Wolfgang Iser

Track1: The Firebird, finale 1. The first few minutes of this piece are pianissimo, and I must say I enjoyed the extreme softness in the beginning of the symphony. As I was listening I noticed the crescendo throughout the piece until about one minute and thirty four seconds. Then the orchestra was playing pianissimo again for just a few seconds. I then heard another crescendo. I think this lasted throughout the rest of the symphony. I did notice the end of the piece went decrescendo for just a…

The piece opens with a long low somewhat ominous blowing in the woodwind section. The string section accompanies the woodwind, building the shadowy dark tension. Gradually this sound builds and builds into a great rumbling crescendo. The music then gallops off from there into a cheerful frenzy that rises and falls like dancers in a colorful dance. It is played predominantly by the strings along with woodwind. The feeling is light and happy. A slight rolling in the percussion builds excitement.…

The Concert opened with Divertimento in D major, K. 136/125a in Allegro. This piece began with the violins providing a very lively tempo. It evoked feelings of happiness and excitement. It was played by a strings orchestra only, which included the cellos. The mood became more dramatic as it progressed. The symphony played in unison producing a harmony of tone colors. I also enjoyed the syncopation of this movement, in which the offbeat notes were beautifully accented. The second movement was…

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. At twenty, he abandoned his academic studies at the University of Leipzig and over the next six years gained practical experience conducting in provincial theaters. He married the actress Minna Planer when he was twenty-three and produced his rst operas at this time. He wrote the librettos himself, as he did for all his later works. In this way, he was able to unify music and drama more than anyone had before. Wagner’s early opera, Rienzi, won a huge…

The first piece I will depict is “Eyeglasses Duo”. This a duo played with a viola and a cello, which were performed by James VonValkenburg and Wei Yu. It began with the viola playing energetically, followed by the cello. Throughout this piece, it sounded like the two performers were chasing each other. The piece was played with two movements that have a playful tune. Each of the instruments played the them but the other performer would accompany. In this duo, the second movement is rarely…

I am at the Museo del Novecento, in Milan, Italy, learning about Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. This bronze sculpture was created in 1913 during the Cubism and Futurism periods. Though the trip was costly, I decided to go anyway to learn more about this extraordinary piece. The work portrays a runner in full speed; its legs facing forward, display the speed and power of the runner. The cost of traveling to the city, roundtrip, reached a little over $1,400 of airfare,…

Hi all! I'm Benet Landon. Today I'd like to share a little bit about myself. I'd like to share a couple of links that I like to think represent me a little bit. The first link is to the YouTube video of Kenny G's song "Songbird" which may be my favorite musical piece of all time. I have always been very connected with the sound of the saxophone for reasons unbeknown to me. Generally I prefer the alto or tenor saxophone but personally I think the saprano sax in here is absolutely marvelous. The…

Ellens dritter Gesang is written in strophic form like many other religious songs, repeating the same melody for every verse. This places importance on the lyrics and forces the listener to focus on the text rather than the melody. The melody is nevertheless attractive and simple, thus is easy to sing in church or at a religious gathering. Just like in many religious pieces, the song implements plagal cadences to create a greater effect of holiness and righteousness (Audio reference 4). The song…

The most expensive violin ever sold Have you ever pondered upon the most expensive violin in the world? More importantly, have you ever imagined how old and precious it could be? If you haven’t, then you are in for a big surprise. The most expensive violin in the world is older than The United Sates of America! Yes, it's 273 years old. The Vieuxtemps Guarneri is a more than two centuries old musical instrument with a record of never requiring a major repair. The violin was made by famous 18th…

Gustav Mahler gained the majority of his success in the later years of his life. Some of the work that made him famous where works written and performed closest the time of his death. His funeral was attended by a smaller group of people than many of the composers before him. Even his wife Alma Mahler was unable to attend due to doctor orders. Johannes Brahms died many years before Gustav Mahler. Since he didn’t have a wife and his close friend had already passed, the funeral was much smaller…