Evaluation of an Event: Inaugural Concert of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic on Saturday, October 18, 2003
1. Relate the work to its historical period.
“Choral Fantasy” by Ludwig van Beethoven was first performed in December of 1808. According to MP3.com, Beethoven “staged an Akademie (that is, a public concert for his own profit),” and that he had not fully finished the composition before they were to perform it. Beethoven improvised much of the piano part “on the spot that night” (1).
The Napoleonic Wars, from 1803-1815, along with the many other conflicts occurring throughout Europe, must have had quite a negative effect on the morale of the people of the time. The economy of the time was probably not very strong. The importation of slaves had just been banned in the United States; wars and conflicts were occurring in Sweden, Russia, Finland, and Spain amongst other places (Wikipedia 1). The fact that Beethoven had to stage an Akademie to raise money for himself suggests that the usual patrons of the arts – the governments and religious institutions – had very likely cut back their spending on the arts significantly, especially considering the cost of all the conflicts that were occurring. It is not inconceivable that the people of the time would have greatly appreciated any entertainment that was buoyant, light, playful and exuberant, such as the “Choral Fantasy” is overall.
2. Explain what relevance this work of art has to people today.
Much as it must have at the time it was first performed, this piece is very escapist. For nearly 20 minutes, your mind can go and “play” for a while, your mood is uplifted, and you find yourself smiling. During one part, you can almost feel like there are young animals at play in a forest, at other times, you feel like every voice in the world is singing of the joy and thrill of simply being alive despite the troubles that may be around – which you are reminded of during the very rare somber moment of the piece. Of course, with a lot of imagination, you could possibly imagine the somber moment is simply an elephant stomping through the forest! The relevance is simple: there was much unrest in the world at the time it was first performed, there is still much unrest in the world, and one needs to be reminded that despite this unrest, there is also much joy and beauty in the world.
3. Describe three of the basic elements used in the development of the work.
Listening to the “Choral Fantasy,” a piece that lasted close to twenty minutes, was almost like listening to several different songs, although several songs that blended from one to the next very smoothly. The opening is a piano solo, which lasts about 4-5 minutes, then there was section using various instruments that was light and lively, sounded almost like young animals playing together and calling to one another in a forest, followed by a section which seemed like the piano was talking to many of the other instruments at once. The piece ends with the chorus singing, very exuberantly.
The tempo varies from very slow to very fast; for example, much of the opening piano solo was quite slow, but then the tempo increased to very quick and lively, then slowed down again but not as much, leading into the middle of the piece, then increased to a very fast tempo during the last minute or so. The harmony also varied – the middle section of the piece was an example of counterpoint harmony, with the different instruments “answering” or “responding” to each other. But the chorus at the end sang in block harmony, all together. The dynamic level of the piece also varied, starting out soft, increasing then decreasing, then increasing again, to the finale which was quite loud.
4. Discuss three cultural values suggested by or in the work.
To me, this piece most strongly suggested individualism, primarily because it allowed individual talent to be showcased, especially as expressed by the opening piano solo. The individual “voices” of the instruments during the middle part also suggested individualism – it sounded like young animals playing together and calling to one another to me. I could almost see birds calling to one another. The middle section, also, to a lesser extent, suggested mysticism and spiritualism. Listening to these “voices” – so light, playful, and charming – was like animals talking to one another, or even young children who haven’t quite learned how to talk yet, and the “feel” of it was as if these voices were not just talking and calling to one another, but that they were calling to something higher, outside of this realm. Perhaps these voices were not talking to one another as seems so obvious at first, perhaps they were talking to someone we cannot see with our eyes. Yet at the same time, there was also a touch of empiricism to the moment – a feeling of being compelled to listen, to feel, to see what is happening around you in the noises of the forest, to use one’s senses to figure out what is actually going on, what is actually being expressed.
5. Describe your reaction to this event.
The evening started out with WAY too much talking and applause and not enough music! The first 40-45 minutes was a series of one boring introduction and “thank you” speech after another, punctuated by long moments of applause (which at least kept me awake!). It was very irritating to applaud repeatedly for a performance that had not even started. If anything, the audience was TOO appreciative! I found myself thinking, “Gee, what if they are really bad, won’t we all feel stupid for wasting all our applause and appreciation?”
But then, much to the relief of my beginning-to-get-sore-hands, the music started. It was worth the wait. Susan Grace performed the opening piano solo of the “Choral Fantasy,” and it was fantastic. Without a doubt, she is a very skillful pianist; I particularly enjoyed the fact that you could see on her face that she absolutely loved what she was doing. Watching the violin players was equally enjoyable, each one of the bows moving in perfect synch with each other, hands, wrists, arms and even fingers all pointing exactly the same way and moving together at exactly the same moment … it was poetry in motion.
The seats were very comfortable, the acoustics of the theater were excellent and balanced, but I found the lighting too bright. While I do want to be able to see the performers, such bright lighting reduced the ambiance to almost non-existence. I believe dimmer lighting would have lent a more intimate feel to the performance, and reduced my awareness of “who” was there watching the performance – I found myself looking around at the people in the audience (who’s here and what are they wearing?) almost more than actually watching the performers.
Works Cited
Beethoven. “Choral Fantasia for Piano, Chorus, Orchestra”. Performed by Dimitris Sgouros with the Manhattan Philharmonic. MP3.com. 29 October 2003. 29 October 2003.
Wikipedia.org. “1800s”. Wikipedia.org: The Free Encyclopedia. 29 October 2003. 29 October 203.
Written for Professor Hartman's Survey of Humanities I class at Pikes Peak Community College, 10th November 2003.
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