CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT REPORT
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ClassicalMusic Concert Report
Concertof Weber, Camille and Tchaikovsky
OnMay 7, 2016, I attended a concert presented by the Diablo ValleyCollege Philharmonic Orchestra. The presentations in the concertincluded compositions performed by Carl Maria von Weber, CamilleSaint Saens and Pyotr llyich Tchaikovski. The Weber composition was“The Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra in E-flat Major, op.26.” Camille presented “The Havanaise in E Major for Violin andOrchestra, op. 83. Finally, the third presentation was “TheSymphony no. 5 in E. Minor, op. 64.”
Theperformance of Weber consisted of a serious and slow introduction.The artist composed the concertino in 1811 for clarinetist HeinrichBarmann, his friend. The introduction was succeeded by an easy goingtheme that turned into several thematic variations. The last part ofthe presentation was a brilliant finale. The concertino alsocomprised of bravura and brand dramatic gesture found in the otheroperas composed by Weber. The artist gained reputation for being thefirst important composer of the German Romantic opera.
Camille’spresentation was composed in 1887 for Rafael Diaz Albertini, aviolinist of a Cuban origin. Havanaiseisthe French equivalent of the Spanish word Habanera.Thepresentation was a slow Cuban dance that had gained popularity inSpain. The dance referred to the city of Habana (Havana). There werealso fast actions in the Havanaisethatcomprised of virtuosic displays from the solo violin.
Tchaikovsky’ssymphony composed in the summer of 1888 comprised of a recurringthematic motto. The motto manifested itself in all the fourmovements. The beginning of the symphony encompasses a somber melody.The melody acted as an unwelcome reminder of a fateful event thatappeared in the succeeding movement. Contrary to the second movementthat revealed something fateful, the succeeding movements (third andfourth movements) depicted the theme of hopeful optimism. In fact,the end of the fourth movement revealed ultimate victory and greatjubilation following the fateful event that was witnessed in thesecond movement.
Itis evident that the selection of the three pieces was proper for theconcert. For instance, the third piece of presentation entailed amixture of a fateful event in the second movement followed by victoryand great jubilation at the end. The piece provided a mixture of bothsad and happy moods. Weber’s presentation also portrayed thematicvariations. At the beginning of the presentation was an easy goingtheme. However, as the presentation surged on, it revealed severalvariations of its theme that translated into a brilliant finale. Theorchestra revealed the ability to use different moods and themes in apresentation as well as engaging more than one performer.
Ican testify that the concert’s attendance was good and enjoyable.In fact, all the presentations revealed a significant effort made bythe presenters towards composing a creative and enjoyable piece ofpresentation. As a result, the presenters really showcased theirskills. I also observed that the audience exhibited one of thehighest levels of attentiveness that I had ever witnessed in asimilar concert especially in the last presentation that entailed amixture of both sad and happy moods. As a result, the concertexperience was enjoyable. The presenters also made it easy for theaudience to understand their presentations by starting with goodintroductions. Tchaikovsky’s symphony turned out to be the bestpiece of presentation in the concert.