The string concert: "A tremendous success"
Alexandra Allen
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Arts
This year the Hillsdale College music department put on its first-ever concert dedicated entirely to displaying the music department's upper level violinists and violists. Seventeen violinists and eight violists took part in the performance.
"I wanted to make this a really fun concert," said Dr. Melissa Knecht, the violin and viola instructor and organizer of the concert.
"It's lighter music," she said, describing the program as "fun and very fast to showcase the students' virtuosic skill, all the little tricks. We wanted to make it something the audience would enjoy hearing."
They certainly did not fail in their goal.
The first piece, Brahms's "Hungarian Dances," performed by all 17 violinists, set the tone for the rest of the concert. Beginning with dramatic legato sweeps, it alternated with quick, high, staccato phrases. Every movement was in near-perfect harmony.
Every piece seemed faster and more difficult than the last with wider ranges of emotion. Each performer seemed to go at it with more and more enthusiasm of expression.
"It's like a sport," Knecht said, "seeing if they can do all that."
The concert consisted of eight solo pieces and three group pieces, two from the violin group and one from the viola group.
The violin solos ranged from more classical music to gypsy-like pieces, featuring wild dances interchanged with mournful ballads. Some selections stemmed from the American violin tradition, such as William Kroll's famous piece "Banjo and Fiddle." There was also some real fiddling from award-winning fiddle-player and freshman Drew Snodderly.
Just a few of the highlights of an amazing concert included the first solo piece, freshman Elaine Cline's rendition of "Banjo and Fiddle." It displayed the comedic side of the violin with imitative banjo effects arguing with typical sweet violin sounds and fierce, fast fiddling.
The music of "Zigeunerweisen" seemed to gain life of its own, flowing from senior violinist Elyse Mayotte's fingers, tripping over itself in its enthusiasm and then forced back to a slow, agonized melody by sheer force of will.
"I wanted to make this a really fun concert," said Dr. Melissa Knecht, the violin and viola instructor and organizer of the concert.
"It's lighter music," she said, describing the program as "fun and very fast to showcase the students' virtuosic skill, all the little tricks. We wanted to make it something the audience would enjoy hearing."
They certainly did not fail in their goal.
The first piece, Brahms's "Hungarian Dances," performed by all 17 violinists, set the tone for the rest of the concert. Beginning with dramatic legato sweeps, it alternated with quick, high, staccato phrases. Every movement was in near-perfect harmony.
Every piece seemed faster and more difficult than the last with wider ranges of emotion. Each performer seemed to go at it with more and more enthusiasm of expression.
"It's like a sport," Knecht said, "seeing if they can do all that."
The concert consisted of eight solo pieces and three group pieces, two from the violin group and one from the viola group.
The violin solos ranged from more classical music to gypsy-like pieces, featuring wild dances interchanged with mournful ballads. Some selections stemmed from the American violin tradition, such as William Kroll's famous piece "Banjo and Fiddle." There was also some real fiddling from award-winning fiddle-player and freshman Drew Snodderly.
Just a few of the highlights of an amazing concert included the first solo piece, freshman Elaine Cline's rendition of "Banjo and Fiddle." It displayed the comedic side of the violin with imitative banjo effects arguing with typical sweet violin sounds and fierce, fast fiddling.
The music of "Zigeunerweisen" seemed to gain life of its own, flowing from senior violinist Elyse Mayotte's fingers, tripping over itself in its enthusiasm and then forced back to a slow, agonized melody by sheer force of will.
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