Annual Concert Testimonial with Kevin Hansbauer
Every year, MUDEC students attend a yearly concert at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg city to listen to music performed by the Solistes Europeens Luxembourg Orchestra. After each concert, a student's composition from Professor Georges Baches's MUS 189 class is chosen to appear in the program for the public's viewing. This year, Professor Backes has chosen Kevin Hansbauer from the spring class of '19. Read below for a sneak peek of the essay.
"When is the last time you looked at the inner workings of a clock or at the inside of the screens that dominate our lives? - Something that seems so simple and tangible, is complex and dynamic if looked at closely enough.
For me, assisting at the rehearsal of the “Solistes Européens, Luxembourg” Orchestra on March 17, 2019 gave me this same notion. Music is often taken for granted, and its complexity is often overlooked. With the popularization of steaming and downloading, people see it as mundane, rather than picking it apart and appreciating each individual piece. Being able to witness both the rehearsal and the concert allowed me to gain a better understanding of classical music and the ability to look at music as a dynamic and complex machine.
Prior to the concert, it was amazing to see the tinkering of every individual moving part to increase the efficiency and cohesiveness of the complex machine. As the conductor would change specific notes and dynamics, my appreciation for the completed piece only grew. Just as a programmer makes minor changes in code to improve the computers efficiency, the conductor works with each individual instrument fixing minuet mistakes. It was astonishing to see the violinists practice the movement of their bows and to hear the plucking of each string individually
on all of the instruments. Being able to hear the pianist individually without the accompaniment of the orchestra emphasized his talent, as well as emphasized the importance of each musician individually. If I would not have witnessed the rehearsal, I would just have looked at the piece as a whole and not at the individual musicians.
The concert itself was a complete masterpiece. The passion of each musician was
projected through their instruments with the guidance of the conductor. Hearing the piece as a whole, rather than just small exerpts made me realize how immense and impressive the music really was. I realized how dynamic a music piece could be as soon as I would recognize sections that the conductor had changed and practiced at the rehearsal. The one part in particular I could notice the most progression in was when it was only the piano and the timpani playing together in Beethoven’s piano concerto. Originally, it sounded very off-beat and almost sloppy. It caugh me off guard because it stuck out the most within the movement. However, in the concert it was pristine and flawless and it was a unique opportunity to see this kind of change in such a professional group of musicians.
Overall, getting to see the orchestra both practice and perform was eye opening and
increased my appreciation for classical music. Although technology may be the downfall of musicthey are much the same; dynamic, complex, and underappreciated. While I sometimes look at music as customary, I have learned to look further into the inner workings of each piece, and appreciate the sheer talent required to make such a masterpiece. We may not take apart our computers to see how they work or remove the face of our watch, however, it is important to remember that these things took years of development, and really are a spectacle of human achievement. I now know music is the same, and that is why I appreciated this wonderful musical experience."
- Kevin HANSBAUER (Spring 2019)
