User talk:Chenisback

The difference between the past and the present
In this new century, Music has changed a lot since the Baroque period until the 20th century. First, we must understand. What is the meaning of The difference between the past and the present. The past is, of course, as you all know, it is some event that happen in a certain point before in time. The present, however, is something that we are doing currently. To stat the difference between the past and the present, we had come up with different examples.

The Four Seasons - Summer, by Vivaldi.
The Four Seasons is a famous piece by Vivaldi. It is a work that contain four violin concertos. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. We had chosen Summer, because some of us are more familiar with this piece as we had performed it before. So that we can understand it better.

We are doing the difference between how Ramond Cohen plays Summer, by vivaldi and how Nigel Kennedy played.

Summer 1st movement - Allegro non molto

Ramond Cohen He plays it with the traditional methods. He follows the score and music written by Vivaldi carefully. All the dynamics and articulation are followed.

Nigel Kennedy Nigel, however added something additional to his playing. He accented the B-flat in bar 5, the C in bar 7, and the D in bar 9. And on every first note from bar 21-24 he articulated it.

Allegro e tut to sopra il canto

Ramond Cohen

He does it exactly like what the original score said. There were not much of change in the dynamics. The notes are all quite connected.

Nigel Kennedy

He tries out a lot of new things in the piece of music. Suddenly soft in the piece makes it more interesting. With the harpsichord, the music seems nicer. Cresendo and decrescendo are more obvious in his playing.

Allegro non molto

Ramond Cohen

Ramond Cohen did a great job here. In the recording, he and the orchestra played it slowly and softly. The mysterious feeling is there and it makes that phrase sound nice.

Nigel Kennedy

Nigel Kennedy starts on something new on the piece. He improvise a bit on the piece to make it different. This part, he did it a little bit hard, fast and robotic-like. But then, from bar 78 – 89, the different dynamics easily catches the audience’s attention.

Summer 2nd Movement

Ramond Cohen

Ramond followed the original movement of the movement. A lot of vibratos are used and most of the notes are used in high position of the violin.

Nigel Kennedy

Nigel improvise a lot in the movement. A lot of improvisation made in the solo violin part, running notes and the value of the notes are changed.

Summer 3rd Movement Ramond Cohen

In the bar 217, Ramond play it with separated bow to create clear and articulated running notes.

Nigel Kennedy

However, Nigel played it by slurring and played it very fast. He accented on the last note of the bar.

Ramond Cohen

In the bar 237, Ramond plays it legato and it’s a bit sticky.

Nigel Kennedy

Nigel is incredible in this part. He plays it extremely fast and in tune. All of the notes are staccato.

Ramond Cohen

Ramond play the movement with a very traditional way. He uses the orchestra as the accompaniment. He follows the dynamics and rhytem written.

Nigel Kennedy

Nigel improvise a lot on the piece. In this movement, he uses his foot as a drum to tap the beat. He improvises a lot and play with suberb energy and speed. The difference between the dynamics is very clear.

Ombra mai fu
In this opus, the first recording was sung by Mario Del Monaco, the accompanying instrument is organ. It represents opera seria in the Baroque period, in which sacred text is usually used. The other one is by Jose Carreras, the accompanying instrument is piano. It stands for the modern style of performance in opera. The people need more colorful and stronger tones nowadays.

At the beginning is recitative. It is a type of vocal writing, normally for a single voice, that imitates and emphasises the natural in flexions, rhymes, and syntax of speech. It became a popular concern among composers from the beginning of the seventeenth century. The first recording by Mario Del Monaco who was sung in the recitative. It is focous on his voice, which is lighter, clear and storongly declamatory, In my opinion, more of the song was about church in the Baroque time, which was very poppular and linked with socialcontext and by history. The second one is by Jose Carreras. In this recitative, the voice by Jose Carreras is new style of vocalist singing, which is became dramatic and more speech. I think more dramatic and speech is arouse audience's feelings nowadays.

In the Aria, the voice of Mario Del Monaco is quite traditional for the Italian opera. It is vulgar to use such a ringing, powerful and commanding voice in a sacred song. The vowel of this Aria by Mario Del Monaco was closed. At the beginning of the aria, I think it should be sung a little softer, but he sang very loud. His voice was also very powerful and the support was very good. The space of his voice is very clear in my opinion. It is also full of emotion. The most important thing is that his voice is lighter and darker than Jose Carreras. I see it as the highest expression of faith, maybe he wants god to hear him, and be moved. It is sung only in early opera in baroque music and is less dramatic.nThe other one is by Jose Carreras, the voice of his is more emotional .His tone color is light, soft and dramatic. People are more likely to accept his performance. He controls his breathing very well and his treatment of the song is much better. The sound is more powerful and the crescendo and decrescendo is elaborated. He sang the vowels very openly and the space of the voice is not very clear, but he also sang very well and his voice is beautiful, so this is my idea about his singing.

I have been watching the video about opera 'serse'. It is dramatic and theatric. I think The director of this opera is responsible for all theatrical elements of a performance-- from devising the overall style of the production, to rehearsing stage movements, discussing characterization with individual singers and interpreting the opera's dramatic meaning in partnership with the conductor and the designer. It like the trees, the wall pictures, the sculpture and so on, While the director has emerged this century as an all-important figure in the operatic world, this was not always the case. In the past, the task of operatic staging was handled by a leading actor or, later, by a stage manager. It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century, when Verdi and Wagner started to take an active role in the stage rehearsals of their works, that the whole concept of production began to develop as an important creative force in opera. On the other hand, nowadays opera conductors will also involve themselves in the training of soloist and chorus and the careful discussion of the music and characterization of the whole drama.

At last, the fancy dress, make up of performers, stage lighting are linking on the subject of serse, and satisfied with the audience's look. This opera is improved in nowadays.