Introduction
Hearing a great pianist in a recital is an excellent experience. On 10th July 2015, I had the opportunity to attend a concert. The lead musician was Misha Dacic. The experience I had was fulfilling, Misha Dacic is very intense plain and powerful pianist. The following is the report of the concert. The report outlines the pieces performed at the concert, analysis of three pieces and the general performance that evening.
Kind of Listener I were at the Concert
I was a perceptive listener at the concert. This is because I played various roles. As a casual listener, I enjoyed the sound of the music due to the prowess the performer displayed. I was also aware of the quality of the music and tried to understand the various components of music. The combination enabled me to appreciate the pianist.
Pieces Performed
There were different pieces performed. The pieces presented were categorized into the preludes, which included Alexander Scriabin Op. 2, No. 2 in B major, Op. 11, No. 9 in E major, Op. 16, No. 4 in E flat minor, Op. 22, No. 1 in G sharp minor and finally Op. 37, no. 1 in B flat minor. The next performance included Mazurka Op. 25, no. 2 in C major, Mazurka Op. 25, No. 7 in sharp minor and Etude Op. 8, No. 10 D flat major. Sonata No. 7, Op. 64- “White Mass” Allegro was the last piece in the evening.
The style of the Pieces Performed
The style used for the preludes was the Liszt pianism. The mazurkas used the Chopin style while Liszt was repeated for the Sonata No. 7, Op. 64- “White Mass” Allegro
Instrumentation of the Orchestra
The instrumentation of the orchestra was piano. The following is the seating arrangements for the orchestra.
Analysis of Pieces Played
The following is the analysis of Op. 11, No. 9 in E major, mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor and Sonata No. 7, Op. 64- “White Mass” Allegro.
Unity and Variation
Unity is usually displayed through the sameness of music. The sameness guarantees the theme that informs the performance. The unity in Scriabin Op. 1, no. 9 in E major was achieved by ensuring consistency in the beat. The pianist altered a strong pulse and quite pulse to attain variation. There was silence between the notes which gave the artist the time to hit a high or a low pulse. In the mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor, consistent beat was used.
The variation was achieved by the alternating the tempo of the music. For instance, the piece started with a slow note and as the performer moved on incorporated the syncopated jump step pattern. In the Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro the unity was achieved by use of low pitch throughout the piece. However, variations were mainly notable for the tempo and use of silence.
Structure of the Music
The Op. 11, No. 9 in E major is 36 bars long. Despite the E major key, the piece is structured to start with a C-sharp. B-sharp is used as a leading note. The development of the piece was by use of crescendos and decrescendos. A major chord was initiated as the harmonies continued. Variation was by a strong pulse of C-sharp, which repeated the initial melodies. A strong and dominant E major chord was used to end the piece.
Mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor had three sections; the first section included the introduction in which chords in the left hand produced the melody. The second section was the buildup section of melody pattern. At this section, the tempo of the music increased gradually while the third part was characterized by the pitch used in the first section.
Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro had different moods. The key to the structure was the repeating harmony that was contrasted by advanced tritonal harmonies. The pianist also incorporated chords that imitated the sounds of ringing bells. The chords were repeated at varying intervals.
Purpose of the Music
The Op. 11, No. 9 in E major was played at the start of the concert; the piece served a utilitarian function of arousing emotions, inspired the listeners and hence created the celebratory mode that characterized the listeners. Just like the prelude, both the mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor and the Sonata were used to raise emotions and entertain the listeners.
Tempo
The tempo of the piece was very cool. The pianist started the piece at a slow speed that kept on increasing till he reached andante speed. The tempo was maintained till the end of the piece. Adagio speed started the mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor. The speed was increased gradually to moderato.
The alternation between the beats was fairly fast. However, the pianist ensured that this was alternated in a manner to maintain the moderato. In the Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro, the tempo varied from Lento to Adagio. Compared to the mazurka, this was an excellent tempo to end the show.
Volume
The volume used in the piece was soft; the pianist maintained a volume that alternated between alniente and crescendo. The crescendo was played in an expertise manner that ensured that very high notes were not used; thus, the soft volume was maintained. In the mazurka, the pianist showed an excellent alternation of volume; very soft sound was alternated with a soft sound. The result was a piano pitch. In the sonata, the volume varied between pianissimo and piano. The alternation in the volume was very gradual.
Rhythm
The pulse used for the prelude was not strong; the movement of the beat was at different rates. The rhythm started on a low note and kept on increasing till it achieved the music tempo. There were silences that formed part of the music and acted as the means to alternate the rhythm.
The rhythm of mazurka OP. 25, no. 7 in F sharp minor was marked by strong pulses just as those used in the prelude. However, unlike the prelude there were no moments of silences between the notes. The performer changed the notes fairly fast. The pianist used both weak and strong pulses to achieve the rhythm for Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro. The weak pulses were used just before silences while the strong pulses were used as the pianist moved from the silence to the piano volume.
Melody
The melody applied in the prelude was melodic contour. Successive pitches could be heard as the performer moved from one note to the next. The alternating volume helped in exemplifying the melody. In the mazurka, the melodic idea was developed by raising the starting pitch level to higher pitches. Use of different notes alternated the volume. A descending melodic idea was applied to revert to low pitch and gradually increased to a higher level.
The performer used melodic contour for the Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro. The melody started with a low pitch and moved upwards. However, the performer repeated the low pitch hence very high pitches were not sustained.
Harmony
Misha Dacic used chords to accompany the prelude, the addition of chords ensured that the pitches for the sounds were achieved. The harmony of the mazurka was achieved by the variations in the pitches; this provided a continuous melody that was marked by alternating tempos. The harmony for the Sonata was by the use of low pitch and high pitch. Silence was applied between the pitches.
Form
The pattern used for the prelude entailed repetition of the notes. In general, rondo form was used. The pitches used in the start were repeated midway; however, there were contrasting episodes between the pitches. The silence was used to achieve the differences. The form employed in the mazurka related to the structure of the piece.
The pattern used in the performance was the repetition of the three sections of the piece. For the sonata, there were different sections that alternated. The form was marked by the silence between the pitches that were repeated.
Historical Period
The three pieces by Scriabin dates back to the 20ty century. The compositions were influenced by the Roman composers such as Frederic Chopin. However, the composition of the Op. 11, No. 9 in E major had the original voice of Scriabin. Sonata No. 7, Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro, was composed after the Sonata no. 6 and included different moods.
Conclusion
I enjoyed the concert. Misha Dacic played with masterful piano techniques and confidence. The rhythm, volume, and the variations were well organized. The preludes were excellent, the mazurkas and the final Sonata No 7 Op. 64-“White Mass” Allegro was wonderful.