Summer Breeze Pops Concert

August 26, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Every quarter in school we are required to write a Concert Review about a performance we went and saw (but did not play in). I wrote this one early about a concert I went to see last night. Apart from handing this in to my orchestra teacher, I'd like to share it with all of you!

As you may or may not know, in July me and my family went to see the West Suburban Symphony perform a variety of movie music outside on a beautiful clear evening. Conducted by Frank Winkler, this concert was no different – although one difference was my violin teacher played in it! It was a wonderful evening last night as well, and there were vocalists and a large variety of music ranging from Rossini’s William Tell Overture to Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. From ‘classical’ 20th Century music to newer hits, this concert was a fabulous one I would enjoy listening through again!

The music in the concert was brilliantly selected. John Williams’ America, the Dream Goes On, though a song I had never heard before, was a piece I could still recognize as the work of Williams, because in my head whenever I play or listen to his music I have this distinct tonal viewpoint in how he writes his compositions that sets him apart from other movie soundtrack composers like Howard Shore or Alexandre Desplat. One quick example of this is the Harry Potter films; the music of the first three films has a different feeling than the music of the other five. Although his song was beautiful, I think my favorite had to be Bolero by French composer Maurice Ravel. The piece was meant for ladies to perform a graceful dance on a table and then fall into the arms of their lovers. Discussing the piece alone, however, I thought it was beautiful and graceful, and had hints of spices only a Spanish song can bring.

While watching the performance, there were, of course, many things to look at. While the orchestra was playing, I could not see the stage from where I was sitting, so most of the time I had my eyes shut so as to allow me to “see” the music better. Although I did get up during intermission to say “hello” to my violin teacher, and I did notice they had stand-lamps (like in May’s Pops Concert). Unlike the last concert in July, my family brought blankets and, from 6:30 to 7:00 while waiting for the show to start we had a little picnic with chicken, carrots, wraps, and even apple-banana muffins. And, of course, the concert was outside, so along with the music we could hear cicadas chirping and nighttime bugs buzzing around. Apparently on the stage in the middle of a piece, two cicadas mated, which was an interesting sight to see. I did not see it; I merely heard about it by the conductor.

Out of all the pieces the one I recognized the least (well, actually, I did not recognize it at all!) was Finian’s Rainbow. The film came out in 1947, and though Burton Lane was the main composer for the film’s soundtrack, he had another person help him out with lyrics, and that was E.Y. Harburg. Harburg found lyric-writing nerve-wracking and hard on the brain; however for this piece he found inspiration about the story took over and he managed to, with research in Irish poetry, create fantastic lyrics to Lane’s orchestra. Here is a quote I found that he stated in 1970 at New York: "The magic in song only happens when the words give destination and meaning to the music and the music gives wings to the words. Together as a song they go places you've never been before. The reason is obvious: words make you think thoughts. Music makes you feel a feeling. But a song makes you feel a thought. Songs are the pulse of a nation's heart, a fever chart of its health. Are we at peace? Are we in trouble? Are we floundering? Do we feel beautiful? Do we feel ugly?...listen to our songs...The lyricist, like any artist, cannot be neutral. He should be committed to the side of humanity.” I really like this quote because it describes the combining of orchestra and, well, bands today, and how this combination can allow you to feel emotions and think about the words of the piece. It was also the start of a new era in popular music.

The concert was an amazing experience, especially considering the fact my violin teacher played in it! It really tells a fantastic story of how movie and musical music created stories for the plot, and I had a blast listening to the symphony and picking out different melodies, rhythms, and even dynamics. I hope this concert will inspire me to compose my own music, just as July’s did.

Here is a link to July’s Concert Review (although I did not follow any direct format): Click here!

Here is a link to some information about Finian’s Rainbow, as well as the quote: Click here!

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Summer Breeze Pops Concert

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