I agree, Nadine Sierra is an amazing soprano and I can’t wait to see what she does in the future. I think Hill Auditorium adds to the beauty of the music, it is a match made in heaven.

This concert was amazing! I am always amazed at the quality of music the choral union brings to the stage. This is probably my favorite piece by Brahms. He paints the text so carefully and with such detail. I find his use of the text in the 6th movement very interesting when relating it to Handel’s setting of this same text in Messiah. Brahms’ music for this text is darker and more pensive than Handel’s music which is more joyous. I have heard this piece performed in English and in German. On one hand Brahms wanted this to be a mass for the people which is an argument for performing it in whatever language is prominent. But, on the other hand German is the original language of the mass and performance practice would suggest the piece be performed in German. What do other people think?

I agree, the balance was not very good. Other than that I feel that the first half was very exciting. The harmonies Alfredo used in his improvisations were amazing! I just wish the intermission wasn’t so long.

Overall this concert was really wonderful. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. The harmonies that Alfredo used in his improvisations were very unique and exciting. The only problem I had with the first half was the balance between the trio members. The drums were way too loud and should not have been amplified. The balance in their encore was much better and you could actually hear each instrument. The second half of the concert wasn’t really my cup of tea. I was sad to see the real piano be replaced by a keyboard. Why would you play a keyboard if you had a real piano? The music wasn’t as appealing to me as the first half. The only other thing I would change would be the length of the intermission. It was way to long and I don’t think it needed to be. I will defiantly do more research and keep following Alfredo and his group.

I agree, the time flew by too fast! I wish it went on for another hour or more! I think the cup scene was my favorite. I wonder if the cups symbolized anything or if they were just used as props. The whole performance was stunning and I especially enjoyed the music.

The music written for Compagnie Käfig was amazing! I really enjoyed how the music combined many genres. (classical, jazz, hip-hop, etc…) The music had the ability to set the mood of the story. At some points during the performance I was not sure what the mood of the scene was but the music in combination with the lighting was able to direct me in the right way. At other points during the performance the music was eerie and not very joyous but people in the audience were laughing at the movements of the soloist on stage. I found this very interesting that either the choreography didn’t match the music or people were misinterpreting the scene. Does this composer usually write music for their performances or was this a one time collaboration?

I really enjoyed both performances that the Kronos Quartet presented. Many times I have attended a performance of “modern” music were the performers were playing as if the notes were just dots on a piece of paper that had to be played at the right time. These types of performances are very disheartening to me because this music has great substance that is never presented to the audience in a way they can understand therefore giving “modern” music a bad rep. The Kronos Quartet’s performances were a great relief for me to know there are groups that play this music with great attention to detail and want to present it in a way that the audience can understand and enjoy it. They played this music as if any other string quartet would play a favorite Beethoven or Brahms quartet and I believe this is essential for “modern” music to be understood and enjoyed. The only thing I disliked was at the Saturday night performance. I felt at times the music didn’t utilize the incredible talent of these performers enough. Some piece seemed to be more about the prerecorded or electronic sounds than the quartet. At times it sounded like a wave of unnecessary sounds that were very confusing and a bit tiresome to listen to. But, overall I really enjoyed both performances and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.