Author: nickbragman

Fall For Dance: NYDC, Patricia Brown

October 19, 2014 / nickbragman / 0 Comments

This post-modern dance was highly unappealing. I do not know much about the technicals of dance, so I cannot say if the dance was properly executed, but the music and the visual flow of the dance were aggravating watch and listen to. The dancers appeared almost limp, and the music sounded like an excerpt of a satanic ritual. The entire performance was hypnotic, but not engaging. The performance seemed like depiction of purgatory, but I do not know what the dancers were trying to convey to the audience.

The Magic Flute: Orchestral Music

October 19, 2014 / nickbragman / 0 Comments

The orchestra both countered itself and the vocals. The wind ensemble and stringed instruments played in a call and response manner in the absence of vocals, and the low brass and bass played off of the treble instruments, and the music’s up and downbeats were easily felt. The orchestra would accommodate each vocalist. When Papageno sang, the supplementary music was mainly soft chords to provide harmonies to the bass vocals without overpowering him. When the Queen of the Night sang, the higher instruments played the staccato melody to amplify the high notes, and the lower instruments played staccato fills in intervals of once or twice per measure almost as a response to the melody.

Valley of Astonishment: Acting

October 18, 2014 / nickbragman / 0 Comments

The Acting in The Valley of Astonishment strayed far from that of a traditional theatre production. The cast of only three actors played about ten different characters. Each actor performed individually as a victim of synesthesia, and reacted to it in his or her own way. Coping with synesthesia elicited feelings from anxiety, to loneliness, to depression, which shows the realistic variation in reactions people have dealing with a similar situation. The actors also included audience members in the performance, and had to improvise in conversations with the audience. The show ended very abruptly, and I, along with most people had no idea that the show was over until the actors came out to bow. The acting was extremely unique and captivating with several character soliloquies and poetic writing.