Author Archives: egemen inal

On Wednesday march 13 I attended a concert at Roy Barnett Recital Hall.   As soon as I walked into a concert hall I realized this not a usual concert, there were many percussion instruments such as metal and wood, shakers, rattles and a couple more and this ensemble made me very curios since it was my first time to attending a percussion concert. The event featured the composers, Daniel Tones who is an award winning percussionist and Owen Underhill who is a active composer, artistic director and faculty member in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.

The concert start with a great hook that draw all my attention.  Daniel Tones performed the piece called To the Earth by Frederic Rzewski where he played four flowerpots while he speaks.  In this piece the musical and vocal text move simple parallel motion. Calming tunes there were created from the flowerpots and the percussionist speak like storytelling creates a very ritual atmosphere. Next, both performers, played the one the recent works of Owen Underhill and it was called A Symmetry Ritual. This piece was very fascinating because it does not look like anything I have seen before. In left side of the concert hall there were percussion instruments and on the right side there are some other percussion instruments symmetric the each other. Left side instruments were played by Owen Underhill and right side instruments played by Daniel Tones. In nine parts, it utilizes a variety of percussion instruments including frame drum and bongos, alto melodica, bells, whistles, ocarinas, toys and noisemakers. The work plays with symmetries and asymmetries, beginning with both players offstage, progressively moving to meet in the middle and then gradually moving apart again. Third piece was Invisible Cities by Linda Catlin Smith played with the vibraphone. In my opinion this piece, connections in melodic and harmonic material are presented very well, obscured, and again realized through subtle changes in color, texture, and density. And the last piece was Temazcal by Javier Alvarez. This is a piece which include traditional rhythmic patterns found in most Latin America music. In this piece the maracas were used in a accompanimental manner to a type that is played on the background. The sound sources on tape include harp, a folk guitar and double bass pizzicatti for the tape’s attacks, the transformation of bamboo rods being struck together for the rhythmic passages and rattling sounds created with the maracas themselves for other gestures.

Overall, I am very glad that I have attended to this concert and made new experiences. Also had the change of seeing two well know artist performing live. Besides the spiritual setting of the concert help to relaxed during the stressful exam period.

Last Monday, on March 4 I attendant a Spring Concert of the Early Music Chamber Ensembles There were five group of performers each were performing different piece of work mostly from Baroque era. And each group have different number of performers and were using different kind of instruments. I wouldn’t image myself that I would enjoy so much from a concert of vocal and instrumental chamber music. The think I like the most about this concerts is that the chamber ensemble creates very intimate and warm atmosphere. It feels like group of close friends are playing instruments and having a good time.

First group performed the piece called Trio Sonata in B Minor, TWV 42:h6 by Georg Philpp Teleman who is a composer from Baroque era.  This performance was consisted of three parts. One violin, one viola and a harpsichord. It was a very typical trio sonata genre with two melody instruments and a continuo. Harpsichordist was performing continuo part where as violin and viola were used for the melody part.  Listening this piece was a great change for me listen with a critical mind and compare with the elements that I learned in the class. Second group performed the Trio Sonata in D, FaWV N:D1 Minor by Johann Friedrich Fasch. This time, violin and viola replace with two oboes and harpsichord still providing the basso continuo. What attracts my attention the most is that both oboes are being played by one player (mouth), so intimate is their ensemble playing; this suggests a selfless devotion to musical performance, as well a clear stand on baroque performance practice. Next group performed Concerto in G minor by another great composer of Baroque era, Antonio Vivaldi. They performed this song with a flute, oboe, two violin and a harpsichord. My first relation in this song there were more performers than the first two performances. Listening this piece help me to understand characters of Late-Baruque concerto. Fourth group performed Sonata corellisante VI, TWV 42:D8 by again George Philipp Telemann. This time there were four performers, two of them were using flutes, other two were playing gamba and harpsichord. I think this was the performance I enjoyed the most. All the performers were playing passionate and with a harmony which creates a very good chemistry between them. Finally, the last group performed Quartetto in F Major, Op.8, No.3 by Carl Stamitz. This time there were five performers and they were playing oboe, horn, violin, cello and harpsichord. My initial expectation was there should be four performance because there is a usually four performance on Quartetto. And I realized that Quartetto form is very similar to trio sonata only difference is that four music parts performed by their solo melodic instrument and basso continuo.

Overall, this concert was a new experience to me and I did not think that I would enjoy this much. Besides, listening different instruments throughout the concert was very interesting. This concert increased my curiosity to this type of performance. I can’t wait to see an another concert.

