I just got back home from seeing West Side Story at The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood with my sister, mom, and some friends. This is one of the things I really miss about Los Angeles: the music, the shows, the culture. Of course, they have this stuff in Seattle, but I don't have reliable transportation to go up there often so I don't really enjoy these kinds of things while I'm at school. Actually, I haven't even hung out in Seattle all year. The only times I went there this past semester were for Bumbershoot [so I didn't walk around the city, just the festival grounds] and to drop off/pick up some friends from a concert. Anyway, back to the point of this post...
I always feel so inspired whenever I watch a musical production - I wish I had that talent. Not just the singing, but the dancing and the acting. Part of me wishes I could move the way all the dancers on stage do. Their movement is so beautiful and precise and it looks like they are having so much fun. And then there's the singing. I love it so much, you can't even imagine. I get goosebumps whenever I hear a completely amazing singer. Unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by the singers in this production. The leads [Maria and Tony] seemed to get lost in the music and their voices just weren't as strong as I had hoped and expected. West Side Story has such an amazing score and the original Broadway cast had such a great sound. I guess I'm just used to those recordings, so I compared tonight's performance to them.
Going back to The Pantages, however, reminded me of the last time I was there. It was my 17th birthday [has it really been 2 years?] and my sister, mom, and I went with our family friend, Andy, to see Wicked. My mom and sister had already seen it before, but I hadn't. I was pretty excited for it because I had heard everyone saying such great things about it. I remember being blown away by the performance that night. Everyone did such an incredible job and I fell in love with Wicked right away; it is definitely one of my favorite musicals now and I can't wait to see it again. That's what I love about going to these things: the feelings of being so fulfilled and inspired by what I had seen. It makes me so happy and amazed with how much talent everyone involved in the production has. Everything that goes into it, it takes so much time, energy, patience, talent, work. It's crazy and I think the people who do it are great and you can always tell that they love what they're doing.
I hope I can be as happy as they are, doing what I love, someday. I don't want to be a performer at all, but behind the scenes - I hope I enjoy it and am satisfied everyday by doing whatever it is that I may be doing. I think my first experience of putting together some sort of public event will be next semester [although the planning and preparations have already started and it's really only for the Puget Sound campus]. I'm the co-chair for RSA's biggest event of the year: Casino Night. Although I don't deal with a lot of the details, I'm trying to be involved with all the committees, if I can. I'm hoping to get some outside entertainment at Casino Night this year. Every year we have the same stuff: on-campus a cappella groups, the jazz band, etc. And, I mean, they're great, they really are. But I'd like to change it up a little bit this year. I have a friend who just finished recording a band's EP, Lamppost Revival. He and all the band members go to Western Washington University and he's been looking into book them in the Tacoma area, specifically something for Puget Sound. So, I told him about Casino Night and put him in contact with our Entertainment Committee Chair, David. I hope they actually get everything together for Lamppost to play, it would be really awesome to have some local, off-campus music at the event. Plus, it's cool to think that I helped to make that connection and get Lamppost booked for the event. And maybe it will help them get a good rep at Puget Sound so they can do other shows there, in the future. Or maybe I can develop a good connection with them and look to them if I ever want or need a band to play for any event that may come up.
Anyway, I've gone on a very interesting tangent and somehow ended up here. I'm tired, it's time for sleep. Goodnight everyone and, in case I don't write anything else for a while, Happy Holidays. Have a awesome start to the new year [can you believe it's going to be 2011??!] and be safe.
:]
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Finals Week
I'm sitting in Thompson with Shelby and Katie and we're all attempting to study for the coming week of finals. Shelby's studying Biology, Katie's studying Math, and I'm studying Music History. I'm writing out a list of terms for the class and hoping to get some other things done. However, I've been extremely distracted for the entire time that I've been here and actually have no motivation to even study very hard for this test. I think I've accepted the fact that I'm probably gonna get a B in this class and I'm okay with it. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe i should be completely motivated to kick ass on this final and maybe get an A. But, honestly, at this point, I just don't care that much. I have 2 more classes to take in order to finish this minor and I've already planned out when I can and will take them.
