Moscow State Symphony by Andrew
Brilliance
Although most students around my age ranged probably thought that the Moscow State Symphony was, well, just plain boring, I had quite the opposite outlook. One of the big reasons I was motivated to submit an essay for On Stage was the Moscow State Symphony and a chance to hear them play. So, for the chance to hear such great music I was honored and excited. Beyond my normal comments about dedication and hard work that I usually give about what I saw on the stage, this time I’d like to comment about dynamics of the orchestra and the intensive playing style they employed to their incredible benefit.
Right from the start they showed themselves to be very, very well accustomed to each other and their methods. They all tuned well together and followed the lead tuner very precisely. Of course, throughout all of this tuning I was wondering where the conductor was. Then he came out with a very brisk walk that just told the audience: here I am, the conductor and leader! Then he proceeded to the podium and got right to work, and oh-boy, what a job he did. As soon as he started I could tell that this conductor either knew what he was doing, or was having a heart-attack. I finally decided on the prior, and that he was very dedicated and quite intensely involved at directing the movement of the band. Of course I was never quite sure if he wasn’t having a heart attack though all of the motions that he went through. His hands and bodily direction would change at a moment notice and in the brief moments that I saw this face, I could actually see his eyes have a great deal of passion and intensity. Of course I can’t just ramble about the intensity of the director without speaking of the amazing form of the band. They had “perfect” posture and amazingly played well together. When the director made the motion to quiet down they all brought it down so well that I could hardly tell if they were all playing or not! This dynamic playing and directing ability made them a delight to listen to!
The other part that I want to talk about is the actual songs played. A very nice balance between intense and very up-tempo, to slower and more emotionally charged. The tempo variance made you constantly aware of changes in the songs emotion and brought out, in my opinion, the very best and most thorough possible quality of each sound. Each change in dynamic was precise and every time they did change in dynamic you felt as if you were being elevated into a new section of piece. These various changes in dynamic and tempo made each song extremely unique and captivating to listen to. They masterfully brought together some of the hardest pieces I had listened to prior to coming to listen to them (I do listen to orchestral and concert style music on my own time) and made each piece speak to me. Albeit though, the most amazing part was the thunderous applause (a bit of a cliché phrase) that accompanied their completion of their announced pieces. We applauded so much so that the conductor came out not once, not twice, but three whole times to give us encore pieces that were short, sweet, and very, very energetically charged in tempo and dynamics. Each of the encore pieces simply fueled the fire for an even greater applause and, to my enjoyment (and the moans of some of my fellow On Stager’s) another great symphony!
As you can no doubt tell, they played some of the most accomplished music and did so quite masterfully! Each and every minute of their play time was sheer enjoyment, waiting to hear what spin they took on their next measure or piece. The intense movements of the conductor showed (my common highlighted theme) dedication and a passion to be rivaled. The orchestra played brilliantly and no doubt received just as much enjoyment from playing these pieces as we did watching and listening to them. It was also an instructional night as I heard the timpanist on several occasions and made out what he was doing and how he was playing (such as with his rolls, starting with the loud first strike to maintain resonance in the timpani, and then maintain that resonance with repetitive strikes). It is with those reasons that I believe that the Moscow State Symphony was on the best groups I have had a chance to listen to, and an astounding first time to the orchestra for me. I simply can’t wait until I can listen to some more live orchestral organizations, and hopefully, the Moscow State Symphony again.
Although most students around my age ranged probably thought that the Moscow State Symphony was, well, just plain boring, I had quite the opposite outlook. One of the big reasons I was motivated to submit an essay for On Stage was the Moscow State Symphony and a chance to hear them play. So, for the chance to hear such great music I was honored and excited. Beyond my normal comments about dedication and hard work that I usually give about what I saw on the stage, this time I’d like to comment about dynamics of the orchestra and the intensive playing style they employed to their incredible benefit.
Right from the start they showed themselves to be very, very well accustomed to each other and their methods. They all tuned well together and followed the lead tuner very precisely. Of course, throughout all of this tuning I was wondering where the conductor was. Then he came out with a very brisk walk that just told the audience: here I am, the conductor and leader! Then he proceeded to the podium and got right to work, and oh-boy, what a job he did. As soon as he started I could tell that this conductor either knew what he was doing, or was having a heart-attack. I finally decided on the prior, and that he was very dedicated and quite intensely involved at directing the movement of the band. Of course I was never quite sure if he wasn’t having a heart attack though all of the motions that he went through. His hands and bodily direction would change at a moment notice and in the brief moments that I saw this face, I could actually see his eyes have a great deal of passion and intensity. Of course I can’t just ramble about the intensity of the director without speaking of the amazing form of the band. They had “perfect” posture and amazingly played well together. When the director made the motion to quiet down they all brought it down so well that I could hardly tell if they were all playing or not! This dynamic playing and directing ability made them a delight to listen to!
The other part that I want to talk about is the actual songs played. A very nice balance between intense and very up-tempo, to slower and more emotionally charged. The tempo variance made you constantly aware of changes in the songs emotion and brought out, in my opinion, the very best and most thorough possible quality of each sound. Each change in dynamic was precise and every time they did change in dynamic you felt as if you were being elevated into a new section of piece. These various changes in dynamic and tempo made each song extremely unique and captivating to listen to. They masterfully brought together some of the hardest pieces I had listened to prior to coming to listen to them (I do listen to orchestral and concert style music on my own time) and made each piece speak to me. Albeit though, the most amazing part was the thunderous applause (a bit of a cliché phrase) that accompanied their completion of their announced pieces. We applauded so much so that the conductor came out not once, not twice, but three whole times to give us encore pieces that were short, sweet, and very, very energetically charged in tempo and dynamics. Each of the encore pieces simply fueled the fire for an even greater applause and, to my enjoyment (and the moans of some of my fellow On Stager’s) another great symphony!
As you can no doubt tell, they played some of the most accomplished music and did so quite masterfully! Each and every minute of their play time was sheer enjoyment, waiting to hear what spin they took on their next measure or piece. The intense movements of the conductor showed (my common highlighted theme) dedication and a passion to be rivaled. The orchestra played brilliantly and no doubt received just as much enjoyment from playing these pieces as we did watching and listening to them. It was also an instructional night as I heard the timpanist on several occasions and made out what he was doing and how he was playing (such as with his rolls, starting with the loud first strike to maintain resonance in the timpani, and then maintain that resonance with repetitive strikes). It is with those reasons that I believe that the Moscow State Symphony was on the best groups I have had a chance to listen to, and an astounding first time to the orchestra for me. I simply can’t wait until I can listen to some more live orchestral organizations, and hopefully, the Moscow State Symphony again.
posted by ISC On Stage @ 10:22 AM
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