Concert

USC Symphony

Describe:

The University of South Carolina's Symphony held a performance at the Koger Center on October 19 at 7:30pm. Three musical pieces were performed: William Schuman's American Festival Overture, Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor and finished with another piece of Schumann's Symphony No 3 in E-flat major. The second musical piece had guest cello Wendy Warner. The symphony is comprised of 80 musicians mastering instruments such as violin I, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba and a percussion area. The performance was about one and a half hours long. The Koger center exhibits a prothsenium stage with a main seating area, an upper deck, and a second deck.

Analyze:

The three different performances sounded very different. A general misconception of symphonies (or classical music for that sort) is that they all sound the same. But as the listener disregards common predispositions, one can hear the different moods, rhythms and emphasis' between the pieces of work. The first piece by William Shuman was of the lighter, airy, feminine mood. The second (with guest cello Wendy Warner) was slow, involved and quiet to showcase the solo cello performance.The mood of this piece exhibited romance. The third and final piece, was at times, sporadic. it had many stops and starts. But ultimately it gave the listener a feeling of lightheartedness. The show as a whole was amazing. The knowledge of the music among the musicians was ingenious. There was a flow among them as they known how to sync their instrument with the various sounds at any point in time.

Interpret:

As many know, these composers lived many years ago. So the modern day struggle may be to keep the intricate music alive. How is this possible? Through modern day symphonies. Because of this I believe there are two main reasons for this art form: one is to challenge a musician to master complex yet beautiful music as a form of expression and two, to pay tribute and keep the sense of classical music alive. Through the medium of symphonies, a society can pursue to keep music alive.

Evaluate: 

I loved the symphony! This wasn't my first visit to a symphony and definitely will not be my last. I am especially fond of the symphony because my mother played in a strings orchestra when i was younger. This exposure led me to an early appreciation of the symphony. I enjoyed the performance not only for the music but the witnessing of integrity among my peers.