In my list of terms, the word Sprechstimme came up and I was reminded of this past summer in Ojai. A few of us interns went to Ventura for dinner and to make a copy of the score of George Benjamin's Into The Little Hill for Margaret to use; at least, I think this is the right time I'm thinking of. Nonetheless, there was a time when we were driving to Ventura and I remember Sprechstimme came up in the conversation. I had no idea what it was and Josh explained it to me be demonstrating. It's an interesting technique and now that I read the definition provided in my textbook, - "Speech-voice"; a vocal technique in which the singer declaims, rather than sings, a text at only approximate pitch levels - I think Josh's explanation was a much better one.
I don't really know why I'm writing about this. Maybe it's the feelings of nostalgia that were brought about by this random memory of Ojai. Sometimes I just wish I didn't have to go to school anymore and worry about studying for tests and finals or writing research papers or doing presentations or projects. I know what I want to do with my life. I know how to get there. I know where to apply for internships. I've already built a fairly strong network of people. All I want to do is have a couple more awesome internships and then dive right in. Why must I endure two and a half more years of taking classes that stress me out and in which I'm okay with just getting Bs? I hate this lack of motivation. I know that if I were to be working in the real world, doing what I want to do and what I love, I would not be this unmotivated. I would be so passionate about it and would put everything I have into it. I think that's how I was this past summer in Ojai. I did everything I could, helped out in any way needed and possible, and I didn't want it to end. That's how life should be and that's how I knew that I loved it so much.
I wish I felt the same way about all of my classes: passionate about them, putting strenuous amounts of effort into every assignment, studying hard, and excited for the next topic. Instead, I'm sitting in this building, completely distracted and doing everything but studying - hence, the composition of this post. Maybe I should try to study, again. I might move to Diversions soon, instead. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I like doing school work in there; I can actually concentrate. Everyone always says that they are so distracted whenever they try to study in Diversions, but it's kind of like my home base. I feel comfortable and can get work done there. Now, another attempt at studying. Good luck with finals, everyone! Hopefully you've been more productive than I have and will do well on them.
In my list of terms, the word Sprechstimme came up and I was reminded of this past summer in Ojai. A few of us interns went to Ventura for dinner and to make a copy of the score of George Benjamin's Into The Little Hill for Margaret to use; at least, I think this is the right time I'm thinking of. Nonetheless, there was a time when we were driving to Ventura and I remember Sprechstimme came up in the conversation. I had no idea what it was and Josh explained it to me be demonstrating. It's an interesting technique and now that I read the definition provided in my textbook, - "Speech-voice"; a vocal technique in which the singer declaims, rather than sings, a text at only approximate pitch levels - I think Josh's explanation was a much better one.
I don't really know why I'm writing about this. Maybe it's the feelings of nostalgia that were brought about by this random memory of Ojai. Sometimes I just wish I didn't have to go to school anymore and worry about studying for tests and finals or writing research papers or doing presentations or projects. I know what I want to do with my life. I know how to get there. I know where to apply for internships. I've already built a fairly strong network of people. All I want to do is have a couple more awesome internships and then dive right in. Why must I endure two and a half more years of taking classes that stress me out and in which I'm okay with just getting Bs? I hate this lack of motivation. I know that if I were to be working in the real world, doing what I want to do and what I love, I would not be this unmotivated. I would be so passionate about it and would put everything I have into it. I think that's how I was this past summer in Ojai. I did everything I could, helped out in any way needed and possible, and I didn't want it to end. That's how life should be and that's how I knew that I loved it so much.
I wish I felt the same way about all of my classes: passionate about them, putting strenuous amounts of effort into every assignment, studying hard, and excited for the next topic. Instead, I'm sitting in this building, completely distracted and doing everything but studying - hence, the composition of this post. Maybe I should try to study, again. I might move to Diversions soon, instead. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I like doing school work in there; I can actually concentrate. Everyone always says that they are so distracted whenever they try to study in Diversions, but it's kind of like my home base. I feel comfortable and can get work done there. Now, another attempt at studying. Good luck with finals, everyone! Hopefully you've been more productive than I have and will do well on them.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Romanticism and Gypsies
I wrote the following as a concert review paper for my music history class. It's kind of long, and maybe not completely interesting, but I felt that it would be appropriate to post on here. Also [just a warning] I was really tired of this paper by the time I wrote the conclusion, so I didn't wrap it up all that well - sorry! Enjoy.
On November 13th, I was able to attend a performance by the Northwest Sinfonietta, conducted by Christophe Chagnard, at the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma. The program was a unique one, named “Gypsy Nights,” including pieces by Dvořák, Shostakovich, Mahler, and Chagnard. As I arrived at the theater, I was not sure what to expect – I had never been to the Rialto before and I had never heard these pieces in a live performance. I was also very intrigued and excited to here Chagnard’s Opre Roma! all the way through, for the first time. Once the performance began, I was able to get my first taste of the orchestral music scene in the Pacific Northwest.
The first piece interested me greatly, not because of the composition per se, but due to the way in which it was presented. The orchestra remained standing for its entirety: Slavonic Dance No. 8, Op. 46 by Dvořák. Not to discredit the composer at all, because it truly is an amazing piece in itself, but I really enjoyed this unique presentation. Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer who lived from 1841 to 1904, starting his career in composition in the 1870s. By the 1880s he had attained international fame, demonstrated by the performance of his Slavonic Dances in cities all over the world from Berlin to London to New York. The Slavonic Dances consist of 16 pieces, which were originally written for piano four hands but were orchestrated at the request of his publisher soon after completion1. The way in which the Northwest Sinfonietta presented this piece caught one’s attention and was a good way to express the origin of the composition. It is based off of a dance and it only seems natural that one would want to be standing – or, more realistically, dancing – while listening to it. The piece is played with constant energy in forte with the only dynamic change to piano when a short flute solo emerges. However, the full orchestra soon ends this solo with a forte repetition of the main theme, therefore, concluding the piece. In my opinion, it was a strong way to begin the program and evoked feelings of lightheartedness and curiosity within the listener.
The second piece - Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35 – only added to the strength of the program. When Mark Salman first walked across the stage, he came across as an awkward and somewhat timid pianist. He adjusted and readjusted his seat several times, which only added to my initial thoughts of him. However, once he made the final seat adjustment and his fingers hit the keys, I was blown away by his performance. The speed, accuracy and skill with which Salman played were awesome. Shostakovich’s composition is definitely not an easy one, but Salman was able to make it seem so natural. Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer who lived from 1906 to 1975. Although he was not yet alive during the Romantic era of music, his compositions have been described as being written in the Romantic tradition2. This only seems fitting, as one can see the similarities in style that Shostakovich has with composers of that era. I think Shostakovich’s most evident characteristic of Romanticism, especially in this piano concerto, is the use of emotion. Salman definitely honed in on this throughout his performance. The accompanying orchestra was perfectly dramatic and subtle, when appropriate. The solo trumpet, performed by Judson Scott, was a powerful and energetic addition to the composition that complimented the orchestra and piano well as the only brass instrument. The first and fourth movements of the concerto are very energetic and lively paced (as hinted by their titles of Allegretto and Allegro con brio, respectively). They were performed with a strong forward motion that never ceased. Both of these movements were engaging and intriguing; they left me feeling happily satisfied with the piece. The second and third movements were noticeably different from and contrasted the first and fourth movements. Although they were of much slower tempos, the level of energy and enthusiasm in the performance of the middle movements was never lost or diminished. If anything, these movements proved to be even more emotional and expressive. The performance of the pianist, trumpeter and orchestra was filled with all dynamics of personal sentiment and energy in its entirety and I was moved by the composition; I didn’t want it to end.
