[Pt. III – Proj. 3] ~ Exercise- Go to a concert

Exercise- Go to a concert

Try to make time to go to a concert and listen to some live orchestral or chamber music. If you can, try to hear some music typical of the Romantic era, but music of any period will give you a valuable opportunity to see and hear classical musicians in action. This doesn’t have to be expensive – some city centre churches hold free lunchtime recitals or concerts, for example, or you may be able to go to an inexpensive local event.

Write a review of your impressions of the concert. For example, what instruments were used? How did the various parts of the programme fit together? Was the music familiar or completely new to you? How does listening to music ‘in the flesh’ compare to the recorded version or live music on the TV or radio? And, most importantly, did you enjoy it?

Look carefully at the concert programme. You’ve already had a go at writing programme notes in Part One of the course and you’ll have an opportunity to write some opera programme notes in Part Four. Is the programme purely informative or does it help you to understand or interpret the music? Did the information it gave you enhance your enjoyment of the music (either at the time or with hindsight)? Keep it in a safe place – you might find it useful for reference later in the course.