A Special Concert I Attended

Today, May 27, 2009, I saw a small concert. The concert lasted a little over an hour and unfortunately started a few minutes late. I walked into the Music Building at University California of Davis, into a small room where the concert recital occurred. I showed up roughly half an hour early and people scurried into the room as the beginning of the concert approached. The lights went off and the front became illuminated so one could see the various instrument players. The concert had begun.

The concert had a total of 5 pieces. The first one included a piano and a French horn. Then the same piano and French horn in addition to another French horn. The third piece had a piano player again with 3 French Horns. The fourth piece included only French horns, and the last included all French Horns again.

The first piece with a piano and one French horn player lasted a little over half an hour. The piano player, a male, had his piano turned to the side, so one could see his finger movements. As he completed each page of what he played, another man in a suit would change the page for the piano player because the player couldn't stop playing. The French horn player, a female, sat facing the audience. They played a unique tempo, which speed up or slowed down accordingly to what they played, called tempo rubato. At times the sounds from the piano would almost coincide with the French horn and one could hear a single sound. The music felt very calm, but at times got exciting.

After the first piece the recital had an intermission. A man gladly helped set up another chair for an additional French horn player. After the initial long piece, the remaining pieces lasted only a short while. A third person came into the group and played the French horn, which lasted for about 5 or 10 minutes. As they reached the end, they would pause briefly and then push the piano to the side and set up four chairs for only a French horn piece.

Now the concert had ended, after a total of 5 pieces and they offered refreshments for free. The music sounded very nice overall. Each player seemed a little nervous in front of the crowd. A few noticeable things include each French horn player kept blowing air into their horns before they started to play. They seemed as though they wanted their instruments clean from any debris, so they could properly play. Another instance I didn't notice at first includes the French horn players putting their hands inside of their horns. Around the third and fourth piece, I noticed every horn player with their hands in their horns. Maybe they needed to control the sound better, so I thought. I had never seen a French horn played before, yet even with piano accompaniment. A French horn and piano certainly do make a great concert when in a small room.