Theme For Solo Piano example essay topic

Concert Report I attended the Pacific Symphony Orchestra's classical concert series "Beethoven's Fifth", conducted by Carl St. Clair, the internationally renowned American conductor, on Thursday, January 31, 2001 in the Seger strom Hall (Orange County Performing Arts Center). The first half of the concert was introduced by a short and lively movement Rondo in D major of Mozart, and continued with Bernstein's Symphony No. 2. The second half of the concert was devoted to the four-movement work, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor. The concert was scheduled to begin at 8: 00 p. m., but I arrived at the hall one hour earlier for the preview. The hall was much more crowded than I expected. Everybody dressed nice and talked quietly.

Moment later the concert host came out and gave a brief description of the piece that was about to be played. It was very informative and fun. I was impressed by the way the host handled some of the questions asked by the audience. After the preview the musicians came out and tuned their instruments, cued by the concertmaster. The orchestra was seated on the stage; the men wore tuxedos, the women wore black dresses or pants.

At exact 8: 00 p. m., the conductor Carl St. Clair came out with the guest piano soloist Benjamin Pasternack, they were applauded by the audience. The conductor shook the hands of the first violinist. There then was a moment's pause for complete quiet and the concert began. Mozart's Rondo in D major, K. 382 This piece was composed by Mozart in 1782, when he lived in Vienna. It has a homophonic texture, and its form is a concert rondo, which Mozart used as the new finale of his first original piano concerto (K. 175).

Besides the solo piano, there is a variety of aerophones, chordophones, and membranophone used in this piece. Among the aerophones were flute, oboe, French horn, and trumpet. The chordophones played included the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Finally, the membranophone used for this piece was the timpani. This movement is a short set of variations, begins with the dance-like theme stated by the solo piano and then forte by the orchestra.

It has a gradually acceleration and is played lively with several tempo changes. Its ending is loud, leaving the listener feeling uplifted and enthusiastic. Bernstein's Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety This symphony, based on W.H. Auden's poem, was composed during the twentieth century (1947-49). The instruments heard include the piano as the soloist, aerophones (piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, trumpet, trombone, tuba), chordophones (violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp), membranophone (timpani), idiophone (celesta), and orchestral piano. The symphony was divided into two large parts, each contains three sections played without pause: Part I "The Prelude" suggests a scene of four lonely characters together in a bar and in Bernstein's symphony. It is a very short section, a duet for two clarinet, one improvising and the other echoing.

It ends with a long descending scale on the flute. "The Seven Ages", where the life of a man is reviewed from the four characters' point of view, begins with a dissonant chorale like theme for solo piano. It is the first of a set of seven short pieces, played without a break and linked one to the other by fragments of melodies or rhythms which are planted at the end of one variation and then developed in the next. "The Seven Stage", which is after Auden's description of a dreamlike, starts with seven more variations of the same modest dimensions as the Seven Ages. This set of variations closes part I. Part II "The Dirge", sung by the four characters as they sit in a cab to mourn the loss of the 'colossal Dad', a universal father-symbol, has a 12-tone row out of which the main theme evolves. This section is a slow movement.

"The Masque" finds the group in the girl's apartment having a party. This is a scherzo for piano and percussion alone in which a kind of piano-jazz is employed. "The Epilogue": What is left, it turns out, is faith. The trumpets make its statement; the strings answer in a mechanlody reminiscent of the Prologue. The winds reiterate the statement against the mounting tension of the strings' loneliness.

The piano ends the symphony with a short eager chord of confirmation. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor This masterpiece was composed in 1888, in the classical era. It is a symphony with a generally homophonic texture. This particular piece is performed with a wide variety of instruments, which include the string family (violin, viola, cello, double bass), the woodwind family (piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), the brass family (trumpet, French horn, trombone), and the percussion (timpani). This symphony has four movements. The first movement: Allegro con brio; sonata-allegro form, duple meter, C minor.

This movement begins with a famous 4-note short-short-short-long motive that dominates the entire symphony. This idea is pursued sequentially in this dramatic movement. The second movement: Andante con motor; theme and variations form, with two themes, 3/8 meter, A-flat major. In this movement, Beethoven developed his two themes with changes in melodic outline, harmony, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, register, key, mode, and type of accompaniment. The third movement: Allegro; scherzo and trio form, triple meter, C minor. This movement opens with a rocket theme introduced by cellos and double bass.

After the gruff, cheerful trio in C major, the scherzo returns in a modified version, followed by a transition to next movement with timpani rhythm from the opening 4-note motive. The fourth movement: Allegro; sonata-allegro form, quadruple meter, C major. Once again, Beethoven brings back the memorable three short and a long motive, making this symphony an example of cynical form. At the end of the extended coda, the tonic chord is proclaimed triumphantly by the orchestra again and again.

I enjoyed the concert and was really surprised at how the organization and the performance took place. Since this was my very first time of attending a classical music concert, I was amazed to see how the musicians perform live onstage and to see Carl St. Clair, the worldwide recognized conductor, assembled the orchestra. I was also thankful of the fact that I was able to see the pianist Benjamin Pasternack, the guest artist. And, of course, the music was great beyond imagination, especially Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, my always favorite listening.

This was definitely an unforgettable evening for me.