Azmari Review

The Azmari performance of Shostakovitch's 9th symphony, movements 3, 4, and 5 was a very enjoyable experience. These movements are filled with textual emotions that tell a wonderful and yet sorrowful story of life under the iron curtain. Like many composers through out time, their music reflected the toils and troubles of life around them. Many commentators write about what they know of the child like melodies carried over the daunting, dark, and devilish ways of Stalin characterized in this work. This review however, will try to interpret the piece as someone that knows nothing of the history behind it.
The third movement has a theme that can be described as very consistent rhythms, like that of a train or a galloping horse. The Different textures of the individual parts bounced back and forth between the players in ratios of 3:1, 2:1:1, and 2:2. This movement resembled the struggle between good and evil with the repeating rhythm of TA ta ta TA. The plucking of the strings transition the melody to a sorrowful movement. This plucking motion seems to beat out a visual and audial stabbing of a loved one.
During the piece, the lead string player seems to conduct the group by exaggerating her breathing, though there is no physical connection to the playing of the music. The piece now transitions into a traditional sounding Russian melody. The visual story in the faces and movements of the players gives added depth to the conversation that they are having on their strings. As the selection comes to a close, the composer looks back upon the previous movements and weaves a tapestry of the memories using rhythms like 1 e and, 2 e and, 3 e and a, 4. The Azmari group made a wonderful piece of music come to life. It was something pleasant to the ears and easy on the imagination.
mrbortlein