Double Reed Chamber Concert-Music Critique The poorly lit stage looked barren and dull as I entered the

Music building the night of October 23, 2012 in order to attend the Double Reed Chamber Concert. The auditorium quickly filled with the audience and after a few announcements, the musicians finally took the stage. The event was held by the music department as a performance opportunity in support of the senior music majors capstone projects. I glanced at the program and, to my surprise, discovered that pieces by Carlos Posadas, G. F. Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi would be performed throughout the night. The event was called the Double Reed Chamber Concert because of its emphasis on instruments that use reeds; consequently most of the pieces used oboes, bassoons, and clarinets. The most notable duet of the night was Carlos Posadas tango, El Simpatico, which called for a clarinet and a bassoon. Throughout the highly polyphonic arrangement, one could observe Posadas clear choice in regard to the timbre of the two instruments. The smooth baseline of the bassoon served to contrast and emphasize the light, yet colorful, melody of the clarinet. One could imagine the piece as a duet between lovers, the male part being played by the bassoon and the female by the clarinet. At all times, it seemed, the two instruments notes were perfectly harmonized with the bassoon always playing lower than the clarinet. Tempo was kept fairly upbeat. El Simpatico, being a tango, has a very strong and driving rhythm which both instruments work to support. Both the melody and the rhythm seemed to follow western scales and sounded as if they remained in the same key throughout each movement. The constant movement between the strong staccato of the bassoon and the weaving legato of the clarinet exemplified the dynamic structure of the piece. As El Simpatico ended, I became anxious for the following act. It was to be a performance of G. F. Handels Kammertrio Nr. 2 by two oboes and a bassoon. I found it

incredibly striking that the musician that was now playing the bassoon introduced such a new timbre with the same instrument as the musician in El Simpatico. The oboes timbre mixed with that of the bassoons took on an entirely new color. The piece, being much less rhythmic than the previous one, made frequent use of tempo changes and monophonic crescendos. While there were three movements within the piece, each stood independent in theme. The first movement began at a moderate pace with a bass line being played by the bassoon and a homophonic melody being played by the oboes. This early homophony within the first movement eventually gave way to a polyphonic progression of rising and falling pitches. The piece expertly displayed the pitch range of each instrument employed. The rising and falling pitch cause a variety of timbre within both instruments, giving a very wide spectrum of audible color. The second movement of the piece introduced a quality I had yet to see in the bassoon. While before the bassoon had predominately played only bass lines as a part of harmonies, it now took on the role of playing the melody while the oboes carried the rhythm. The expert musician playing the bassoon was fully competent in his performance of the demanding piece and flawlessly exposed the highest and lowest pitches capable on a bassoon. The third movement brought a swift change in the musics tone. The driving rhythm and ominous melody reminded me of what might be played on a witch hunt. The piece displayed an overall quality of time sensitivity in regard to the performance being so close to Halloween. The haunting high pitched melodies of the oboes starkly juxtaposed the grave sound of the bass driven bassoon. The night was almost over when the musicians in the final act took the stage. This was to be the big finish for tonights concert. Antonio Vivaldis Concerto in D Minor for Two Oboes and Strings was the finishing piece. Two oboes, two violins, a viola, and a cello made up the ensemble responsible for the performance. Immediately the Vivaldis Baroque style melodies

soared through the room at full volume. The wind instruments took the lead in melody while the cello played solely bass line. The violins and viola only served to quietly accent or support the oboes vivacious melodies. The tempo remained moderate through all three movements. Each movement seemed to use a unique motif; however, the overall tone of each movement remained the same. The use of heavy polyphony presented a strong and dense quality of sound. The introduction of stringed instruments presented a different overall timbre from the first two pieces. The sharp and bright quality of the strings seemed to be contrasted by the smooth tone quality of the oboes, which were responsible for many complex melodies. The piece ended in a large crescendo and brought the audience to their feet. The music presented, while it had no common theme other than the instruments used, work well as a suite-style presentation. The concert was a brief but enjoyable display of the music department at Texas State. As an inexperienced audience member I was still able to pick up on dropped notes, inconsistencies in tempo, and sharp or flat notes, however, I remained pleased throughout each piece. Ultimately, the concert was a delightful night of diverse music. I would recommend it to all who wish to experience the way music used to be in a live medium.