Author Archives: kong gloria

April 11, 2019: 8pm

This concert is by far the most crazy and different concert I’ve been to in a long time. I decided to attend because I have little to no background in bagpipes. In fact, I had no idea there were different kinds! Cristina Pato plays the Galician gaita, which is the traditional bagpipe played in Galicia, alongside a bass player, an accordion player and a drummer. The first piece they played began without Cristina on stage. She walked in halfway through. They played with silence in this piece, creating space for expectancy, which I thought was great. The style of their music ranged from jazz to solos to folkloric music from many different places. Honestly, I don’t know how to write about this concert.

Cristina also used the breaks between pieces to share about the pieces as they played, introducing each member of the quartet and their background, and expressing the inspirations of the pieces. It was a type of music that I have never experienced before, as I’ve never been to Galicia or Spain or Peru or any of the other places their music was inspired by. As the Galician gaita is used in traditional music, much of the pieces that they played were inspired by the traditional rhythms and styles of different places. As each member of the quartet originated from different places, they played with the styles of each of their homelands. Their performance was done with so much ease and enjoyment that the audience was immediately pulled into the performance.

The way they organized the night was as a journey through cultures. They started with Galicia, because that is where Cristina is from, and played their take on the folkloric music from that area. This included vocals that were fascinating and also solos from the quartet members. The interesting thing about this concert is that it wasn’t about watching the members and just applauding. They wanted to interact with the audience and create a space where people could enjoy themselves while listening to the music.

As they moved from place to place, I could hear how the rhythms and melodies changed and it was fascinating. Although I am not familiar with the original rhythms and melodies, I could hear that they were distinct and different from those that I have heard before. As the drums and the bass played together, I could hear how they played off of each other, improvising and creating on the spot. They knew where they were going and went together in different ways. This is the kind of jazz that I’d wanted to hear and experience. The most interesting part is that the way in which they improvised didn’t come off as wanting to “show off,” as many times it appears as such, but rather of pure enjoyment of making music together. Their music came not from a desire to perform so much as a desire to have fun. I think this made all the difference in how memorable to concert was.

In fact, when asked for an encore, Cristina invited everyone to learn to dance a Galician dance. It was an experience I won’t forget. If you ever have a chance, go to one of their concerts and experience the world!

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.

March 30, 2019: 8pm

This concert I went to on a whim. I’d heard of classical guitar before and was interested to hear what it sounded like in-person. There was also a guest conductor.

The first piece, Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major, also known as Haffner, was the opening. The first movement was very exciting, using the theme very openly and clearly. This made it easy to follow and easy to listen to. It was very festive sounding and upbeat. The second movement made a lot of use of double reeds. The oboe and the bassoon were quite prominent at the beginning. In the last movement, one thing I noticed is that the theme was again very festive, but the theme didn’t finish in its entirety until the very end and repeated the beginning and middle many times. I think the reason it was used in the opening was its pretty extensive use of the double reed instruments. It helped to connect with the second piece.

Before the second piece, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, Pablo Sainz Villegas came on stage to share a bit about the piece. He expressed his interpretation of the piece and what he felt the piece spoke of. He also shared a bit of the background of the composer. The second movement was composed after the death of his child. Villegas felt as though this movement reflected Rodrigo’s experience of fighting with God as he struggled with his loss. This was really expressed as he played the movement. The first movement began with the guitar starting with a theme which is repeated by the orchestra. It then continues to a different theme which plays alongside the bassoon. The cello solo in the middle of the movement also creates an interesting change in pace, and this is repeated with the oboe and the guitar. There is a lot of interaction between the melody/theme the guitar plays and that which the orchestra plays. Unlike the Brandenburg concerto we heard in class, rather than having a concertino that plays alone, the guitar is interwoven with the orchestra, creating a mix that reflects interaction and relationship. At the end of the movement, the bassoon (or English horn?) and the guitar play in unison to end. I found this really interesting because Villegas spoke of how the English horn was used by Rodrigo to express the “voice” of God. The second movement began with the guitar strumming as the background to the English horn’s solo, which introduced the main theme. It was a beautifully haunting melody. This theme is then repeated on the guitar with flourishes and more expressive (the tempo is stretched and manipulated). The English horn then responds with another take on the theme. The way the two instruments interact with the same theme in such an expressive way made tears come to my eyes. With a melody that was hauntingly memorable and played with such expression, this movement was very emotional. The solos were used in a way that expressed so much in very little. The final movement was also expressive but the theme itself was more upbeat and the piece itself ended with the guitar playing a final riff that closed with the orchestra and guitar repeating the same note three times, like a farewell. This piece was so good. The theme was passed from guitar to orchestra to guitar etc. Very memorable piece.

After this piece, Villegas played two solo songs, Paganini’s “La Campanella” and Tarrega’s “Recuerdos de la Alhambra.” I never thought the guitar could sound so expressive and melodic until this concert. Would definitely recommend to anyone who’s interested.

The last piece, I felt, was also included because of its prominent oboe/double reed line. In Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 in C Major, the oboe line is used to lead the rising line and creates much of the movement in the piece. The ending is very grand and fanfare-like which lifts the entire mood of the space. By using this, it created a closure for the night and was quite a listen.

