Category — Music

Ah!! I just had to express my happiness from going to Carnegie Hall. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it. It was really beautiful, regal, and as big as I was expecting. The structure of the hall looked like that of the opera house, which makes sense. The music really filled the entire room, besides the harpsichord. But I really enjoyed how each instrument was really heard and none, besides the harpsichord, was really overpowered by the others. The musicians really put on a performance because for some of the performance, I remember specifically in the season Winter, their entire bodies were moving, not just their arms. It was as if their entire bodies were involved in the music they were making, and this was really enjoyable to watch. I didn’t imagine performing to be such a physically demanding act, especially since most of the musicians were standing for the whole time. But I think Jeanette was the one who brought up the question in her review of Carnegie Hall: who is the real artist Anne Sophie Mutter or Vivaldi? I have heard the Four Seasons many times, and by different musicians and artists too. I knew going into Carnegie Hall that I was going to enjoy the performance because I love the Four Seasons. But did I like it because of Anne Sophie Mutter and her ensemble of students, or because Vivaldi composed the original music?

For some reason, I thought it was ironic that Anne Sophie Mutter was in the center of the performance in this beautiful bright yellow dress and her students were behind her dressed in black. For some reason, it was as if this was done to make her the showcase of the performance, but I would have appreciated it more if her students were. I felt like they were meant to act as her accents and I would have really liked the personalities of her students to come out a bit, rather than the performance be focused around Anne Sophie Mutter. But I do understand that she is the ringleader of the act and that she is recognized as one of the world’s best violinists. She is a Grammy Award Winner and I see people paying for their tickets to see her, not necessarily her students. I think this is why she kept walking off stage and then back on several times, which I did not understand the reason for until we discussed the trip in class.

If you read my review of the opera, then you know that I do not like to be seated in a closed space and not have much room to move. This was really the only thing that I did not like about Carnegie Hall. The seats were so much closer together and there was less legroom than at the opera. As soon as I sat down, I was uncomfortable and knew that I was going to have to deal with it. I really tried not to let this ruin my experience, because it did at the opera, and I’m sorry if making a big deal out of nothing, but small, confining spaces are my pet-peeve, and I honestly am terrified of them. But this was the only thing that threatened my experience at Carnegie Hall.

I was a part of my high school choir and had the opportunity to familiarize myself with classical music and music that was not considered to be modern or popular. It was a valuable experience because I gained an appreciation for classical choral pieces as well as the typical orchestra pieces. Listening to Mutter was an experience that I appreciated. I do not get an opportunity to listen to classical music often so this trip was something I looked forward to. It was an opportunity to listen to classical music which I could not devote time to since high school.

What I loved about this performance was the passion that the musicians had as they played the pieces. Mutter and her students had a command of the pieces and conveyed through their instruments as well as the way in which they used their bodies. As a musician myself I believe that instruments are an extension of one’s body. The art of music is an art form of the human body. Its draining to passionately sing or play an instrument which is exactly what Mutter did. Performing in this way definitely leaves an impact on the audience.

Going to Carnegie hall to listen to classical music was great. It was amazing to be able to close my eyes and listen to a performance and not have to use my other senses, however being able to look and see all the individual musicians use their bodies as they played their instruments was an amazing feeling. I really enjoyed hearing the four seasons part of the performance since I felt it provided the most emotions with the piece. It was intense to hear the women in the yellow dress(forgot her name) and the (base or cello) player performing together since it was amazing how they would build on one another’s instrument. I guess the only part that was not so enjoyable was when the harpsichord was playing solo, since people would cough and it was at such a low volume you could not really enjoy the music that was being performed.

Overall I really liked being able to go to Carnegie hall and listen to classical music since it was such an amazing and wonderful experience.

I really enjoyed the performance at Carnegie Hall! It was my first time going to a classical music performance which heightened my excitement. I was a little bored during the first act…maybe because I was too excited to hear the Four Seasons. So I definitely preferred the Four Seasons over the first segment, but I really enjoyed both halves of the concert. With my lack of experience and knowledge of classical music, I couldn’t really tell when each season ended and a new one began, but I still knew that my favorite seasons were Winter and Summer (Thanks Hannah for letting me know which was which :)). I especially enjoyed the intensity of Winter and, as Josh said, the change in tempo.

As per the violinists, I felt the same way as Jeanette did in terms of the way they looked like robots! The violin is an instrument that drives the musician into a complicated mental state that they appear as machines.  However, at the same time, I realized the violinists were naturally swaying to their own music! Its so interesting how I found signs of both raw talent and inevitable emotion evoked from the violinists.

This was one of the most anticipated events when I was told we would be going to many culturally stimulating events and attempting to broaden our artistic horizons. All I can say is that I was in complete awe to see how one person can master her instrument. I felt the emotion within the musician and I saw how much work she has poured into something that has truly shaped her life.

My favorite song and movement was Vivaldi’s four seasons specifically the winter one as I just loved the change in tempo while still illustrating the harsh winds of winter.

