April 6, 2019: 8pm
I attended this concert because jazz is something that I’m interested in.
The first piece that was played was Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Buffoons.” It sounded like a soundtrack when I heard it. The piece used quick moving lines which I felt sounded kind of like a cold rushing wind. This, with the melodic lines inter-dispersed throughout the piece made it feel very fun and intense. The theme was quite a jolly sounding one and reflected the feel of “buffoons”. Often it was played by the oboe or a small woodwind, which gave it a light feel. Around this was the intense moving line which, to me, set the scene of being in the cold. However, I have not read this story, so I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening.
The second piece was the Piano Concerto in F Major by Gershwin. This was a weird piece to my ears… Perhaps I am not in-tune with jazz, but it was a confusing piece. Overall it was interesting and drew my attention, but the piano sections seemed to sound a bit out of place. This may have just been my lack of experience with piano concertos and with jazz, but the piano seemed to interrupt everything in the piece. In the middle of a rhythmic section, the piano would enter with a slow melodic line. It was always a very interesting line, but I would feel a bit off put by it. There also didn’t really seem to follow the rules of major and minor, which was also very interesting. The melody just flowed here and there. And then suddenly, rhythmic section. It was really interesting because one would randomly show up in the midst of the other. Perhaps I was just very tired, and my brain was unable to process it, but I was very thrown off by the changes…
The last piece by Rachmaninoff (Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27) was much easier for my brain to process. The first movement was very emotional and lyrical, creating a tension of longing. The lines were stretched out amongst the strings and created a feeling of continuity that made me feel like it was a longing for something lost. The solo oboe line in the middle of this piece was used with pure silence, creating a sense of loneliness and which leads to a section of restlessness. The second movement created a tension that was really fun to sit in and listen to. And then, from within the tension came the clarinet, pulling the entire movement into a contented melody. From which it slowly builds up and the restlessness of the constant movement returns. I found it fascinating to also hear how silence played a part in increasing the intensity of the piece. In the middle of the second movement, there is a moment of silence, and then it jumps right back into the fast-paced movement of the strings. The end of this movement slows down and leads into the third movement, where there is suddenly a beautiful melodic line of contentment. The clarinet leads this and creates a sense of peace and rest where there was previously restlessness. In the last movement, the clarinet again was used to call the piece back to the main theme as the orchestra played around with the other themes. It was really interesting to hear the movement building up and then, with the clarinet’s entrance, return to the most familiar theme. Overall, this piece was very expressive and lyrical. It ended with an intense finale and, as with the previous VSO concert I attended, allowed for a firm and impressive closure.