Author: Juan Baez

Renee Fleming Last Performance

After listening on Saturday in a life radio Station WQSR 105.9 FM the magnificent Soprano singer Renee Fleming in witch was performing the opera Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss that translated means The Knight of the Rose, I was amazed of how well this singer does her performance just by listening her voice on the radio was very powerful. Sadly, before the performance started, one of the radio station Broadcaster said that this was going to be her last performance. In addition, after decades of Renee being the stage performing numerous operas, today she will perform for the last time in the Metropolitan Opera House. 

The opera story consist of an 32 years old wife “Marschallin” that fight all along with her unsustainable marriage. As a result she has an affair  with a young man that is half her age “Octavian“. And at the end Octavian leaves Marschallin for some other woman that is younger.

This opera consist of five main character:

Marschallin: Renee Fleming

Octavian: Elīna Garanča

Baron Ochs: Günther Groissböck

Faninal: Markus Brück

Sophie: Erin Morley

The instrumentation of this opera in witch Strauss composed consist of: three flutes (piccolo), three Oboes (English horn), three Clarinets and three  bassoons (contrabassoon) on the Woodwind Family. Four French horns, Three trumpets, Three trombones and bass tuba on the brass family. Celestatimpanibass drum,  cymbalstriangle,  tenor drumsnare drumjingle bellstambourineglockenspielratchet, and castanets on the percussion family. Two harps, sixteen violins I, sixteen violins II, twelve violas, ten cellos, eight double basses on the string family.

This is an opera comique in which is an type on opera that not necessarily need to be to laugh. In addition, this type of opera is current in France and it is characterized by have a spoken conversation and an opera on a lighthearted theme, typically in French and with spoken dialogue.

when it come to the music, every scenes I can say  has its own color I believe that when  Strauss was compassion this opera he was trying to communicate emotion with the orchestra alone. In every section that Marschallin was around with Octavian the music was consonant and playful. however, when her husband was in the scene the bassoon played and more low pitch instrument where playing like the tuba and the trombone.

To conclude, I would wish to be their seeing life her las performance to explain the costumes and the decoration of the stage, but with only the radio was Amazing to listed to this great opera by Strauss figuring the last performance of Renee Fleming.

My performance “in C”

After being in class and talking about a musical composition called “in C” it brought me all the way back when I was and my old school Queensborough Community College. The reason that this happen is because I perform this piece about three years ago and the experience was amazing. Is experience was one of the best that I have ever had because it was a new piece it was not a classical piece as I am used to play but it was a modern piece that has no measures no time signature no key signature although the piece is called “in C”. Musician was not the only performers we also had dancers moving all around the stage while we playing this amazing piece. I would like to write about the rehearsal, the instrumentation, how it sounded like, how we merge all together and my experience.

 

For the rehearsal we had to look for a spot anywhere in the Back area of the stage we were so much musicians that we needed to stand out of the stage. area of the stage and get familiar with everything around. In addition, instrumentation was very random we had one violins, one violas, 1 electric guitars, electric Bass, a piano which sustain the note C throughout the whole piece, a vibraphone, a 3 xylophone and 3 singer and a flute (me).

 

When we started rehearsing it was a little bit hard at the beginning because each person needs to start on a measure and play it until you feel you could go to the next measure. In addition, you listen to all the other musicians merging one by one and the peas sometimes playing the same notes as you and sometimes doing something completely different. When the dancer word dancing I felt that they was not moving according to the temple of how we were playing they were moving very free in the stage. This piece made me think all the fetus development. I felt this way because, everything started so smoothly and little by little different Rhythm patterns combined with different pitch starting to merge it’s like a development something that it’s growing and at the end it comes back as the beginning with the piano notifying that it has giving birth.

 

The way that we merge was so easily that you note and you know why you need to come in or when you need to change from a different Rhythm pitch pattern. They were Parts when we were performing that we were basically all of us play the same measure as an ostinato. In addition, throughout the whole piece the piano was marking the temple playing C all the way to the whole performance.
My experience in this performance was great because it was something new that I never experienced before something completely different in which you don’t need to have a conductor giving you the key to come in to play. Each one of us felt when it’s time to play and to switch the Rhythm pitch pattern and we went all through it very easy and smoothly.

please start on minute 21:47.

Juan Baez Monthly post

juan Baez feburary

 

 

After being in a teacher evaluation on wednesday february 25th and monday February 30th, 2017 talking about a rhythmic pattern called Clave. I was very interested in this type of evaluation because I knew that this is something that I was going to like. Tis is because I grew playing latin music and never notice how important this patter it. After listening to this person I learn where this patter came from and how it came to america and the Caribbean. One thing that I fount interesting is how it came to the American continent. He explain that in Africa is where this pattern started called clave. And that it came to us through the african slavery coming to this great nation. They showed us videos of african playing a type of music in witch one of the most noticeable pattern is Clave. And we listen to this pater also in Brazil in Samba, in the caribbean such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic as son Salsa Merengue and other genre and basically the entire american continent. In addition, some places of Europe and Asia where african slave were imported also have this pattern. Also, one thing that called my attention is that a classical symphony by Beethoven his fifth symphony was made an arrangement as a Caribbean style and it was amazing.

I am so amaze to this video because I myself played this piece in the way Beethoven composed it, and after I watch this video my mind was like in heaven. How an african pattern can change so much this composition by Beethoven. Basically it does not sound like a classical piece its like resurrecting Beethoven in cuba and he composing Classic Salsa Music; although I don’t think he will like. However, by knowing that this pattern come from Africa can we say that this arrangement has a caribbean or an african style because of the clave? I can say that this is a Caribbean composition because although it has a rhythmic pattern “clave” that comes from Africa each country has a way of style where they use the clave Samba is not the same as Salsa or son, they share the same pattern “clave” but each country has a different way to use it.

In the arrangement of the fifth symphony not only the clave was added also the tempo is very different and some instrument where also added like Conga, Drum-set, cow bell, timbales and even the piano way of playing was not classic at all, it added a “Tumbao” witch is a way to play salsa in the piano. In addition to change the genre to a piece from classical to a modern genre in this case “Salsa” does not only needs the clave it also needs some extra instruments like I mention before and play them in that style. The dynamics is drastically change and the instrumentation as well. Each instrument cant play in a classical way they need to adapt to a certain style so that the piece can be interpreted how the arranger wants it ti be.

To conclude the participation this two professors has a good knowledge and good back ground regarding this specific pattern. Also, I strongly believe that the clave rhythmic pattern did came from Africa but each country has make it its own in it own way by using their own culture and with this pattern. We see how different it is the fifth symphony of Beethoven with the salsa arrangement by Sverre Indris Joner and how important it is to add more instrument, rhythm and specific style of playing.