Concert Report
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The concert that I attended was the University Symphony Orchestra presented by the University of Louisville School of Music. The production featured 4 different works of music: “Spring” from The Four Seasons, Op. 8 by Antonio Vivaldi, Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra, Op. 42 by Paul Creston, Flute Concerto in D Major, Op. 283 by Carl Reinecke, and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein.
The first piece of music was Spring from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. This work is a violin concerto. The first movement was in allegro and began in the major key. It started out in a monophonic texture and with the theme of the piece. The pitch and tempo of the work is designed to bring about feelings of springtime. The notes are high in pitch and very short in duration. It could be described as “fleeting”. The theme reappears, so the piece could be in ritornello form. The second movement was largo e pianissimo. It starts off in a minor key, and there is a definite ground bass throughout the movement with a melody of higher-pitched notes above it. The tempo is much slower, mostly because of the presence of the ground bass, and the ground bass has the same recurring theme over and over again. The third movement is back in allegro, and the tempo is faster. The beginning of this movement sounds like a combination of movements I and II, with the deep, slow tempo of the ground bass of II with the light-hearted, distinct, “fleeting” tempo and pitch of I. Overall in movement III, the key alternates between major and minor. The key is in major when the ground bass leaves and transitions to minor when the ground bass reemerges.
The second piece of music was the Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra, Op. 42 by Carl Reinecke. The first movement begins in minor key with a moderately fast tempo. The sound and texture of the music brings about the feelings that youre listening to a storm. The first movement features the orchestra and trumpet equally. At the end of movement, the tempo slows down in order to transition to the second movement. The second movement predominately features the trumpet, with the orchestra in the background in a more subdued role. The tempo is much slower, but at the end of the movement the tempo begins to quicken and the tension begins to be build back up, which leads to the third movement. At the beginning of the third movement, there is a lot of tension being created. There is also less trumpet being featured and more of the orchestra. The orchestra is used to create tension, and the trumpet is used in order to deliver on the feelings created by that tension.
The third piece of music was the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. The first movement definitely has the feel of a dance, and you can picture people dancing during the first few minutes. There is also a definite feel of tension being built up in the minor key, and with the presence of the minor key and tension is the corresponding presence of the ground bass. The first movement has a recurring theme, and the ground bass is instrumental in creating the tension with the piano plays the