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On March 20^th 2019, I had a chance to join concert held by UBC school of music every Wednesday at the Barnet Hall. The name of the event was called the “Toward the Sea- Celebrating Pacific Rim Connections”. The program featured two artist named Mark Takeshi McGregor who is a Canadian flutist with a rich and diverse career as a leading performer and classical avant garde music and Adrian Verdejo on Guitar who is a Canadian classical guitarist living in Vancouver.

The first piece was “Toward the Sea” by Takemitsu. After bit of research I found out that this piece was composed as a contribution to the “Save the Whales” campaign of Greenpeace. Historically, Japan is a whale-hunting nation, this contribution was a political statement. I believe in this piece the composer desires to represent natural sounds such as wind and water by musical instruments. Mark Takeshi Adrian verdejo did a great job on the flute and guitar respectively and portrayed an aural image of ebb and flow of sea waves. The calm and meditative tone of the piece creates a very peaceful atmosphere around the concert hall.

The second piece was Duo I by Ignacio Baca Lobera. I was fascinated to learn that the piece was created in 1992 and that it is meant to be played on flute and guitar and two performers as the name suggests. The performers played the tune in alto. It was soothing and it raised the audience’s spirits. One would think that the piece portrayed the happy moments of a couple in love based on the emotions it evoked.

The third piece was Verdigris by Jocelyn Morlock. It started with a fast rhythm that mostly made us somber and pensive. The melody and rhythm came out so well and it was clear that the performers had lots of skills and experience based on how they maneuvered with the flute and the guitar. I cannot emphasize enough on the tune’s peaceful ending that reminded me of a calm sunset in the beaches of the tropics marked by the calmness of the sea.

Histoire Du Tango was the fourth piece. The musical tune was created by Astor Piazolla and it contained four parts that were all compiled in 1986. The parts include: Bordel 1900, Café 1930, Nightclub 1960, and Concert d’adjourd’hui. The Bordel 1900 began slowly rising in tempo to a fast-paced tune reminding me of the beginning of a storm and ending in a calm and somber like the whispers of an ending storm.

The fifth piece was the Nightclub 1960 was playful and flirty literally evoking the mood of a night club. It had a rippling melody that had a mixture of rising and falling tempo that makes the song danceable and seductive (Charron 2017). Most importantly, the piece inspires happiness and freedom to meet the demands of night life

I had an awesome experience as I attended the Tunes at Noon music concert at noon on 11^th April. The event happened at The Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre in the University of British Colombia. Moreover, the performances were by John Stetch piano who is a famous musician in the Jazz genre of music. Other artists included Mozart and Chopin who showcased their classical works and tunes and much more performances. In addition, music students of the UBC School made their performances together with the alumni. The event was planned through collaboration between the UBC Welcome Centre, music school, alumni and the arts and culture district.

The concert started with a presentation from John Stetch who performed a folk melody in the Japanese culture. Moreover, the performance was lively and exciting as I got to learn the Japanese cultural tunes. Also, I got to learn about Stetch who is a talented pianist in the fusion of melodies from all cultures around the world. In his earlier years, Stetch played the saxophone, but he switched to the piano and has won numerous awards. So far, he has released fourteen CDs, and his fame continues to grow due to his natural talents.

Furthermore, John Stetch has worked in several jazz clubs and performed in many countries across all continents in the world. After the performance, the Mozart took the stage to perform a transcription by John Stetch which was a Sonata. In addition, they played in three parts. The first part was the medium followed by the second part, the quiet funk, and finally the third part the fast bluegrass. R. Evans and J. Livingstone played after the Mozart group, and they sang “never let me go.”

Next on stage was the Fats Waller or the Jitterbug Waltz who performed the song “ain’t misbehaving’ with a lot of energy and excitement. The performances so far were captivating and exciting with sweet melodies and instrument coordination. John Stetch got another chance to perform Zabava which was a medley folk song of the Ukrarin culture. He played the song with a perfect music style and unique features. In addition, his performances were full of humor which made then lively and exciting. Stetch is praised for his rich composition in music and the ability to integrate the music to the audience.

The next performance was by G. marks and S. Simons who performed their song “all of me.” The crowd was getting bigger by this time due to the attractiveness of the tunes and the intrigue it created. In addition, most people were now dancing to the tunes or at least nodding their heads to the beats. B. Bernie and M. Pinkard took to the stage next to perform their song “George Brown”. The performance was short but lively and fun as the crowd cheered while the performers left the stage. Lastly, F. Chopin performed a transcription that was made by John Stetch named “the Polonaise heroic in a flat major.”

I had a great experience during the concert, and I also got a chance to meet the famous musicians who were performing. In addition, I got a chance to relax and have some fun with the crowd as we danced to the beats and tunes. Moreover, the musicians covered various cultural tunes which were new to me hence it was also a learning experience