On February 13, 2019 I was provided the amazing opportunity to go and appreciate the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Gabriel Fauré, Franz Liszt and Sergei Prokofiev’s performed by David Jalbert on the piano. I found this experience to be enriching and more enjoyable to listen to since we have been learning about different textures and forms of music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. I was completely blown away by the speed and dexterity of which Jalbert was able to move around, up and down the keyboard. He is incredibly talented and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to see a piano performance live. There is something about being in the atmosphere and the room of a theatre space that is strikingly different than just listening to songs that have been previously recorded. The beautiful sounds of the piano filled the Barnett Hall and I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be able to sit there for another hour listening to the sweet sounds of the keys. Moreover, there were many elements of the four works that Jalbert performed in which I would have never noticed if I hadn’t been educated and informed of the specific elements to listen for in the songs. There were four songs that Jalbert beautifully performed:
- Toccata in C minor, BWV by Bach
- Nocturne No. 2 in B major, Op. 33 No. 2 by Fauré
- Légende No. 2 “St-François de Paule: marchant sur les flots” by Liszt
- Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29 “After old notebooks” by Prokofiev
- Allegro molto sostenuto
- Andante assai
- Allegro con brio, ma non leggiere
There were three songs that Jalbert performed that I felt I was able to connect with on a more intellectual level stemming from the concepts we have been learning in music class. In Bach’s Toccata in C Minor, the use of imitative polyphony was very evident. It was in this moment that concepts from the course provoked me to wonder: Since Bach was a Lutheran composer of the Baroque era, why was he using imitative polyphony? Was this evidence of the old entering the new – or perhaps evidence of “Second Practice”?
Légende No. 2 “St-François de Paule: marchant sur les flots” by Liszt and Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29 “After old notebooks” by Prokofiev greatly reminded me of what we have been learning about Purcell and Opera Seria or perhaps Händel’s Oratorio, “Israel in Egypt”. I felt that when listening to these pieces, that there was a story being told. Likewise to these two works, there was emotion and expression put in to the music such as pounding sounds on the bottom half of the keyboard to demonstrate feelings such as impending doom or a sort of heaviness. This contrasted light, quick moving melodies on the top of the keyboard, demonstrating more happy and sprightly feelings. This also reminded me how Purcell and Händel’s works were put on in small spaces with low-budgets and how the music had to demonstrate emotion within itself through its texture and form.
All in all, I found this to be a fruitful experience. I am looking forward to attending many more concerts in the future and being able to apply all my new knowledge towards the appreciation of music.