February 13, 2019: 12pm

The first piece was very interesting as it started out with only one hand. As the second hand joined, I could hear the same melodic line repeated from one hand to the other which surprised me. Usually, when I listen to music, I don’t notice these sorts of things. The piece then moved to a slower section where both hands played together, creating harmonies. I also didn’t think that the piece would be so slow, as the toccata’s I’ve heard before are usually faster-paced and with a lot of movement. However, it picked up again halfway through. The left hand started with the theme and the right hand repeated the same as the left hand continued. This song was a great pick to start off the program as it pulled the audience in with it’s interesting beginning.

The second piece, a nocturne, began with a beautiful and slow melodic section. However, it changed to a really fast-paced arpeggio-like section, which surprised me and confused me at first. But as the song continued, the first melodic section fused with the faster section, creating a very aurally interesting piece. There was a guy sitting in front of me who fell asleep during this piece, which made me laugh. The piece had a really interesting shape to it and seemed to be always morphing as it went on. It seemed to me to be quite unregulated with its rhythms and melodic shape. Overall it is a song that I enjoyed. The slower sections were melodic and expressive, while the faster sections created intensity and complexity. It was cool to hear the mix of the two.

The third piece, Légende No. 2 “St-François de Paule: marchant sur les flots” seemed to tell a story to me. I felt like I heard water flowing and rushing around as the piece went on. It was like an experience with turmoil and fear while a sense of consistency was underlying the tension. The piece seemed to have an ongoing melody in one hand as the other created a lot of intensity and movement. Halfway through, it sounded to me like there was some sort of transformation to calmness. I felt as though it was like the feelings left behind by a sunset. Where there is an intensity of emotion as the sun is setting because it’s beautiful and breath-taking but after it’s gone, there’s a sense of contentment and reflection. That there was beauty and now, after enjoying it, it is time to return.

The last piece that Jalbert played was the Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 29 “After old notebooks.” I thought it a really interesting piece because the melody was beautiful but inter-dispersed was many a deep growl of bass. As I saw the title of the piece before I heard it, I felt like these were like the parts of the notebooks that were aged. The Andante assai section had a beautiful melody but kept these growls throughout the piece as well. It ended softly and gently but the growl was still there. The last movement, the Allegro con brio, ma non leggiere was very intense. I struggled to find a continuous melodic line at the beginning, but there were certain melodic lines that appeared here and there. It was such a fascinating piece. As the song continued, there was so much to hear that I was quite overwhelmed. However, because it was such a piece, it ended the program beautifully as an intense finale.

February 2, 2019: 7:30pm

This opera was the first that I have ever attended, so I did not know what to expect as I entered the hall. As I sat down and looked at the stage, there was a set; two risers on either sides and a structure in the centre that had the appearance of pillars with multiple ramps. Again, I had no idea what to expect. Before the first act, I perused the program. Finding the synopsis, I read it quietly as the rest of the audience filled the room. Looking back, having read the synopsis really helped me to understand what was going on as I watched. Anyways, there I was, sitting there on the edge of my seat awaiting the first notes of an orchestra I couldn’t see. The lights dimmed as the orchestra struck the first chords…

The overture began with such force that I was immediately drawn into the intensity of the music. I noticed that the piece included a lot of quick, moving parts which I think increased the tension and expectancy that I felt as it began. The first piece began, with intensity and movement, creating a sense of urgency and drawing me into the story. When the three ladies appeared, I was struck by their stage costumes. Each one wearing a different colour with very different styles, I found it fascinating and beautiful. As each entered (singing), they each had a slightly different colour of performance which helped me understand why they’d each been given their own colour. It was also very fun when they physically expressed their desires to stay with Tamino and to not allow the others to stay. They would pull each other away and looked at each other with intensity. Another thing I noticed is Papageno’s pieces often included him literally playing his pipes, which created a very light feel to the song. The young man who played Papageno was on the smaller side and this, plus his costume, created a wonderful representation of the character. His expressions of wanting to find a girl were paired with a group of bird ladies, which flitted around him as he sang. It was a great way to reflect the way in which he desired to catch a woman but was unable to take hold. As the Queen of the Night arrived, I was struck by the strength of her song. It was intense and emotional from her longing to see her daughter. Yet, suddenly, as she declared Tamino as the hero who would rescue Pamina, her song began to have intense runs in a very high register. I was a bit confused but also fascinated by the way her song changed.

The other piece I noticed was very interesting was Papagena and Papageno’s song. As they sang together, the song itself moved with their emotions and interactions, which I thought was cool. Another thing I noticed was that there was one melodic line that was repeated many times throughout the piece. It created something very memorable for me and whenever I heard it, I felt like it lightened the overall story.

Overall, when I left the hall after the opera ended, I was left feeling very overwhelmed by the entire show. It was so intense and beautiful that I was left in wonder by the skill of the singers and the creativity of the opera and its story. This was the first opera I’ve attended but it definitely won’t be the last.