Concert Report

Shengzhi Zhou

MUSIC 1

Professor Javor Bracic

October 9 2016

Concert Report

  Music is always a good thing for people to listen to, relax and enjoy. There was a chance for me to attend the first concert in my life and I was very excited to join the performance.

  On Friday, September 23, at 7:30 p.m., the Queens College Orchestra performed three pieces by conductor Maurice Peress. The program included the El Salon Mexico created originally by Aaron Copland, Knoxville, Summer of 1915 created by Samuel Barber which Singing by Soprano, Jnnifer Russo, and the last piece is HARLEM created by Duke Ellington.

  The two-tier concert hall was just about filled up with enthusiastic crowd. Everyone who was in attendance was casually dressed in nice clothes. The overall feel was really relaxed and everyone seemed like they were enjoying themselves as the night was beginning. The performers were all dressed in black shirts and pants and were very relaxed. Even the music they were practicing is so pleasant to hear and I thought that was first piece. The concert hadn’t even began yet but you could tell it was going to be a joyful night overall for everyone in attendance. 
  The first piece music was like a free life style. When the first key came out, I realized that was major mood. When I was listening to the beginning part of music, I could relate to the people dancing together and all smile. Tempo was like vivace or allegro that sounded so fast. The violin and horn produced rapid speed that make people happy. And I realized the meter piece is duple as I knocked my finger privately. Then music starting with slowly hitting of drum changed to a lower tempo sounded like andanto or moderato. In this part, it sounded like the break time people were rest on the couch. And some combinations of notes were repeated many times during this part and after this part. Then music was as fast as first part. It sounded that those people were dancing again and joyfulness filled the concert hall. Then suddenly music became slower and was in a peace mood. During this part, one instrument that sounded like a frog was very interesting to me. I didn’t find out the name of it but it added some funny element to the music. In the ending part of music, the music was going on in a very fast speed. Just like the first part of music, people going out, singing and dancing together.

  The second piece of music was more slow part than first piece of music. In this music, there was no image like dancing people jumping into my head but a feeling of living in the countryside inspired me a lot. This piece of music was triple meter as I remembered. When the music started, it sounded very sad because of miner mood that were much different with first piece. The beginning tempo of the music was like adagio because it was not fast but slow at ease. Also the beautiful voice of Soprano, Jnnifer Russo gave this music a dreamlike scene by singing a story even though I didn’t understand what she sang. Then music tempo changed to allegro immediately after cadence. It sounded like a very dangerous thing happened. Then music went back to sad mood like first part and singer kept telling the story. And one big instrument that named harp really attracted my attention. It was like the thing that only be handled by angle. And combination of harp and music added another fairytale element that made audience joyful. With the voice turned up, down and stop, music ended.