in front of the curtain when it closed after a duet (they both turned around and looked at the curtain, at each other, then sheepishly at the audience) added a little more humor into an otherwise already funny plot.
So, it ended up being a great experience, and I'm really glad I was able to go.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Review: BYU Symphony Orchestra Concert
Despite the warnings from my friends about the lack of adequate preparation time for their concert, I went to the BYU Symphony Orchestra concert anyway. However, instead of cringing, it was very enjoyable.
The last concert lasted about two and a half hours, so I was quite relieved when this one lasted only an hour and a half; much more manageable. I think the players were relieved, too.
The first piece was Brahm's "Academic Festival Overture," conducted by grad student James Arbizu. The piece was generally good and in tune, through at times the upper brass covered up the string and woodwind parts completely. Several key points were a bit disappointing; the climaxes didn't climax very much and the ending could have been more spectacular. However, it was stately and lively and played with a good conception for the meaning of the piece.
The second piece, "Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra and Piano Obbligato" by Bloch was a little more disappointing. The tuning wasn't quite so good, and the piano was covered up almost the entire song. Although I enjoyed the piece, I was often distracted, especially, by the tuning of the first violins in the upper register. Runs were generally weak, as well. On the plus side, the balance was maintained very well among the strings, especially the viola, cello, and bass sections. The piece was cleanly articulated, too.
The concert ended with Dvorak's "Symphony No. 8." This was the best piece on the program, especially the first movement. The first movement was clean and well played. Dynamic contrast gave it a polished finish that was only intermittently present in the other pieces. The second through fourth movements, while not as good as the first, were still well played. A few runs were still weak and the trumpets covered up a few parts, but generally good balance was maintained.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening, and I was glad I went. Despite the lack of time for solid preparation, I was impressed by the hard work the orchestra put in to achieve the level of playing that they did.
The last concert lasted about two and a half hours, so I was quite relieved when this one lasted only an hour and a half; much more manageable. I think the players were relieved, too.
The first piece was Brahm's "Academic Festival Overture," conducted by grad student James Arbizu. The piece was generally good and in tune, through at times the upper brass covered up the string and woodwind parts completely. Several key points were a bit disappointing; the climaxes didn't climax very much and the ending could have been more spectacular. However, it was stately and lively and played with a good conception for the meaning of the piece.
The second piece, "Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra and Piano Obbligato" by Bloch was a little more disappointing. The tuning wasn't quite so good, and the piano was covered up almost the entire song. Although I enjoyed the piece, I was often distracted, especially, by the tuning of the first violins in the upper register. Runs were generally weak, as well. On the plus side, the balance was maintained very well among the strings, especially the viola, cello, and bass sections. The piece was cleanly articulated, too.
The concert ended with Dvorak's "Symphony No. 8." This was the best piece on the program, especially the first movement. The first movement was clean and well played. Dynamic contrast gave it a polished finish that was only intermittently present in the other pieces. The second through fourth movements, while not as good as the first, were still well played. A few runs were still weak and the trumpets covered up a few parts, but generally good balance was maintained.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening, and I was glad I went. Despite the lack of time for solid preparation, I was impressed by the hard work the orchestra put in to achieve the level of playing that they did.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Review: Pennyroyal Cafe
Last Wednesday, I took the opportunity to go to the Pennyroyal Cafe in order to see one of their live musical performances. I chose the performance of Dr. Christian Asplund, professor of music composition at Brigham Young University. I've heard some of his music before, and enjoy it.
First let me describe the Cafe. Basically, it's a work in progress, but it's comfortable. They're still in the process of finishing the interior, so bare brick dominates the walls. They have a few portraits painted by a local artist to give some color to the otherwise bland walls. The tables and chairs are mismatched and look like they were purchased at yard sales. A red carpet leads from the dining area to the counter. Several old, chandeliers hang from the ceiling.
On one side of the room, they have a Nintendo and Super Nintendo system with an old couch. Next to it is a bar where they serve non-alcoholic drinks. They only have curtains separating the counter from the kitchen. The kitchen looks well kept and clean, which I appreciated.
The menu is small, but so is the cafe (it seats about 20): just soup and sandwiches. I tried the Pennyroyal Classic sandwich- a turkey basil panini- with a side salad. Great sandwich, poor salad. The sandwich was simple yet flavorful, just the way I like it, and very filling. The salad, however, was very stringy and bland. I'd recommend getting chips instead. I hope to go back in a couple weeks and try the Parisian Apple sandwich: a panini with brie, apples, and onions.
The music was generally good. I didn't understand a few of the pieces, but otherwise enjoyed the innovativeness. It was all modern music, and it seems the audience consisted mostly of just a few followers (aka family members). Still, I really enjoyed it.
Would I recommend the Pennyroyal? Yes. It's a little bare right now, but once it's completed, it will be a very quaint locale.
First let me describe the Cafe. Basically, it's a work in progress, but it's comfortable. They're still in the process of finishing the interior, so bare brick dominates the walls. They have a few portraits painted by a local artist to give some color to the otherwise bland walls. The tables and chairs are mismatched and look like they were purchased at yard sales. A red carpet leads from the dining area to the counter. Several old, chandeliers hang from the ceiling.
On one side of the room, they have a Nintendo and Super Nintendo system with an old couch. Next to it is a bar where they serve non-alcoholic drinks. They only have curtains separating the counter from the kitchen. The kitchen looks well kept and clean, which I appreciated.
The menu is small, but so is the cafe (it seats about 20): just soup and sandwiches. I tried the Pennyroyal Classic sandwich- a turkey basil panini- with a side salad. Great sandwich, poor salad. The sandwich was simple yet flavorful, just the way I like it, and very filling. The salad, however, was very stringy and bland. I'd recommend getting chips instead. I hope to go back in a couple weeks and try the Parisian Apple sandwich: a panini with brie, apples, and onions.
The music was generally good. I didn't understand a few of the pieces, but otherwise enjoyed the innovativeness. It was all modern music, and it seems the audience consisted mostly of just a few followers (aka family members). Still, I really enjoyed it.
Would I recommend the Pennyroyal? Yes. It's a little bare right now, but once it's completed, it will be a very quaint locale.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Prelude
Alright, here it is. My first blog. I'm still toying with ideas for what I should include and what kind of theme or structure to use, but hopefully some semblance of order will gradually arise from the random posts that will soon adorn this page.
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