Concert

On April 23, 2005 Pasadena City College held a concert in the Sexson Auditorium. The name of the concert was called "Lord of the Rings." I had never attended a live classical concert before so this was my first one and I was excited about it. As I entered the auditorium the seats were facing the center of the stage. Speakers were mounted on the wall at each side of the stage and they faced the audience. The lights were dim in the auditorium. Not many people attended the concert and I was relieved because I did not want to be distracted with other people there talking. The group performing was the Pasadena City College Orchestra conducted by Jo Raquel Stoup and the Lancer Concert Band conducted by James Arnwine.

One song I chose to write about was After a Gentle Rain which was a neoclassical suite. This piece was a two movement piece composed by Anthony Iannaccone in 1981. The first movement was "The Dark Green Glistens with Old Reflections" and it was not a very appealing song for me. The movement itself had some repetitive parts. As it went on and on I became very uncomfortable because I felt very weary. Honestly I felt bored and sleepy and I notice myself drifting of. The second song I chose to write about was the second movement, "Sparkling Air Burst with Dancing Sunlight," and it was so much interesting than the first. The song described in much detail about what happens when the rain stops. It mentions how the rain is gone and that the day's going to be a bright, sunny, shinny day. This piece was very much similar to how Rite of Spring by Stravinsky describes spring. Both the pieces convey images of nature with music.

Symphony No.1 (The Lord of the Rings) by Johan De Meij, performed by both the orchestra and the concert band, was the most outstanding piece of all. This piece was a neoclassical developed around the 1988 which won the Sudler Composition Award in 1989. This piece was based on the Lord of the Rings trilogy written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The first movement, "Gandalf the Wizard," begins with a fanfare representing Gandalf. What struck me about this song was how the trumpets blowing loudly and the other instruments emphasized how great and majestic Gandalf was. The movement follows with Gandalf's ride on his horse, Shadowfax. The sound of the drums beating with a fast tempo seemed to be describing Shadowfax galloping. Gandalf also seemed to be traveling through a treacherous land because some parts of the movement sounded like danger.