Xinzhu (Zoe) Ma
Music History II
March 25th, 2016
From the Old To the Folk: Dvorák and Haydn
On a chilly Friday night, Nichole and I went to the Ohio Theatre for the concert featuring music by Dvorak and Haydn. The solemn air swelling in the street and the dazzling atmosphere in the concert hall supplemented my expectation towards the concert; when we finally sat on our seats, I couldn’t wait for it to start. The concert includes not only the works of Haydn and Dvorak, but also of a Native American composer, Christopher Theofanidis. With the leading conductor Robert Moody, featured violinists Kenichiro Matsuda and Joyce Fishman, and later the soloist cellist, Mark Kosower, the concert began with a warm welcome and headed straight to the first piece …show more content…
The wind chorale and the flute solo were lovely and the strings were very sensitive and strengthen the whole orchestra. The third movement scherzo is hands-down my favorite movement; It’s Czech folk dance rhythm is so appealing as if I was standing on the road or in an concert hall in 19th century Czech. The triple and double meters mix together and this repetitive rhythmic pattern and the unsettling tremolos of cellos and basses prevent music to be relaxed in the slower trio section; short after the memorable theme comes back. The movement ends brilliantly. The finale Allegro begins with a dramatic opening; the timing and balanced were carefully controlled by Moody. The dark mood is in contrast to most melodies heard in this symphony and it is infused with that dark-hued passion. The brightened major-key bursting through the minor tensions at the very end declared a kind Beethovenian salvation; and the Folk-like theme leads to one of Dvorak’s grandest and the most brilliant ending, freezing the tensions created in the gesture full of pathos and
Music History II
March 25th, 2016
From the Old To the Folk: Dvorák and Haydn
On a chilly Friday night, Nichole and I went to the Ohio Theatre for the concert featuring music by Dvorak and Haydn. The solemn air swelling in the street and the dazzling atmosphere in the concert hall supplemented my expectation towards the concert; when we finally sat on our seats, I couldn’t wait for it to start. The concert includes not only the works of Haydn and Dvorak, but also of a Native American composer, Christopher Theofanidis. With the leading conductor Robert Moody, featured violinists Kenichiro Matsuda and Joyce Fishman, and later the soloist cellist, Mark Kosower, the concert began with a warm welcome and headed straight to the first piece …show more content…
The wind chorale and the flute solo were lovely and the strings were very sensitive and strengthen the whole orchestra. The third movement scherzo is hands-down my favorite movement; It’s Czech folk dance rhythm is so appealing as if I was standing on the road or in an concert hall in 19th century Czech. The triple and double meters mix together and this repetitive rhythmic pattern and the unsettling tremolos of cellos and basses prevent music to be relaxed in the slower trio section; short after the memorable theme comes back. The movement ends brilliantly. The finale Allegro begins with a dramatic opening; the timing and balanced were carefully controlled by Moody. The dark mood is in contrast to most melodies heard in this symphony and it is infused with that dark-hued passion. The brightened major-key bursting through the minor tensions at the very end declared a kind Beethovenian salvation; and the Folk-like theme leads to one of Dvorak’s grandest and the most brilliant ending, freezing the tensions created in the gesture full of pathos and