Quintet in A major for Piano and Strings, Op. 81
Antonin Dvo?ák

The quintet began with the first movement, the Allegro, and the cello plays a soft, warm, inviting melody that draws in the listener with the tinkling of the piano. However, the dynamic changes dramatically into a forte as all five instruments come together in a harmonious force. Overall, the dynamic change and articulation of this movement was astounding to me. Also, the way the instruments blended together, branching off, and then unifying, all with the soft tones of the piano, created a very pleasing effect for the ear. Also, the way the violin soared over the rest of the instruments, but didn’t take the entire solo. The echoes around the 2.5 minute mark show a variety of styles within the movement. The second movement, the Dumka, is my favorite of the of the Quintet. The way the cello and piano play off each other’s melodies in the beginning creates a soulful, mournful sensation for the listener, and the entire darkness of the sound brings it together in a conglomeration that reminds me of a rainy day. I especially love the piano solo in this, because of the way it cascades up and down, with a beautiful climax that is slightly haunting. The mixing of mournful and sunny melodies makes the movement diversified, and nostalgic in a way. The third movement is the Scherzo, which starts off playful and fast. The running piano line creates a flowing sensation. The string instrument’s articulation was superb in this section, because of the brushy, sharp notes, and also the staccato was skillfully done. Also, the variation of the tempo during this movement keeps it from being boring to the listener. The final movement has a dancing feel, and starts off with a pulsing from all the instruments. Again, the crescendos and articulation of the string instruments are perfectly done. Another point to bring up is that the musicians moved and breathed together as a single organism, and communicated often with eyesight and body language. It was fascinating to watch five separate people become a cohesive group. Also, the contrast between the piano and the forte was huge, and segued into the waltz-like passage with ease and no problems. All in all, the quintet performed this piece with precision, unity, and passion, which came together to create a wonderful performance to experience.

Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Sergei Rachmaninoff
The entire philharmonic came together to perform this extremely long symphony. What struck me in the first movement is the fluidity and smoothness of the music – it didn’t sound like individual instruments, because they moved together and the sound they created sounded like one instrument. At certain points, when the entire symphony played in unison, it created such a melodious, full sound that fills your whole body with a humming, and the timpani helps to bring it all together. The volume of the symphony was incredible, and the way they drop and jump from dynamic to dynamic is quite skillful. The oboe solo in the middle was performed wonderfully by Liang Wang, and the slightly morbid melody contrasted with the romantic, soaring melody in the first couple minutes of the movement. The second movement started with pulsing horns, and created a sensation of warfare, and riding horses towards a battle. The string’s rhythm creates a running sensation, and propels the piece forward. This movement incorporates a use of echoes beautifully, but utilizing the repetition of the horn’s melody. Both the first and second movements have these romantic string melodies that rise up, and fall back down in swells, which is pleasing to the ear after the horns’ blasting. The principal melody comes back up in the middle of the movement, which revives the piece after a somber section. Again, the dynamics are stupendous. The adagio movement, movement three, is my favorite of the four. It’s the most romantic of the movements, and the clarinet solo in the beginning is so uplifting, yet nostalgic at the same time. The middle of the piece is a slow rise to the climax, a stretching out of the steps up to the final blast, and when the blast finally comes, the strings quiet and wind down. The last and final movement starts off which a victorious march-like melody, with the horns as the main part. Later on, it quiets down into a musing melody, but explodes once again. The musicians did a wonderful job of communicating with the conductor, and fell like clay in the conductor’s hands. Every flick of the conductor’s hands, every motion, was carefully executed by the musicians. The last movement wasn’t my favorite by far, because the melody to me seemed a little muddled, and repetitive. However, parts of it have a nice, clean sound. The romantic theme comes up in nearly all of the movements, and ties up the symphony in a cohesive manner. This performance by the New York Philharmonic was a stunning one, because they performed the entire Rachmaninoff No. 2, which is an astounding feat due to its length.