Classical Music with a Profound Twist

review by Michael Templeton

            Do not be dissuaded by the demographic of the audience. The concert at Jordan Hall happens to be a component of the “First Monday” series which was mesmerizing and profound to say the least. This concert consisted of three incredibly different pieces of music by three very different composers. The audience was first captivated by the work of Robert Schumann, a German composer in the 1800s who composed beautiful pieces which encompass the harmonies of four distinct voice parts and the tranquil to boisterous build of a grand piano which immediately filled the entire concert hall. 

            The overall pattern of synchronization between the instrumentalists would continue for the remainder of the first movement. It was especially fascinating to see how flawlessly the instrumentalists and vocalists transitioned from one piece to the next with such grace and annunciation of every word sung in the music. This was especially impressive since the language was German and the ability to create such emotion in the music while delivering in a foreign language is an immense talent. 

            The second division of this truly magnificent evening was music composed by George Crumb, an American composer who experiments with the genre of avant-garde music. Avant-garde music is a style in which forces musicians to break away from the “status quo”. .The contemporary forms of music in combination with the juxtapositions of the sounds on the stage creates  an incredible blend of instruments never combined in harmony together ever before. The abrupt, shrill sounds of the electric flute along with the electric cello and the explosive sounds from the interior keys of the piano created an incredible environment which leaves the audience at the absolute edge of their seat carefully listening to see what happens next, where the music goes from that next point, will it go high or low? Or will the movement conclude on that very low note or continue into the next piece?

            The third and final movement of the evening was a piano trio by Antonin Dvorak. This piece was quite magnificent and powerful simply because of the character exhibited by the violinist in synchronization with the cellist and pianist to create a harmonious blend of all three distinct sounding instruments.  These instrumentalists were exclaiming their power on the stage with every eye in the house glued to the stage.  It was obvious the audience was making note of the choices made by the musicians and the expressive feeling of their work and all of these talents being showcased into one thirty-minute movement which is an incredible prodigy in it of itself because it requires an incredible knowledge of the music and the tempo which can only be done with an immense amount of practice and dedication to the instrument and the material.

This program is very unique and special because it is something which requires the engagement and support of the audience to provide the music with breadth and value.