Seattle Symphony
Introduction
The concert that will be analyzed is the Seattle Symphony performed at Benaroya Hall through March 31 to help limit the Covid-19 spread. The title of the performed classic is the Beethoven Symphony 1 published in 1801 and dedicated to Baron Gottfried Sweeten. The composers of the beat are the predecessors of Beethoven namely Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the estimated period is 1797. Coming back to the current performance, the first rebroadcast and live performance was directed by Thomas Dausgaard who had initially directed the first performance on September 19, 2019. The first performance was conducted on March 12, 2020, and was live on Facebook and YouTube. In terms of the composer, he is qualified because he is the chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has credible experience since he previously conducted the Seattle Symphony from 2004 to 2011 thus renowned for his creativity and innovation. More importantly, his excitement for live performances was also noticed and appreciated.
Seattle Symphony is considered one of the most influential orchestras that attracts large crowds in the US. The first performance was done in 1998 at Benaroya Hall. As a concert that attracted huge crowds across the US, management of the concert combined with managers of Benaroya Hall agreed on hiring Thomas Dausgaard since he was one of the most experienced and innovative musical directors of orchestra performances. Thomas was thus hired to direct the Seattle Symphony performing Beethoven No. 1 throughout the 2019-2020 season and projected to go to 4 seasons. To meet the large audiences that attend this concert, it is only fitting that the concert is held in one of the largest concert halls in the US. In addition to holding a large audience, the production unit was also stellar since the building consisted of modern equipment that led to excellent performances of the Seattle Symphony. More importantly, there was the liveliness of the Benaroya hall that attracted frequent visitors locally and internationally.
Description of listening Techniques and Two Complete Works
According to the Governor of Washington Jay Inslee, all public events have been cancelled through March 31, 2020, in efforts to stop the spread of the pandemic (COVID-19). There are two ways that the concert is presented and these are live-performances and rebroadcasts throughout the whole period that the country is in lockdown. Despite the type of presentation, the concert aimed to continue sharing performances that promote strength, joy and comfort throughout the state. People and audiences will listen to the concert through social media like YouTube and Facebook. Currently, social media is one of the main platforms that music is being listened to since people are not allowed to move around or attend the concert. As the main aim of providing comfort, joy and strength, live performances served as one of the best platforms that people could enjoy and reconnect with the Seattle Symphony. More importantly, the live streams were free indicating that more and more people could join the performance. Rebroadcasts were also incorporated to aid in reaching the music to the intended listeners. Rebroadcasts refer to the replay of previous performances that were either recorded or performed live on social media.
In line with the above ways that listeners accessed the concert, two completed works include the ‘Langgaard: Prelude to Antichrist- Seattle Symphony Media’ and ‘Debussy, Seattle Symphony’. For the former, the release date was September 13, 2019, and the conductor was Thomas Dausgaard (Seattle Company, 2019). As part of the Seattle Symphony, the performance was inspiring and powerful to encourage and promote positivity during this pandemic period. An analysis of the latter shows that it was released on January 25, 2019, and the conductor was Ludovic Morlot but performed as part of the Seattle Symphony (Seattle Company, 2019). The purpose of this performance is highlighting the significant steps and stages that the orchestra music has undergone since the first composition in the early 17th century to the 20th century.
Description of Music
The symphony incorporated different instrumentation that included the use of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons. All these tools incorporated blowing certain strings in them, for instance, C and D tunes helped achieve the desired tones or in this case beats. For instance, the E clarinet timbre was combined with C and D since they sound similar. Despite the timbre incorporated, they all provided the warmer sounding B clarinet. In addition to flutes and clarinets, there was also the use of brass for instance horns and trumpets played in C and F notes. They also served the purpose of creating a warm clarinet sound that is inviting for the people at home. The symphony incorporated the use of percussion and strings that involved playing in C and G tempos to influence the mood of all the active audiences. Strings were also incorporated to help in the delivery of the required tempos that included violins (1st and 2nd), violas, cellos and contrabasses. All in all, the instrumentation helped in the stellar delivery of the Seattle Symphony.
In terms of rhythm, several movements aided in attaining rhythmic structure. In this concert, there is the use of acoustic guitars, keyboard instruments, electric bass, percussionists like shakers and djembe. Despite the rhythmic instrument used, the bandleader and conductor heavily help to create a tempo for each of the performances. The conductor, in this case, was able to create slowdowns and musical cadences whenever the performances to rest or when the song ends. Given such musical control by the conductor, each of the performances was slated to be between 20 and 30 minutes. The purpose of having a 20 to 30-minute performance is allowing an audience engages with the relevant target audience in terms of rhythm and tempo created. However, it is vital to note that after the covid-19 is lifted, normal concert performances can extend to even an hour.
In both of the completed works in the Seattle Symphony, there are mainly four major movements that helped the conductor and performers deliver the required performance online. For instance, there was the Adagio molto (C major), Andante Cantabile (F major) and Menuetto Allegro (C major). In the first movement, there was the playing of violins four notches higher and a subsequent increase in the violin notches as each movement also changes. In addition to increasing the violin notches, there was the combination of instruments like cellos, bass guitars and drums that helped interweave the different melodies together to form a harmonious tune. It is vital to note that the combination of all these tools, instruments and tempos creates the required harmony and melody that entertains the target audience at home. Specific moments that stood out were the fusion of all the instruments since this represented the climax of the performance as well as the end. What made them memorable was the increasing energy that was experienced at the end that can only be described as captivating and entertaining.
Conclusion
During such times when there is a lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic, live performances and rebroadcasts have become the entertaining hubs for people at home. Even though watching the performance on Facebook and YouTube does not equal to observing the concert live, it was exhilarating watching the performers play the different tempos, instruments especially how they coordinated to deliver the final product. I, however, enjoyed the concert after watching the input that each of these members to fulfil the deliver the required performance. As evidenced earlier, the mission and vision of the performance was the promotion and provision of strength, joy and comfort in a time filled with melancholy. All in all, it is my opinion that music contains the power to transform lives and unite people during calamities.
References
Seattle Symphony (2019). Debussy: Sirènes (“Sirens”) from Nocturnes (excerpt) / Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62hDvB2Q4NY
Seattle Symphony (2019). Seattle Symphony Media: Langgaard & Strauss. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlMmP6jB1i4&t=1s