When we returned to our seats from intermission, I was interested to hear how the Mahler piece would fit in with the rest of the program. They performed the fourth movement, Adagietto, from Symphony No. 5 which was chosen to commemorate the centennial of Mahler’s death. Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer who lived from 1860 to 1911. He was extremely popular during his lifetime and his pieces were performed all over the world, dozens of times3. Although his compositions were in the same general style as the previous pieces, I found that this choice did not flow very well with the rest of the program. The piece has strong emotions tied to it, of course, but it was not as energetic as the previous two. The kinds of emotions that I equate with this piece are those of longing, sadness, and melancholy, whereas the others were equated more with emotions of lightheartedness and joy. I think it was a very respectful and appropriate gesture to perform one of Mahler’s pieces in honor of his death. However, I think that a different choice may have fit in with the rest of the program more appropriately.
The final piece to be performed was one that I was looking forward to the most: Christophe Chagnard’s Opre Roma! After listening to short previews of the composition in class, I was extremely curious to hear the completed piece. Chagnard is a French conductor and composer who is currently working in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to conducting the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Puget Sound Orchestra, he is also a performing guitarist with the Northwest Sinfonietta Jazz Quartet. Opre Roma! was written in the style of Gypsy Jazz music with much influence from Django Reinhardt. Chagnard cleverly titled each movement with a specific purpose and meaning behind it. For example, the first movement, titled Gadjaz, is a combination of the words “Gadje” (meaning a non-Gypsy) and Jazz. The orchestration for Chagnard’s composition is a concerto consisting of three solo guitars playing with the full orchestra. The energy and vivacity that was present in the first half of the program was restored with this piece. Although the sound may have been a little unbalanced – the guitars were amplified much more than necessary – the performance was great. It was a fun experience to see Chagnard play two roles at once: that of a performing guitarist and the orchestra’s conductor. The piece went smoothly and ended the concert on a strong note that reenergized the audience for the night. I also appreciated Chagnard’s attempt to incorporate several different influential genres of music from around the world into an orchestral composition. It is a great indicator of the power that music holds to unify people from anywhere; music is something that can be understood by anyone from any culture.
Overall, I thought the concert was amazing. I am a huge fan of Romantic and contemporary music and I think that is one reason why I’d say Chagnard’s piece was my favorite. There may have been a few technical difficulties but, in my opinion, it is a great piece that deserves recognition. All of the musicians are extremely talented and dedicated and this was obvious in the level at which they performed each piece.
On November 13th, I was able to attend a performance by the Northwest Sinfonietta, conducted by Christophe Chagnard, at the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma. The program was a unique one, named “Gypsy Nights,” including pieces by Dvořák, Shostakovich, Mahler, and Chagnard. As I arrived at the theater, I was not sure what to expect – I had never been to the Rialto before and I had never heard these pieces in a live performance. I was also very intrigued and excited to here Chagnard’s Opre Roma! all the way through, for the first time. Once the performance began, I was able to get my first taste of the orchestral music scene in the Pacific Northwest.
The first piece interested me greatly, not because of the composition per se, but due to the way in which it was presented. The orchestra remained standing for its entirety: Slavonic Dance No. 8, Op. 46 by Dvořák. Not to discredit the composer at all, because it truly is an amazing piece in itself, but I really enjoyed this unique presentation. Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer who lived from 1841 to 1904, starting his career in composition in the 1870s. By the 1880s he had attained international fame, demonstrated by the performance of his Slavonic Dances in cities all over the world from Berlin to London to New York. The Slavonic Dances consist of 16 pieces, which were originally written for piano four hands but were orchestrated at the request of his publisher soon after completion1. The way in which the Northwest Sinfonietta presented this piece caught one’s attention and was a good way to express the origin of the composition. It is based off of a dance and it only seems natural that one would want to be standing – or, more realistically, dancing – while listening to it. The piece is played with constant energy in forte with the only dynamic change to piano when a short flute solo emerges. However, the full orchestra soon ends this solo with a forte repetition of the main theme, therefore, concluding the piece. In my opinion, it was a strong way to begin the program and evoked feelings of lightheartedness and curiosity within the listener.
