Concert review

The Journey to a Lion’s Castle: The Concert was attended on 6th May at Gavin Theatre, SBCC West Campus. It was a part of the SBCC Concert SeriesSpring 2012. The concert was scheduled to begin at 7: 00 pm on the evening of 6th May and the entire atmosphere surrounding the theatre was in accordance to the anticipation of a melodic extravaganza through the performance of the finest compositions of the finest composers of the contemporary era. The performances lined up for the evening included Journey to a Lion’s Castle (Rossano Galante), Façade (Dr. Charles Wood III), The Wind in the Willows (Johan de Meij), Crown Imperial (William Walton arr. W. J. Duthoit), Hans Christian Andersen Suite Soren Hyldgaard arr. Johan de Meij and Mother Hubbard (John Phillip Sousa). It was an evening meant for the soul to wander into the world of melody and unfettered musical imagination.
The performance of this composition has heavy usage of brass and wind instruments. The sound moulded and shaped by the different wind instruments covering different frequency ranges in terms of tonal quality and also covering the musical octave. The performance at a glance was brass instrument orchestration with trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, flutes etc forming the instrumentation of the performance.
The performance of the composition was predominantly of Duple Meter, in certain parts varying slightly to a double duple or triple meter (Hal Leonard Corporation 1). A multi instrumental and multi layered composition the performance showcased the dextrous application of a wide variety of brass instruments to create a resonant, soothing and rich output much like a full-fledged orchestra with a complete range of instruments. The flutes and clarinets served as the sustained background of tone supporting the trumpets playing the solo line of the composition. The heavy and simultaneous usage of multiple brass sections, percussion, xylophones and drums make the composition belong to Polyphonic texture. Multiple instruments can be clearly distinguished. The melody of the song is wavelike in nature. The performance reflects the majestic elements of thought put into the composition for example a feeling of heightened excitement and anticipation.
A musical work of Rossano Galante brings a feeling of happiness, joy, celebration and mirth. Through the varying intensities of tenor saxophones and baritone trumpets the effect is unparalleled. It introduces a feeling of independence and unrestrained through the legato type application of the brass instruments. The overall composition as heard and originally meant to be is mellow, dramatic, full of rejoice and in a wave like manner. No sharp, sudden or discordant notes or jumps are heard in the rendition of this brass concerto. It has a unique and progressive chord pattern moving from major chords across the scales (i. e., scale shift or tonic change) which increases the pleasure of perception of this musical composition (Hal Leonard Corporation 1).
The composition was played to perfection and demonstrated the pleasant fusion of percussive elements and melodic elements like snares, cymbals, crash cymbals, bells, xylophones with brass orchestra. The entire frequency range was covered. What was unique was the flawless conducting of an orchestra having so many varieties of wind instruments. They were timed perfectly and synchronised so well that at times it sounded like a unified sound harmonised accurately. The smooth flow of clarinets and saxophones in the mid range frequency provided the base grain of the music on whose backdrop the lead wind instruments played the solo lines. The timings of the crash cymbals added to the drama of the song and were also characterised with perfect timing and proportion. In short, the performance demonstrated perfection, proportion, harmony and skilful execution of the playing of a wide range of wind instruments (Hal Leonard Corporation 1).
Work Cited
Hal Leonard Corporation. The Journey to a Lion’s Castle. 12 May 2012. Web. 12 May 2012.