I totally agree with you, as I was really anticipating this performance all semester. Not being familiar with much classical music, I still enjoy the tranquility that it sometimes provides. I was also very happy to be attending a choral performance. What really struck me about your response was the fact that you mentioned that the audience felt alive despite the context of the piece: death. I hadn’t thought about the context of the piece as I was wrapped up in the sound, but I did leave feeling very much alive. So maybe Brahms may have been composing about death but wanted his audience to see/feel that there is life after death. Just a thought!

Upon entering Hill Auditorium I was immediately captivated by the beauty of the venue. That alone probably had an impact of how I would eventually feel about the performance by the UMS Choral Union. By the end of the performance of Brahms’ Requiem, I was filled overwhelmed by what I had experienced. I have always been a fan of choral music and this was by far the best I had ever heard. Of course I don’t want to undermine the precise manner in which the orchestra played, which was also delicate and beautiful, but there is something about the human voice that resonates to sweetly with my soul. The loveliness that soloists voices portrayed had me nearly in tears despite the fact that I understood none of what they were saying. It wasn’t a message that I picked up verbally, but instead through the clarity of sound I heard with one of my five senses. If I could go back a million times…I wouldn’t hesitate.

I am pretty familiar with jazz, but this concert came a pleasant surprise as I had never heard anything quite like this. The fusion with latin styles of music was light and refreshing. I really enjoyed watching Alfredo Rodríguez’s energetic piano performance. It had me on edge the whole time as I tried to anticipate his next movement! By the time the Pedrito Martinez Group I was a but exhausted from the long week I had had and from engaging with Rodriguez’s performance but I still enjoyed it despite my tiredness.

Haha. Yes, a job very well done by these guys’ personal trainers!

The second half of the show was my favorite as it did give me something to focus on and keep me on my toes during the performance.

I understand what you mean when you say that there was something missing from the show. I was never at the point where I felt like I walking out because I was in awe and had a deep respect for the things they were able to do and that they decided to share that with us.

I did feel the repetition that you were speaking of, but for some reason I wasn’t bothered by it…not nearly as much as I am by these pop songs, that repeat the same chorus and nasally verses over and over again, that my generation seems to be into now a days.

The show by Compagnie Kafig was outstanding. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen any group of people display such an amazing talent. What stood out to me about this style of dance was the strength that I’m sure was required to carry out the routines and the complexity of the routines. After attending a short Capoira workshop a couple of days before seeing Compagnie Kafig, I was exhausted and reminded of how weak and uncoordinated I am. During the performance, I was once again reminded of my feeble being but in doing so, I had so much respect knowing that so much hard work had to have been put into this show alone!

Simply watching the performers made my night, which I attribute to the liveliness of the performance and how engaged I was in the performance. Throughout the entire show I was amazed that I never picked up a sense of tiredness from the dancers, so I was really excited and felt like I was just as energized as they seemed. Now, the second half was especially captivating and took my breath away as I sat in awe at what these people were able to accomplish! As someone who has never experienced a performance like this one, I have nothing but good things to say.

I have been to a few performances before, but none quite like this one. I’ve been to classical performances, hip-hop concerts, and even dance recitals, but it is hard for me to put words to what I experienced at the Friday Kronos show. I’ll say that I have mixed feelings about the experience because they had such an eclectic range of pieces that they performed.

In the beginning I was very engaged as they played a piece that they once had to play using just very long pieces of paper with the music on it, but this time had the opportunity to play with the music being projected on a screen for the audience to see. This was brilliant to me. I have always wondered what exactly musicians were looking at as they flipped through the pages of their selective piece.

Throughout the performance, there were pieces that I wasn’t very fond of. Pieces that weren’t necessarily pleasant to the ear. Maybe if I was more classically trained I would have been able to appreciate the “beauty” of the piece, for I’m sure that they found some sort of joy in performing that piece, but I found some pieces to simply be a bit irritating to the senses.

All in all, I enjoyed the experience of the Kronos performance. Especially the 911 piece, which was moving beyond measures.