Monday, November 8, 2010

Band Listening Blog - Lauren Godding

The Shrove-tide Fair From Petrush

I'm impressed at the quick chord changes in this song, how the entire band is able to be so stacatto yet stay in tune. The mood that this style potrays is very exciting - these phrases are telling a story of adventure, clearly. I'm not noticing a lot of percussion in this peice, it is definately dominated by the higher voices, and it works for this peice.

The Crowds from Petrushka Suite

It's hard not to notice the bells in the beginning, even agaisnt the flurries of the flutes and clarinets. They're slurring a lot during the beginning, which is a nice contrast to the next section when everything seems very stacatto and seperate. This back and forth contrast continues throughout the peice, displaying times of slurred/ legato peace and tranquility, and sharp, staccato periods of excitement.

Princesses Khorovod Round
The clarinet solo at the beginning is so piano and delicate that it really puts the image of some pretty princesses in my mind. After researching the story of the Firebird (where this peice is from) I have help on imagining the emotions conveyed by these phrases. The phrases are almost seductive - they creshendo and decreshendo so carefully without ever being louder than metzopiano - just as a princess is supposed to act; attractive but not abrasive.

Infernal Dance of Kashcheys
This is quite a contrast from the last peice, yet from the same Firebird. Here, the lower voices dominate the beginning with stacatto notes, sounding very powerful and masculine. It represents Kaschey, the evil / powerful / masculine wizard. Later in the peice, the counter melodies between the flutes, percussion, and brass present incredible chaos - appropriate for a peice depicting battles.

No comments:

Post a Comment