WSU音樂評鑑1

This is my first time participated in WSU's student recital. I also want to see that how well they play in the concert. Maybe they don't have enough experience to hold the recital or lack of practice, I have a little disappointed about this recital. Although being a student, increasing the stage experience is a good thing and judge them as a normal bass player is too strict, I still want this students to practice more and be a better player. My feeling is: the performance of the piano player is better than the bass player. It is because when a musical phrase is developing, the wrong notes will interrupt this phrase and lack of emotion makes songs boring. That's why I don't think this recital is good.

The first piece of music is Vivaldi's Sonata NO.1 in B-flat major. Vivaldi is well-known as "red-haired priest"(Wikipedia). Many people know 「Red-haired priest」 than his real name. He has a lot of pieces of music on the violin, such as "Four Seasons" or the 「Violin Concerto L'estro armonico」. He also makes a lot of cello works such as 「6 cello sonatas」 and 「6 cello concertos」.

The first movement's tempo is largo. The student has good speed control, but some pitches in phrase aren't correct (although I know that the string instrument is very difficult to catch the right pitches). Although the technique is acceptable, wrong notes will interrupt the entire musical phrase. This movement gives me the feeling of walking on the meadow, but my feeling will stop when the notes problem appear.

The second movement's tempo is allegro. This movement sounds light and energetic and the piano and the bass match each other lively, but sometimes the piano plays a little bit faster than the bass, or the bass makes the pitches chromatic difference. If these shortcomings can be improved, it will be better.

The third movement's tempo is largo. The glide of of the bass in this movement makes whole song sound smooth. If the emotion can be put a little more, the song would be livelier.

The fourth movement's tempo is allegro. The phrases change is not obvious. It should be like your breathing has a beginning and stop. The skill is not enough, too. It causes some fast phrase sounds become blurred. I think she should practice more of the changing the bow in this movement and add some emotion.

The second piece of music is Capuzzi's 「Concerto for the Double Bass」. Although most of this musician's works are forgotten, some double bass concerto is saved.

The first movement's tempo is allegro moderato. The distance between two notes is big. Therefore, watching the player's hand stretch on the string is a big enjoyment. But I also hear some wrong notes. The higher the tone, the easier the bass player makes wrong pitches. The performance in the middle on minor phrase is good, but in some fast speed phrase, she lacks the skill to change her bow rapidly.

The second movement's tempo is Andante cantabile. I'm very appreciating the piano player. She makes the rubato very well. Her rubato isn't too fast and isn't too slow. That makes this movement emotional. By contrast, the bass performance isn't outstanding. The ascending scale of the bass just slide over. The performance doesn't play that scale very clear.

The last piece of music is Elegy for Double Bass and Piano which composed by Bottesini. This is the first time I listen to his music because he lives in romantic period and I seldom listen to the romantic period music. The way to performance this period's works is different from the previous works. I prefer the music before the classical period rather than after romantic period. So this is the opportunity to expand my vision of music.

Although the tempo isn't on the program menu, it should be andante or Adagio. The student doesn't deal with the ascending scale very well. At the last note of ascending scale, she wants to find the right pitch. That is a big mistake because in concert, if she play wrong notes just let them go.

At the end of this song, I'm thinking that whether there is encore or not. In general, the audience will continue clapping until the performer comes three times, then the performer will play the encore. Until the light up, I know I'm wrong. There is no encore. If she makes a wonderful performance, maybe she will prepare the encore.

For overall of this performance, I would like to say that although the musical skill is not the whole things (the contents of the music is the most important things), the shortage of musical skills will lead to the bad development of music. If the students can continue practicing the skills of the Bass, I believe that she will become a good double bass player.