I really enjoyed listening to the Mutter Virtuosi. Well I suppose it can’t just be limited to the listening, since the atmosphere and the sights contributed to whatever I was feeling as well. And that’s precisely the thing I wasn’t sure of before the performance—if I could close my eyes and experience the same thing with them open.

With my eyes closed, I could easily have been listening to a recording of the music. Not to say that listening to a recording isn’t “good,” but there’s something to a live performance that makes it all the more magical. Feeling the aura of Carnegie Hall—the lofty walls, plush red seats (albeit tight), the tons of music lovers all around—could only happen through the sense of vision. On top of that, watching the musicians as they played was fascinating. At times the harmony was so in sync that it seemed robotic, the way their arms moved back and forth at the exact same angle and speed. It really contributed to what I was listening to: those movements matched the music’s tenser and faster-paced moments, while the graceful swaying of Mutter and her students enhanced feelings of love and freedom that the blissful music expressed. At times they felt like more than musicians; they were dancers. And for me, that induced more than just an appreciation for classical music.

I may not be an expert in the field of classical music, but I know I heard brilliance at Carnegie Hall. It was truly amazing, watching some of the world’s greatest instrumentalists come together to perform compositions of Vivaldi. Since I’m not familiar with classical music at all, it was difficult for me to know when the pieces were finished. It was also difficult to determine what season corresponded to each part in the third performance. However, the use of chords and chordal progressions helped me to figure out the emotions that were trying to be evoked by each instrumentalist.

I didn’t really enjoy the harpsichord solos. To me they seemed to be misplaced, or just unnecessary. It reminded me of how a child sometimes enters an intense scene of adults. The adults are extremely tense and something serious is about to happen. But then, a child somehow manages to come in between the adults and just causes some more problems. I thought the harpsichord could have been done away with. It wasn’t absolutely necessary. It broke the bond that was created by the virtuosi during the performance.

What was truly amazing was the movements that came with the people playing the stringed instruments. Each person had a distinct movement, but each distinct movement was similar to everyone’s around that person. This made it seem like a performance as well. It contributed to the mood and tempo of the pieces. When things got tense, fast, sharp movements were done. When things got playful, bouncy movements were done. And when things were soothing, large strokes by the bow were used, soothing the audience. I truly enjoyed this trip mainly for the way the violinists were able to create such a different atmosphere in the hall. They essentially created an illusion, bringing us into the worlds of some of the greatest composers of all time.

I really did love this event. I love “The Four Seasons” composed by Antonio Vivaldi. Plus, I thought it was awesome that we go those encores at the end. especially the first one, which was a movement in one of the seasons and the last one, “Air” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Just as Jeannette asked, I had thought the same thing… What makes Anne-Sophie better than other professional violinist.? It’s a type of question that I always think of. What makes something better than another?

The performance was generally beautiful. The music was beautiful. I also really enjoyed watching them all play. The synchronization of all the musicians was really cool. At times they even seemed to be feeling the same emotions from the music while they were moving in the same ways.

Winter. That is and was always my favorite, especially the first movement. I love the main violin part. It really just captures me and takes me along with the music. It made my heart physically feel something that I just can’t really explain.

That is a major part when I noticed the fingers on the violin. Anne-Sophie had to move her fingers and her bow so quickly that I couldn’t follow them with my eyes. And (to my ear at least) she didn’t mess up. It was flawless.

Earlier than that, I noticed the fingers specifically on the cello. The reason is because I had some experience with playing the cello and from that I could really understand how hard it is. I tried to imagine myself playing what they were playing (and for that long at a time!) and I thought that I would just fail at it (I mean yes, they are professionals). It makes me sad to think that even with real practice and training (which I hope I could get back to) I won’t be able to play half as good as they do.

But that just shows that this is all they do and it’s their lives. The spend most of their lives playing their respect instruments and performing. Creating the sounds of beautiful music for all of us to enjoy. And for those instances that I am watching them and really sinking into the music, I feel that we’re connected, almost as if I’m playing with them.

(And then a harpsichord solo can bring me back to reality.)

I really enjoyed the concert.  I love classical music, so hearing it played live and non-digital was fantastic. The acoustics in that hall are amazing.  I think because of that, I was able to appreciate the wonders of instruments.  It is almost miraculous that such a plethora of different sounds and tunes could come out from a hollowed out piece of wood and some string.  The variation in volume was also incredible.  They went from super low, to very loud, all with such fluid motions.  Which brings me to the thing I liked most about going to Carnegie Hall.  The visual experience really took the music to the next level.  Watching the musicians move along with their instruments was mesmerizing.  The way their elbows bent in sync and the bobbing of their heads as they slid their bows back and forth was almost like some sort of dance.  Sometimes their moves were ferociously fast, almost like they were slicing their instruments in half, while other times they were being so gentle, it seemed like they were not even touching their instruments at all.  They made the music so much more alive.  I liked the Vivaldi piece the best out of all the ones played.  I don’t know exactly why.  Maybe because it had a theme and was easier to understand ( special thanks to Alex for helping me follow which season we were in and the Playbill, which gave really nice descriptions for each segment of each season ).

Yesterday’s performance was beautiful, I think.

I had a couple of thoughts that may be random or relevant.