Concert Unlv Chamber Orchestra Conductor(s):

Concert UNLV Chamber Orchestra Conductor(s): Tara Krysa and Rachel Waddell Location: Beam Music Center, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154 Cost: Free, open to the public Haydn Symphony #104; I. Adagio-Allegro, II. Andante, III. Menutto and Trio, IV Spiritoso Vivaldi Concerto for Guitar in D Major, Ricardo Cobo soloist; I. Allegro guisto, II. Largo, III. Allegro Music- Perhaps the best way to describe this music is that it was easy to listen to and to understand.

It was a small orchestra, apparently a Baroque orchestra, so the audience really had the opportunity to hear all the musicians. And the pieces chosen were presented in such a manner that the listener could understand the tune or theme, and follow it through the music. One thing really stood out during the production -- the musicians seemed to be having a musical dialog with one another, playing off the melody and harmony, trading it back and forth.

Perhaps this is a characteristic of the type of music or the composer, but it was if the orchestra was having a conversation within itself, especially on the Haydn. The violins would "talk," the woodwinds answer, one of the flutes or oboes would whistle a small tune, and the cellos would comment.

It was very entertaining and enjoyable, but I think it would be more so on the second or third hearing of the piece so that one would know a bit more about what was going to happen, or what to listen for. The other general comment about the music that made it more real was that it was not "perfect." It was good, but even my relatively untrained ear could hear a few mishaps; hitting a not early, etc.

However, this did not detract from the experience, but rather enhanced it because one could close their eyes and believe they were sitting in a Baroque Hall listening to men in wigs perform what was, for them, cutting edge music. Concert Experience -- We found out from the conductors a few facts about the pieces, which I thought was great at a venue like this. Symphony #104 was Haydn's final symphony and the last of twelve he composed in London, giving it the name the London Symphony.

Apparantely, Haydn made a huge amount of money on this piece, causing him to comment, "a thing possible only in England." The Vivaldi Concerto, it turns out, can be played as a Lute or Guitar Concerto, with the lute being a bit more popular in Court at the time. However, because the two have small discrepencies in the way they are strung, sometimes the rhythm must be changed a bit to suit the instrument.

It is this type of interesting detail that, to me, makes a concert like this both more enjoyable and more intimate -- the musicians are truly communing with the audience and the audience is learning along the way.

Unfortunately, the auditorium was only about half-full, about an equal mix of students and perhaps family members of the orchestra? It did not seem like this venue was one that the community at large enjoyed regularly, which is unfortunate based on the enthusiasm of the musicians and really the absolute enjoyment of the music. I have heard friends say that they retain more when studying to this type of music, and this is something I believe I will try.