Mozart Symphonies Observation
Erin R Eddins
Mozart Symphonies 39, 40, 41
Performed by The Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
My first impressions of the conductor held fairly true throughout the performance. Sir Simon Rattle is perhaps the most enigmatic master of the baton I have had the pleasure of watching. This is quite an interesting observation, since he doesn’t use a baton. He stands in front of his orchestra, sans instrument himself, without even a podium or stand, and conducts using gestures, hand movements and facial expressions, that inspire and delight. I played the performance a second time just to watch him without distractions. Simon often departed from the standard patterns, and at times waked so closely to the first row of the orchestra, …show more content…
His interview on the season was entertaining, and his delight in his profession was infectious.
Mozart’s style epitomized the Classical period. He maintained the lyrical, almost ethereal quality, melodies that would almost sing to the listeners’ souls. Mozart’s symphonies maintained the typical fast-slow-fast- fast structure of the era, and his movements usually had some sort of mid-mark change up to them. His use of scales and arpeggios in both melody and harmony always intrigued me, and I have always found it beautiful. Unlike the Baroque era, where the composers would experiment with unsettling meters, composers of the Classical period like Mozart kept to simple meters. Common time (4/4), and the like present a more comfortable pattern to the ear in my opinion. Perhaps that is one reason that this has been one of my favorites since childhood.
Mozart’s particular talents didn’t run to developing new forms or styles, but in perfecting those that were already in vogue for the time. He could take three or four notes and use them to create the most beautifully haunting theme and build an entire sonata around it. The variations in dynamics in his
Mozart Symphonies 39, 40, 41
Performed by The Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
My first impressions of the conductor held fairly true throughout the performance. Sir Simon Rattle is perhaps the most enigmatic master of the baton I have had the pleasure of watching. This is quite an interesting observation, since he doesn’t use a baton. He stands in front of his orchestra, sans instrument himself, without even a podium or stand, and conducts using gestures, hand movements and facial expressions, that inspire and delight. I played the performance a second time just to watch him without distractions. Simon often departed from the standard patterns, and at times waked so closely to the first row of the orchestra, …show more content…
His interview on the season was entertaining, and his delight in his profession was infectious.
Mozart’s style epitomized the Classical period. He maintained the lyrical, almost ethereal quality, melodies that would almost sing to the listeners’ souls. Mozart’s symphonies maintained the typical fast-slow-fast- fast structure of the era, and his movements usually had some sort of mid-mark change up to them. His use of scales and arpeggios in both melody and harmony always intrigued me, and I have always found it beautiful. Unlike the Baroque era, where the composers would experiment with unsettling meters, composers of the Classical period like Mozart kept to simple meters. Common time (4/4), and the like present a more comfortable pattern to the ear in my opinion. Perhaps that is one reason that this has been one of my favorites since childhood.
Mozart’s particular talents didn’t run to developing new forms or styles, but in perfecting those that were already in vogue for the time. He could take three or four notes and use them to create the most beautifully haunting theme and build an entire sonata around it. The variations in dynamics in his