A review of classical concert performance

One of the concerts attended for this assignment took place over Thanksgiving weekend. It was entitled, suitably enough, A Mozart Thanksgiving. It featured the work of Jeffrey Kahane, who both conducted and played the piano. The concert was held over a three-day period beginning on November 25 and concluding on the 27th of November. The concert took place in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday at Jones Hall for each of the aforementioned dates. The author of this document attended the concert on November 25. It featured approximately three hours' worth of music, although this time period included an intermission as well. The majority of the music played was classical music. Specifically, the audience was treated to renditions of "Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor," "Symphony No. 38 in D Major," and "Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major." The venue was fairly spacious and well-attended. The acoustics were credible and reverberated with the music in a pleasing manner.

Kahane conducted various members of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which was rounded out with a full orchestral arrangement for the works of Mozart which were played Thursday evening. By far the most aggressive of these pieces was the first one, "Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor," which allowed the audience to experience the full array of the orchestral arrangement. The orchestra included a number of woodwinds, string instruments, and the piano. The piano solo was played by Kahane himself. This particular work was characterized by great shifts in tone, style, volume, and mood. It shifted, at discreet intervals, between quiet to raucous. In particular, the strings were instrumental in effecting these changes. However, one must also credit the plethora of woodwind instruments, including a pair of oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and a flute with carrying the bulk of the piece's emotional complexity. The passionate parts of the arrangement moved very well, and were memorable for the rest of the evening.

Nonetheless, the introduction to the second piece, "Symphony No. 38 in D Minor," was more than likely the highlight of the entire evening. The work began with a viscerally dark feeling that typified the best of the chamber music appeal of the orchestra. Granted, the resounding nightfall of these opening minutes is eventually counterpointed by the symphony, which comes in a little too soon (for the taste of this author) to introduce a feeling of levity that largely remains throughout the additional two movements. However, there is a rare power experienced during the first fleeting moments of this work which hints at the sort of temperament which Mozart himself must have had difficulty balancing. Overall, this part of the piece was extremely inspirational.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the final selection, "Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major" is the piano solo played by Kahane itself. Although just one part of the myriad movements within this work, this solo allows the conductor full range of the expression of his talents behind the keyboard. It widely typifies the exuberant joy for which this work is known. Moreover, it produces sensations of rising and falling, of barreling forward full motion and then suddenly stopping while thrilling the audience. It is not incorrect to say that the conductors work behind the keyboards function as the centerpiece of this number, and helps to hold the piece together in its more eminent moments.