I agree that Hill Auditorium was a great place for this performance to take place. I was especially excited to see the performance take place there after getting a tour of the auditorium the week before. Hearing about the history of it and knowing about all the sound dynamic that was created intentionally by the architects made me appreciate how well projected all the music was at Brham’s Requiem. Hill Auditorium was created so that even a person talking at a normal volume could be heard at the top row, but to have an opera performance, which is already so loud, allowed everyone to appreciate the strength of their voices no matter where they were seated.

Stereotypes were broken at the Brahm’s Requiem performance. To start, when I heard that this was going to be a classical music performance, I cringed at the thought of having to listen to that for 2 plus hours of it. It didn’t help when I heard the name, Brahm’s Requiem. Requiem. Was this going to be depressing? Finally, when I heard there was going to be an opera singer, I expected the singer to be a big, older woman. Boy was I surprised when we met Nadine, and I am so happy that we did. To hear her sing the day before got me very excited for the performance and made me second guess all the assumptions I had made. At the performance, all my generalizations were proven wrong. The music, although definitely classical, had so much variety and emotion. I was glad that we got the translations because it helped me relate to the songs. Regardless, the emotion that was betrayed by all the performers, especially by Nadine and John, allowed me to understand the overall meaning of the songs. Having the Choral Union sing as well made the performance even more enjoyable for me. I was astonished by their talent, and they were a great compliment to Nadine and John’s solos. Overall, I am very happy I went to this performance, not just because of how beautiful the music was, but also because it taught that I should not make rash generalizations about performances before seeing it first.

Liz,

It’s interesting that the improvisation of Alfredo’s performance took away from your experience. Hearing the constantly changing rhythm of Alfredo’s piano playing kept me engaged throughout his whole performance because I kept listening for the next time he would change it up. On the other hand, Pedrito’s performance slowly disengaged me because they continued to play the same rhythm and sing the same words throughout each song.
I too did not hear the jazz qualities of Pedrito’s music and would’ve classified it more as cuban/latino music.

If someone asked me to play music that I considered to be jazz, I certainly would not have played songs that I heard on Friday night at the concert, especially not Pedrito Martenez Group. Regardless, I loved the energy and enthusiasm of both performers. Particularly, I was blown away by Alfredo Rodriguez’s piano playing abilities. Although I couldn’t see his face while he was playing, I could tell he was having fun with it and definitely seemed to be improving. There was no steady beat to his music, which kept my attention throughout his whole performance. Although I enjoyed Pedrito Martenez Group, I could tell his work was much more rehearsed. I liked that his music included vocals and different types of instruments like the bongos, but I think they could’ve been more engaging with their performance. They seemed to keep the same rhythm (particularly the piano player) and repeating the same lines through out each of the songs. Overall, I enjoyed the performance but I have to say I enjoyed the first half more than the second.

I was thinking the same thing! I LOVED this performance but I couldn’t help but think, where are the women? I think it would’ve added a nice touch to the performance and made it more related to me (as a woman) if there were female performers up there as well. I wonder if this type of dance is traditionally male dominated and that is why there were no women but I would definitely enjoy watching an all female version of this show!

All I can say is WOW. Compagnie Kafig was an incredible performance that left me in awe. I was not only impressed with the intricate way the performers moved their body and stayed completely synchronized, but also they all looked like they were having the time of their lives on stage. The whole time while watching the show, I couldn’t stop thinking about how tired these men must be, yet they showed no trace of exhaustion and made all their moves look like anyone could do. Having been a competitive gymnast for four years, I understand how difficult some of the acrobatic moves they did are. In terms of the dancing, I thought it was amazing how depending on the music being played, the type of dancing they were doing seemed to be completely different even if the moves were the same. This was especially true for the first half of the performance, where the music started more hip hopy and the switched to being almost Egyptian and then Scottish. The way the performers’ bodies moved to the music made it seem like their bodies were making the music. They didn’t move to the beat of the music but they created the beat with their moves. Overall, I really enjoyed the performance, however, I still could not tell you what type of dance that was. Does anyone know or is it supposed to be open-ended?

I tried to enjoy the Olga Kern performance, but I could not. When I looked around the audience, I noticed that everyone had their eyes closed and sat completely still. I, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. I tried to close my eyes, but every time I did, I started to drift off into sleep. Listening to this performance, and seeing other people’s experience compared to mine made me wonder: What does it mean to be present at a performance? Do you have to enjoy the performance to be present or is everyone in the audience “present” regardless of their opinions? I knew I was physically present, and I tried to keep my mind on Kern’s music, but my thoughts relentlessly trailed off. I did not feel “present,” at least the way my peers at the show were.

I think the reason I didn’t feel a connection to the music at the Kern recital was because she did not interact with the audience. I have felt present at performances before, but they are usually musicals or dance shows where there is movement and words. At Kern’s recital, there was no movement except the slight movement of her hands and her head. I needed interaction, I needed movement, and I needed words or spoken song. These are the things that inspire and engage me. I this if Kern had sang along with her melody, I would’ve been more present at her performance.