Concert Critique

Nischal Shrestha
Perspectives in Music: Music 204
Concert Critique 2
Double Reed Recital
November 21, 2014

It was Monday, November 17 cold and snowy outside Ophelia Paris Concert Hall, Truman State University but inside it was all warmth and light as Elaine AuBuchon started the Double Reed Recital. Having not been to any actual classical music concert, I was excited to hear the talent that we have in our campus. I took it upon myself to go with an open mind, without having any previous predispositions that would affect my reaction to the concert. I just wanted to go in there, not knowing anything about the concert, and see what I hear in the music. This concert was open to anyone and free admission. The program presented a variety of styles
of instruments like bassoon, oboe, piano and flute. There were only two instruments being played per piece on stage and musicians performed exceptionally producing an orchestral type sound. The only explanation I can think of is the placement of the concert in the middle of a week full of my midterms. Although this concert had a small size of audience, it had great ambience to enjoy this great performance offered by musicians.
I chose a seat directly in front the stage a couple rows from the first so that I would have a clear view of the musicians, the stage, and the instruments.
Upon initial observation of my surroundings I could see that the audience is quiet and well mannered, patiently waiting for the performers to make their appearance. It was orderly and sophisticated and the majority of the audience was dressed formally to suit the occasion. The concert began promptly at 6pm, when the conductor Elaine AuBuchon entered the stage with the full theater clapping. She greeted all the audience and started the concert formally. As the performers entered they were greeted with applause and bow to the audience before they take their positions. Applause was also given when the musicians complete a
piece.
Digressing on the topic of the musicians of the concert, I’d first like to discuss the Vivace, Sonata No. 5 by Telemann (1681-1767). This pieced had featured two instruments oboe and flute played by Clint Cole and Courtney Binghamn respectively. Both of the artists looked confident and were dressed formal to suit the program. The piece was in major mode with calm and relax mood. The artist incorporated in the intro of their piece, tempo and dynamic changes throughout the entire piece, and lastly they effectively brings out the dramatic feel to their piece. I felt like the music was sitting on the edge of my seat. . It lasted for like three minutes. The piece was in moderato tempo At times,.
The second piece played was Romanze and Humoresque from Fantasy Pieces by Nielsen (1865-1931). The artists featuring this piece were Randy Fukasawa playing oboe and Dan Kubus playing piano. Both of the artists were dressed formal. The piece started with a sad and minor mode. I could feel the realistic music which was in moderato tempo. There was a lot of change in dynamics throughout the piece. I sense struggling feelings of the composer. It was strong, yet not oppressive. I was really getting into the sad and soft beat, but suddenly Randy Fukasawa had to leave the stage due to some difficulties.
The third piece was divided into Minuet in Bb and Minuet in Eb by J.S Bach, arr. Clark (1685-1750). Rebecca Palomo and Jared Winzer were featured as the artist playing bassoons. The piece had a catchy recurring melody with triple meter beat. This piece had a nice attitude towards the audience. Their improvisation was a series of certain scales that were repetitive with accurate pitch and rhythm. The piece was calm and relaxing with colorfully expressed tones. There were a couple of slow parts with slow tempo and I enjoyed this piece thoroughly.
The fourth piece featured was Sonatina by Arnold (1921-2006) with two movement Leggiero and Adante con moto. Oboe and Piano was the key instrument played by Clint Cole and Nancy Huber respectively. The rhythm had a base line melody played by piano which was in allegro tempo. The piano showed chromaticism by using many keys. Oboe was featuring the main recurring melody. I was extremely impressed because not only the music was played beautifully but it also seemed as if it was telling a story. I felt as if the music came in life, and I was an actual character in the story. The pianist looked so confident and well dressed. This was the piece I enjoyed the most and I was almost out of energy to fully appreciate the performance.
The fifth piece was Sonate for bassoon and piano by Hindemith (1895-1963). It had two movements Leicht bewegt and Langsam/Marsch/Beschluss, Pastorale-Ruhig. The artist were Sydney Hawkins with bassoon and Janet Coggins on the piano. The piano showed a lot of modulations in the mode. This piece was in adagio tempo normally with camp and steady beat. The piece later changed to allegro with the increase in dynamics. This specific music style allowed the composer to express his thoughts in a meticulous way, making the pieces more affecting.
The sixth piece played was Sonatina by Presser (1916-2004) which included allegretto and scherzo movement. The artists featured in this piece were Rebecca Palomo playing bassoon and Dan Kubus playing piano. This piece was too expressive and beautiful with adagio tempo. The relaxing steady beat with duple meter showed a dramatic melody of this piece. The artists were confident and talented. The mood of this piece definitely seemed like it was met to interpret happiness and excitement.
The seventh piece featured was Concerto, Adante movement by Mozart (1756-1791).
The artist who played the piece was Courtney Bingham with oboe and Eliane AuBuchon on the piano. This piece was so calm and steady with relaxing mood. Piano had a recurring base line melody. The etudes were quiet at first, but they soon became vivid and shaky. It put a smile on my face whenever I think of it. It is in the variations form but the beat time in compound duple meter. One thing that grabbed my attention is that the variations do not overlap.
The last extra piece featured was Trio where three artists were featured. In this piece the meter stays as compound but the tempo accelerates and becomes allegro. The instruments featured in this piece were oboe and flutes. It was one of the best pieces of the concert. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the concert.
The concert was somewhat as I expected to be. The concert was so formal and organized. . Even though I had some prejudgments about the concert at first, I enjoyed listening to these pieces live. I will try to attend future classical music concerts. There were some parts where the management team could have done better. The artist demonstrated dynamics, technique, harmony and togetherness beautifully. Before leaving the concert hall I was able to speak briefly with some of the musicians, they were very helpful in answering my questions about the
music.
I have to admit I did not spend much time on classical music before coming to Truman State University because I find the pieces strange and hard to understand or interpret. But the concert brought the perspective I failed to see of classical music to me. Now, I realize that the whole new kind of music (to me) is actually harmonic, beautiful and attracting in a way I didn’t recognize before. I was not actually accustomed to the style of classical music that but now I completely respect the music and I honor that it’s different from the music that I listen to. Everything made an impression on me. Now I worry that there are people who live their entire lives never having heard even a recording of a Mozart or Beethoven’s symphony are missing something truly valuable in their life.

References:
Pamphlet: Double Reed Recital, Truman State University, November 17, 2014.