The concert attended was a philharmonic one, and occurred on 2nd November 2019 on a Saturday from 7:30 pm at the Auer Performance Hall in Fort Wayne. The concert was conducted by Andrew Constantine with Brett Deubner as the viola soloist along-side the orchestra. The performance was an arrangement of Patrick O’Malley’s ‘Rest and Restless’, Richard Danielpour’s concerto for viola and orchestra entitled ‘The Voyager’ which included ‘The Departure’, ‘In the Valley of the Shadows’, ‘Soliloquy’, ‘Elegy’ and ‘The Return’, and the late Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op 67’ which combined Allegro con brio, Andante con moto and Allegro (Orchestra, pp. 1-5). This essay reviews this concert.
The Auer Hall
The Auer Hall can accommodate both small and large productions and is located inside the Rinehart Music Centre at Purdue University opposite the Grand Wayne Center where it serves as the main acoustic and masterpiece hall. Its design ensures production of acoustic balance and for maintenance of the best possible sound quality and this is achieved by the use of wood and canvas reflector panels which are hung from its superstructure to accommodate unamplified vocals and instrumentation as well as amplified spoken word. It has a large floor with two tiers wheelchair accessible seating, a capacity of 240 guests and a balcony as well as a mezzanine. The orchestra platform is deep for proper sound convergence and for a good view by the audience.
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Instruments
The musical instruments with the orchestra included piccolo, flutes oboes, clarinets, bassoons, contrabassoon, trumpets, trombones, percussion timpani (in G–C) strings, violins I, II, violas, cellos and double basses. These instruments were used at different times in performance and there was no time when all of them were used in one particular performance yet some were used throughout like the violin.
Performances
The first performance was ‘Rest and Restless’ composed by O’Malley which was a single movement. The performance was emotional with the high and low notes and one was able to follow the different note and pitch change. It was interesting how the base and violin were played as they brought out the composer’s intention to his listeners in making them map their own emotional experience into the music by just listening to the symphony. It was performed by Brett being the lead and a few accompaniments which made it difficult for someone to really identify the changes in pitch, notes or harmonics. This kind of instrument can easily be interpreted by those who have been into music for so long or those with more interest in them, nevertheless, the rhythm was well maintained and the ritardando and accelerando transitions were clear (O’Malley, 2016).
The next performance was a set of five movements, i.e., long-short-solo-short-long motif was a composition of Danielpour concerto for viola and orchestra with Brett the viola soloist displaying how one can enjoy what they are doing in totality. He plays the viola with emotions such that the audience gets into the mode of enjoying the movement as well. The orchestra arrangement as brought out by Danielpour and the conductor is in harmony and they through it the audience is able to relate to the information and emotions of the composer as intended. The story of self-realization and for both an individual and the entire community is well presented as the composer intended and the arrangement and performance of the violist was clear to show how much one has to sacrifice from the beginning till the end when we realize our goal (Danielpour, 2016)
Finally, a wrap-up from Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No.5’ was a good way to end the day. The arrangement just like the previous one was in four movements, i.e., short-short-short-long four-note motif which in the classical period is typical symphonies. The symphony’s basic key is a C which is from the piano played from G and E-flat satisfying the pitches and rhythms of the notes perfectly making the whole composition melodious. The first movement was ‘Allegro con brio’, and the symphony’s sonata had different variations from the pitch center, different sound dynamic levels to shifting from one orchestra section to another and a. oboe solo crowns it all in the midst of the surrounding music storm. The second movement displays a salient ‘fate’ motif as its rhythm while the third is a scherzo and trio but still with the ‘fate’ rhythm. The difference is that the third begins gently in scherzo as it explodes into prominence with a busy and bold climax in the trio. As it enters the last movement, the orchestra plays as the first movement’s sonata but with increased volume, tempo and high-energy toward the symphony’s closing cadence (Ludwig, 1804).
The Audience and the Orchestra
A performance like this concert needs both the orchestra and the audience. The audience at the concert was active and participative. They expressed their emotions as they digested the music and the performance wholly thus satisfying the aim of the composers like O’Malley intended. They listened attentively with less distraction and were eager for the next performance as they had a positive attitude towards the orchestra and were informed of what to expect. For one to have enjoyed the performance, they had to be good music listeners for them to identify, interpret and piece together the different musical patterns and most of the audience had this knowledge.
The orchestra/performers arrangement was beautiful as well as the stage set-up and even though it was like most arrangements, they all looked amazing. Before the general performance began, the orchestral hit produced by the performers called for the attention of the entire room as they were in sync with the conductor and they were harmonious in their movement. The cooperation between them and the mastery of every chord and note was fabulous. The performance sounded totally like nothing I’ve ever heard since it is pure and original. With the musical knowledge, one could deduce the different variations, harmony, most of the notes as well as the tempo changes, beats, and rhythm. It was clear to see that the performers had done a lot of practice and the conductor knew exactly his duty that the coordination between the two parties was swift and to perfection as the transitions from one theme to another, different pitches, notes, and any other variations were smooth and in very rare occasions were they not and this needed someone with her concentration and who was so attentive to notice. Instruments like the bassoons, contrabassoon, and trombones were unusual as they were only used in the performance of ‘Symphony No. 5’, which is a classical music genre and rarely do orchestras perform using them.
Selection of Interest
The selection liked best was from the late Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op. 67’ which combined Allegro con brio, Andante con moto, and Allegro. This is because of how the orchestra was balanced and the incorporation of the violin and harmonic production of the symphony. The music is of the classical type and the aim of the music according to the composer was to promote structural unity, balance, and clarity. The orchestra vividly displays the emotional constraints the composer experienced as he expressed himself through music but at the end as they finish with more energy it shows how positive things can change when we embrace unity. The variations in rhythm, tempo (ritardando and accelerando) could easily be noticed as well as the different dynamics throughout the performance and the homophonic texture of the G and E-flat.
The least liked performance was the ‘Rest and Restless’ by O’Malley as the performance had the violin as the main and a little accompaniment making a bit difficult for one to identify some musical elements like notes. Since the composer’s aim was for the audience to listener and indulge their emotions willfully and smoothly, it needed more concentration than the rest thus apart from learning, there was not a lot of room to just enjoy fully. For a long concert, starting the audience off in this mood may make them develop a bad attitude and negative interest for the remaining performances. To add on, the harmony between the violin and its accompaniments was not so clear at some point of the performance.
Conclusion
The aim of the Philharmonic at Purdue University was to promote exceptional creation, production, and performance of compelling art and growing its listeners base by providing a platform for connecting people. It also aims to inspire its listeners to engage deeper and broader on the Philharmonic as it grows and stewards its resources to ensure health for generations to come. From the performance experienced today, it is wit no doubt the work that the Philharmonic is doing and its impact on all music writers and listeners. The experience was amazing as one has the opportunity to listen to the different musical elements from the different musical instruments the variation, harmony, and differences of the different instruments as they bring about a beautiful rhythm and would like to attend more of such events. The entire concert needed concentration, attention, listening skills and interest for one to value it.
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