Hanover Baroque
Type of Concert: Trio Sonata
General reaction: I found the concert very smoothing. The venue, at a local episcopal church, was beautiful, and well suited to the small-ensemble, or more chamber style music presented by the trio. There was a sense of both tranquility and ease that punctuated the concert as a result of the combination between the building’s ambiance and the musical genre on display.
Concert Summary: The musical concert I attended was a trio, consisting of a violin, a flute, and a harpsichord. Overall, it involved music by eight different composers, each of which took a slightly different approach to basic Baroque style. The pieces are as follows: Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Deuxieme Concert from Pieces de Clavecin en Concert. Marin Marais’s Suite e minor from Pieces en Terio, including Prelude, Cparise, and Passacaille, Jean Marie Leclaire Deuxieme Recration de Musique, Opus 8, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata in G Major for Obbligato harpsichord and violin, Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach’s Trio Sonata in B Minor, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Trio Sonata in G major.
Composition I liked best: The piece I enjoyed most was the opening piece, titled Deuxieme Concert from Pieces de Clavecin en Concert. I think this piece really set the stage for the remaining eight pieces of the concert. The first movement is very lively, with lots of running sixteenth notes and triplets, and a fast tempo, as is common to the baroque style. It makes you think of little wood nymphs of fairies playing mischievously. The tune is bright and clear, dominated by the harpsicord and flute, both of which are soprano, and rather shrill, while the flute does provide a wispy or airy tone that is fantastical. This really brings up the energy in not only the sound, but also in the crowd. People were very responsive to the music, and it immediately engaged them in the concert in a way, I believe, that other pieces of music in the concert would not have.
The second movement, however, is more legato, and takes on a more sinister tone. It makes use of minor tones, and notes that are either uncommon to the cord, or are inside an unresolved cord, in order to generate tension. The emotion in this section is equally poignant, and the contrast between the high created by the first moment, and this more sinister section, moves the music toward the third movement, which returns to the lighter overall characteristics, and the catharsis of the music.
Performance of the work:
I thought that the performance was outstanding. I specifically thought that the arrangement of the music pieces was interesting, both, as previously mentioned, because of the level of engagement created by the first piece, and because the two works by Bach were separated by another individual’s composition. I believe that this is because the order of performance for the compositions were arranged so that the pieces complimented one another, and so the musicality of the overall concert, rather than ordering by composer itself. As a result, the concert serves as an organic whole, which functions as a unit, and moves the audience in a very intentional way.
Seeing the performance of the work live, in concert, was fundamentally different than listening to the same music via a recording for several reasons. First, the dynamics are very different. Inside the church, with the benefit of natural acoustics, and with the music being played live, the movement from piano to fortissimo is more extreme. You not only hear, but feel the change in dynamics, because when you view the concert live you feel the sound waves in a way that you cannot from a recording. Also certain movements are different when you hear it in person than they are in a recording. This is in part because of the real-time listening. When music is recorded each part is often recorded on its own track and then overlapped. In person, however, all the instruments are truly playing together, this means that there are small errors which may enhance the overall sound of the music by making it generally more natural. Also, it allows the musicians together to make decisions about retards, rests, staccato sections and framatas in order to create a sound that is truly unique to that particular performance. These personal touches, the human elements that make a performance complete are essential to the overall musicality of the work.
Overall performance:
Overall the performance was fantastic. I enjoyed not only listening to the musical performance but also watching the body language of the performers, both in their relationship with their instrument and with their relationships with one another. I think that the visual element adds to the intensity of the concert, and the story-telling of each piece. I do not think that the baroque style will ever be my favorite kind of music, but I am glad that I went and experienced this trio first hand.
Works Cited:
Kamien, Roger. Concert-goers' Guide:. Atlanta, GA: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Print.
Hanover Baraoque. 2016, March 5. Salish Sea Music Festival
