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.