The second piece - Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35 – only added to the strength of the program. When Mark Salman first walked across the stage, he came across as an awkward and somewhat timid pianist. He adjusted and readjusted his seat several times, which only added to my initial thoughts of him. However, once he made the final seat adjustment and his fingers hit the keys, I was blown away by his performance. The speed, accuracy and skill with which Salman played were awesome. Shostakovich’s composition is definitely not an easy one, but Salman was able to make it seem so natural. Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer who lived from 1906 to 1975. Although he was not yet alive during the Romantic era of music, his compositions have been described as being written in the Romantic tradition2. This only seems fitting, as one can see the similarities in style that Shostakovich has with composers of that era. I think Shostakovich’s most evident characteristic of Romanticism, especially in this piano concerto, is the use of emotion. Salman definitely honed in on this throughout his performance. The accompanying orchestra was perfectly dramatic and subtle, when appropriate. The solo trumpet, performed by Judson Scott, was a powerful and energetic addition to the composition that complimented the orchestra and piano well as the only brass instrument. The first and fourth movements of the concerto are very energetic and lively paced (as hinted by their titles of Allegretto and Allegro con brio, respectively). They were performed with a strong forward motion that never ceased. Both of these movements were engaging and intriguing; they left me feeling happily satisfied with the piece. The second and third movements were noticeably different from and contrasted the first and fourth movements. Although they were of much slower tempos, the level of energy and enthusiasm in the performance of the middle movements was never lost or diminished. If anything, these movements proved to be even more emotional and expressive. The performance of the pianist, trumpeter and orchestra was filled with all dynamics of personal sentiment and energy in its entirety and I was moved by the composition; I didn’t want it to end.
When we returned to our seats from intermission, I was interested to hear how the Mahler piece would fit in with the rest of the program. They performed the fourth movement, Adagietto, from Symphony No. 5 which was chosen to commemorate the centennial of Mahler’s death. Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer who lived from 1860 to 1911. He was extremely popular during his lifetime and his pieces were performed all over the world, dozens of times3. Although his compositions were in the same general style as the previous pieces, I found that this choice did not flow very well with the rest of the program. The piece has strong emotions tied to it, of course, but it was not as energetic as the previous two. The kinds of emotions that I equate with this piece are those of longing, sadness, and melancholy, whereas the others were equated more with emotions of lightheartedness and joy. I think it was a very respectful and appropriate gesture to perform one of Mahler’s pieces in honor of his death. However, I think that a different choice may have fit in with the rest of the program more appropriately.
The final piece to be performed was one that I was looking forward to the most: Christophe Chagnard’s Opre Roma! After listening to short previews of the composition in class, I was extremely curious to hear the completed piece. Chagnard is a French conductor and composer who is currently working in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to conducting the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Puget Sound Orchestra, he is also a performing guitarist with the Northwest Sinfonietta Jazz Quartet. Opre Roma! was written in the style of Gypsy Jazz music with much influence from Django Reinhardt. Chagnard cleverly titled each movement with a specific purpose and meaning behind it. For example, the first movement, titled Gadjaz, is a combination of the words “Gadje” (meaning a non-Gypsy) and Jazz. The orchestration for Chagnard’s composition is a concerto consisting of three solo guitars playing with the full orchestra. The energy and vivacity that was present in the first half of the program was restored with this piece. Although the sound may have been a little unbalanced – the guitars were amplified much more than necessary – the performance was great. It was a fun experience to see Chagnard play two roles at once: that of a performing guitarist and the orchestra’s conductor. The piece went smoothly and ended the concert on a strong note that reenergized the audience for the night. I also appreciated Chagnard’s attempt to incorporate several different influential genres of music from around the world into an orchestral composition. It is a great indicator of the power that music holds to unify people from anywhere; music is something that can be understood by anyone from any culture.
Overall, I thought the concert was amazing. I am a huge fan of Romantic and contemporary music and I think that is one reason why I’d say Chagnard’s piece was my favorite. There may have been a few technical difficulties but, in my opinion, it is a great piece that deserves recognition. All of the musicians are extremely talented and dedicated and this was obvious in the level at which they performed each piece.
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