Silly Symphonies

Hello. This is the life of Frederic Chopin. Fryderyk Chopin, the polish variation of his name, was born in Zelazowa Wola, 46 kilometers west of Warsaw. The baptismal record gives his birthday as February 22, 1810, and cites his given names in the latin form, Fridericus Franciscus. However, the composer and his family used the birthdate March 1st. Nicolas Chopin, Frederic’s father, was a Frenchman from Lorraine who had emigrated to Poland in 1787. Nicolas tutored children in the Polish…

The Mahler Orchestra concert was performed in Baker Hall at 8pm, December 9, 2016. The audience consisted of around 200 people and there were a number of students, faculty, retired seniors and orchestra alumnus. The event was more formal and many were dressed appropriately for the concert. The general response was very respectful and the applause was only given when the conductor’s arms were down. I truly enjoyed this performance and I was impressed by the philharmonic orchestra. The…

Music, throughout history, has been the marker of each era. Every period of music with its own distinct style and execution showcasing the change in the style of that particular time. This is the reason you can listen to the multiple eras throughout the history of our world and hear a timeline of our pasts as musicians. As you listen through the baroque with great composers such as Bach and Vivaldi and on to the the Classical period with proteges like Mozart and Beethoven. Finally before…

Waltz was a kind of music related to the theme of dance. It replaced elegant but artificial court dance in the old days and reflected the spirit of the new era. Viennese Waltz slightly anticipated the second beat of each measure, making it sound as if the third was late and creating a certain buoyancy. It was popular in Europe, especially in Vienna, because no matter nobility or common people, they liked music and dances. In addition, Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II were the…

The second concert to go to was on saturday November 4th at 8pm at Stony Brook University’s Staller center. The atmosphere of being at staller felt pleasant and relatable as I was not going to the symphony just for an assignment, but rather as a guest ready for a good show. Awaiting for the symphony to begin, sitting at the top final row on the room, I realized my surrounding was that large amounts of older folks wore presentable outfits, students with casual attire, and the orchestra wearing…

The article titled ‘Barenboim’s Olympian Enterprise’ written by Richard Morrison was published in the ‘Australian’ newspaper in July of 2012. Outlining the significance of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, whilst reporting on the remarkable work of Daniel Barenboim. Morrison quotes Barenboim directly and writes the article from a view that undoubtedly supports the orchestra, leaving the reader wanting to discover more. It outlines Barenboim is leading a very busy life and he himself…

On Saturday, May 7th, 2016, the University Wind Symphony held a farewell performance in the Meng Concert Hall. Jean Ferrandis, a flute player and Bill Cunliffee, the pianist were two faculty artists of the night’s concert. The performers were elated to show off the songs they have worked hard on as a group. The show consisted of a variety of songs from classical, jazz, and mash ups of popular songs that entertained the audience and represented how well the orchestra worked together to create the…

Obituary for Friedrich Schmidt Friedrich Schmidt was born in Trossingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. His dad is a famous cello player for the Berlin Philharmonic. His mom died when Friedrich was 2 or 3 years old. Friedrich was the conductor for the Empire Philharmonic. Before he became the conductor of the Empire Philharmonic, he had conducted the The Tchaikovsky in Germany. Then Friedrich got the opportunity to move to New York City to conduct the Empire Philharmonic. Going back to Friedrich’s…

Music on Monday by Phillip O. Paglialonga Concert Review I attended Phillip Paglialonga’s performance on September 12th. I was really glad that I am able to enjoy the music after a day of study, especially on Monday. It was my first time attending this Monday recital session at Squires, and I am hoping to attend more because of the high quality this performance. Beginning with a classical string quartet with the clarinet, I was attracted by the ensemble of the first violin, the second violin,…

This concert was to showcase the international pianist Molly Morkoski and as well the master class the after day. Prof. Morkoski is an instructor of Piano at CUNY-Lehman College in the Bronx, New York and has come all the way across the country to showcase her marvelous piano playing. One idea that really captured my attention in the program notes is the program and the choice of pieces; some are great piano repertoire and while one of them is an orchestrated piece. Starting off the concert…