Michelle Mullin
Blog Post #1
Music Concert Review
I went to see Worldwinds, Samantha Bosch’s senior flute recital in Poncho Theater on Monday, April 6. I thumbed through the program just minutes before 8:00 PM, when the concert was supposed to begin. I took note of the entities that were on the stage: a couple chairs, a couple stands, a piano, and a marimba. Then Samantha herself walked onto the stage, dreads piled on top of her head in a bun, as usual, in the most beautiful, colorful dress. She smiled at the very enthusiastic audience, performed a couple of quick rituals with her flute, and abruptly began her first piece, which was a solo. She played Katherine Hoover’s Kokopelli for solo flute. Afterward, she bowed quickly and modestly, and left the stage. She returned with a cello player and a guitar player. They found their seats, and each began performing their own instrument-related rituals, like adjusting music stands and placing the cello on the floor just right. Then they tuned their instruments to each other, and after quite a few tries, were finally satisfied. I found this part particularly confusing, because it seemed so unprofessional… like coming out onto the stage without being fully prepared. I did come to understand that it was necessary, however. But I couldn’t help but wonder if musicians ever use taking that extra time to tune their instruments as a way of biding time because of nervousness. Before I could finish that thought, the three of them began playing J.S. Bach’s Sonata in E minor BVW 1034. There were four songs before intermission, and four after. Two pieces were solos and the rest she played with no more than two other musicians. With Poncho being such an intimate little theater, I was able to observe something I hadn’t given too much thought to before.
I was entirely intrigued by the fleeting moment that’s just before the song begins. The moment where the musicians make eye contact and, without words, check that they’re all on the same page and ready, take a breath, and begin. The first time I noticed this silent but heavy moment, I made a couple of basic observations. So for every song that followed, I reminded myself to really be aware and present for that moment and see if I could feel the energy and wordless communication that passed between them. It was a really beautiful interaction to witness that I could have easily brushed aside if I wasn’t really paying much attention.
