Classical Music Concerto

Introduction

On Thursday, October 27, 2011. I had the pleasure of watching the Minnesota Orchestra perform in Carnegie Hall. The musical comprised of forms from both the Baroque Era (1600-1750) and the Classical Era (1750-1820).And was directed by a conductor who led the orchestra though each musical piece.

Although both these eras ended long time ago, Some of the most influential and beloved compositions are regularly performed in concert halls like the one I visited, and a wealth of recordings make the them available on demand. Many of the musical genres are still used today, like the concerto and opera which originated in the baroque era, and symphony which was a form in classical antiquity.

Without composers where would the art of such fine music be? This concert offers the first real successes of two composers who had struggled for years. Tchaikovsky's "The Voyevoda Overture" opens the program. It had introduced an opera that was Tchaikovsky destroyed after its premiere. His first piano concerto seemed headed for similar failure until it was premiered in the United States of America to rapturous reviews and public acclaim, the 35- year old composer finally attained success.

Carl Nielson success came later at age 47. For sixteen years he supported his family by playing violin while trying to compose. His early efforts were to no avail, but the premiere of his mighty Third Symphony in 1912 was a triumph and was performed throughout Europe and hailed critics everywhere.

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Overture to The Voyevoda, Op. 3

This piece was composed in (1867-1868). Nearly a century later, The Voyevoda was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and presented in Moscow 1949. The overture and several orchestral dances remain the only music from the opera still performed today.

Overture comes from the French word ouverture meaning "opening", which in this case was the opening piece of the orchestra. The overture began with a long solo for the French horn. The tune was homophonic and was repetitious; it began moderately soft, growing more dramatic as it proceeded. The music was contrasting; the tempo music was moderate and became forte and fast as more instruments joined in. It gave me a feeling of anxiety, as I became anxious an excited to hear what would come next. It then reverted to a more quiet and defeating tone then back to being loud and repetitious. As it came to an end, the music rushes into an exciting coda, the chords become powerful as the overture concluded and a sense of triumph is visualized. This piece lasted for approximately 10 minutes. The instruments included two flutes, piccolo, two oboes English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons( found in the wood wind section, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones,