Tuesday, November 12th, was the Faculty Chamber Music Concert. The concert featured music by four prominent composers. The Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values hosted the concert. The perfect location for this performance was the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values. The performance featured three performers: Barbara Prescott and Maurizio Venturini. There was also three instruments played. Barbara played the flute and Maurizio was the bassoon. Grigorios was the pianist. I found the music very creative and talented after listening to them performed by their real composers. Johann Joachim Quantz’s Trio Sonata was the first piece. Joachim Quantz, a German flutist and flute maker, was also a composer of baroque music. Barbara Prescot was the performer of most parts in the Sonata. The flute was played beautifully by her, and the whole crowd stared at her in amazement. Barbara was easily my favorite composer for the whole concert. Her comfort with music and ease of use made it seem effortless to her. The concerto started with the flute. Then came the bassoon. These two instruments worked perfectly together. The piece was divided into four movements: Allegro, Allegro, Adagio and Allegro. Each movement had a different texture, with the solo violinist creating a harmony and the other instruments adding their own textures. The solo violinist was able to hear the monophony. Once the other instruments had been added, it changed to Homophony. Although the tempo seemed to change, it remained fairly constant. Barbara maintained control over her solo’s and the pace of the others. The entire piece was performed with great ease. Every movement was well-executed, and each instrument played well together to create an excellent beat. Antonio Vivaldi (a baroque composer) composed the second movement. He was an influential musical composer in his era. The Concerto for Bassoon was performed in B-flat Major. The piece began with all instruments being combined. They started off forte and then became quieter and louder. Especially in the concerto’s long solo, the bassoon was clearly heard more than the rest of the instruments. The chorus was composed of all instruments. As the chorus got quieter, one instrument would stand out more. It was clear that there were three movements to the piece: Allegro Largo Allegro. This piece had a lot transparency, which was evident in the way the musicians held back. But there were also moments of excitement. The third movement, Ballade for Piano and Flute Op.288, was composed by Carl Reinecke. He was a German composer/conductor/pianist in the middle romantic age. The flute then added beautiful melodies to the melody. The flute and piano combined their solo pieces into one another throughout the entire piece. It was mostly in triple meter. The melody, which was created by the flute & piano, did not seem consistent but seemed to repeat itself later in this piece. The piece was a bit confusing at times. One part seemed to have an end. However, the piano would play another note, and the song would continue with the flute accompaniment. The uniqueness of this piece is due to the many harmonies and pitches that were combined to make it. Jean Baptiste Breval (a french cellist/composer who made a lot more instrumental pieces than he did vocal pieces) concluded the concert. This was Symphonie Concertante Op.31 F Major. The opening of this piece featured the bassoon playing a deep tone and then getting brighter in its tone color. This piece had three movements, which were easily identifiable. Maestoso, the first movement, was played by the bassoon in its entirety. After that, the flute took the lead and performed a solo. The orchestra worked in harmony for the majority of the movement. The piece had many contrasts in its tempo and dynamics. However, the movement ended in harmony with the whole orchestra joining forces to make a strong last note. Next came the Andante movement. The bassoon began by following a rhythm, adding dark tone color as flute started to create a rhythm. The two musicians played well together and demonstrated their proficiency in playing their instruments. The piece’s finale was in rondo. It started very fast but then the pace picked up as the flute played with the bassoon.
The musicians’ ability to perform all music was evident throughout the concert. The performers performed well and were very entertaining. The pieces worked together well, although I think the first symphony should have been opened as it was more entertaining and had a faster pace. It was great that the performers played pieces from both Romantic and Baroque periods. The whole performance was very professional and flowed nearly flawlessly. Every piece was performed correctly and enthusiastically. It was amazing to see how the performers were able to work together in solo pieces as well as when performing in homophony.
