Concert Report Guidelines — for online/video performances MUSHL 101 S24
• Your Concert Report, worth 13% of your final grade, is an important component in comprehending
classical music through live performance. The point of a Concert Report is to write about the musical
and cultural experience of concert-going. Not only would you attend live concerts and listen critically,
but you would observe and ask such questions as: What music is on the program, and why? (For
example, often-heard “classics,” or rarely performed contemporary works?) What is the venue’s
atmosphere? What about audience behavior, demographics, and energy? The performers’ behavior,
demographics, and energy? How does music come alive in the venue? What is the ear’s physical
experience of complex acoustics? And more.
Although I encourage attending a live performance, if at all possible, students have the option of
watching concert videos. Replicating a real-life experience while viewing requires imagination! Some
of my video suggestions, below, give little indication of the audience, but do your best. In cases, I have
mostly considered musical excellence crossed with high audio/video quality. (Be sure you select the
highest video quality your wi-fi connection can handle.)
Note: Popular-music events/artists, Broadway shows, and jazz may not be used for this report. If
you write about religious music, it must be in a concert context, but not as a worship service per se.
____________________
• Objective aspects you must include in the report:
– the specific work(s), composer(s), and style period(s) you watched/listened to
– any instruments or voices involved
– a few general musical elements that you heard
– the performer(s) (e.g., conductor, orchestra, soloist, etc.) and venue involved
– how performers behave or interact; the audience and/or performer demographics
• Subjective aspects you must consider:
– what you expected the assignment to be like, and how those expectations turned out
– how you responded emotionally to the music
– any compositions you liked more than others, and why; does this say anything about you?
– how this concert compared to others — of any kind — you have attended in the past
– anything else that occurs to you
____________________
– The online/video suggestions, below, are subject to change. Most videos are free, including those in
Hunter databases; others cost a nominal amount. You might scan the list to get an idea of qualifying
videos/concerts, then explore other options on your own, or get ideas from films, TV series, family,
friends, or various internet sources. Feel free to try alternatives!
• Specifications:
– You will be viewing and writing about two categories of music performance:
(a) large-scale event(s) such as an opera, symphony orchestra, or full chorus; and
(b) small-scale event(s) such as a chamber-music group (vocal or instrumental), solo recital
(vocal or instrumental), organ recital, or early-music consort (usually Baroque or earlier).
– You will be viewing 75 minutes each for the large-scale and small-scale categories — in other words,
150 minutes total viewing, equal to 2-and-a-half hours. But — there is a large-scale special case . . .
– Important: a required large-scale component is to watch a Joseph Haydn symphony from a
separate list, below. Then, subtract the timing of your Haydn choice — let’s say it’s 25:00 — from the
total large-scale requirement of 75 minutes. In other words, after the 25:00 Haydn, you would be
responsible for another 50 minutes of large-scale music. (The Haydn prerequisite does not affect your
75-minute small-scale requirement.)
________
– Note that the 150-minute requirement (75 large-scale minutes + 75 small-scale minutes) is only a
minimum! If you choose videos that run longer than the totals, you must view all videos in their
entirety. Treat these as you would an actual concert. If you went to Carnegie Hall to hear a Beethoven
symphony, you would not get up and leave with twelve minutes remaining!
– Include a few video timestamps for especially interesting moments. Why did they impress you?
– Please do some light research on your music choices; it will greatly enrich the experience.
– This is not a formal paper. You can organize your thoughts however you wish, but do include an
introduction and conclusion.
– Minimum word count: 1,250 words (there is no maximum), double-spaced, in 12-point font.
Put all concerts into a single essay, but write about one “scale” at a time. Put your video links at the
end. Be advised that Learning Link gives me precise word counts!
– Copy and paste your text directly into Learning Link > Assignments > Concert Report. Don’t
worry if OLL’s text box rearranges your formatting. I will be able to read it.
– The due date is on or before Wednesday, May 1, at 11:59 p.m. (Late papers will incur substantial
penalties.) I’m happy to read early drafts. Extra credit is possible for exceptional papers.
(If you have a question about the assignment, including suitability of composer/style/performer[s],
please ask it in the “General Questions / Comments” forum on Learning Link.)
© David Johnson 20243
MUSHL 101 Concert Report Online/Video Suggestions
1. LARGE-SCALE EVENTS (75 minutes required, including a Haydn symphony)
• Large-scale events — The Haydn symphony requirement (as explained on p. 2); choose one:
These concerts feature conductor Giovanni Antonini with two different ensembles — the Chamber
Orchestra of Basel, and Il Giardino Armonico. Many Haydn symphonies have nicknames, by the way,
but none were given by the composer.
– Symphony no. 12 in E major (1763) (15:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZo0Wk0Z6aL6jEy6gdRfQVLfgANKtmR1etXV
– Symphony no. 43 in E-flat major (“Mercury”) (1771) (26:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZ66uaVZuliNeH1EOThWjb5svDiMVFiDULzk
– Symphony no. 49 in F minor (“La passione”) (1768) (22:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZP5jV0ZA32baAx71km1HEd9XRU1oRpvBQrV
– Symphony no. 55 in E-flat major (“Schoolmaster”) (1774) (24:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZXEuaVZVHMLHhWRaAzim9yf38akR8ARhVny
– Symphony no. 60 in C major (“Il distratto” — “the distracted one”) (1775) (25:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZuEuaVZ5PYyd9jhwOyjv4iFa6xphSMhu6V7
– Symphony no. 67 in F major (1779) (26:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZwEuaVZ3LyQbPDI7h5It3n7TRrjOmBpPBaX
– Symphony no. 80 in D minor (1784) (23:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZkOuaVZAwCIvleGhq5BhsMj2VgvAhXcghRk
____________________
• Large-Scale Events — Opera — Met Opera on Demand (a free Hunter resource)
Link: http://metopera.org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/season/on-demand/
The site has a huge trove of complete operas from the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera here in
New York. Have your Hunter Net ID ready during login. Scroll down to “Video & Audio Catalog” for
the main list. (Avoid the audio-only items and other events that are not full operas.)
You might skim through Todd for any operas discussed or mentioned. Try different composers or
style periods that have appealed to you. Be sure to switch on the subtitles. I can attest that a full opera
is well worth the time investment!
© David Johnson 20244
• Large-scale events — The Berlin Philharmonic
This is one of the most respected orchestras in the world, with an extensive archive of outstanding
performances. You can purchase individual concerts for just a few dollars.
This is a recommended option if you’re looking for superb interpretations of both traditional and
contemporary repertoire, captured with first-rate audio and camera work.
Link: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concerts
As of this writing, there is also a free concert/playlist available, featuring large-scale works by
Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Beethoven. (Note that the full playlist far exceeds the minimum time
requirements; you can adjust viewing accordingly.) Register for a free trial on their website; no credit
card information is necessary. Scroll down under “Concerts” until you get to the free one.
• Large-scale events — YouTube
I have tried to find lively concerts with good camera views and high-quality sound, plus onscreen
titles of individual movements. These will help orient you inside the pieces, though titles aren’t
absolutely necessary. (Comments sections sometimes list works, movements, and timings.)
• George Frideric Handel, Music for the Royal Fireworks — Le Concert Spirituel (16:00)
[note the use of original, Baroque-style instruments!]
• W.A. Mozart, Requiem — Sir Colin Davis, Saxon State Opera (59:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 228]
• Beethoven, Symphony no. 9 — Daniel Barenboim, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (1:15:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 262]
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZmi9TVZQb00S6q57fbwX7tAR18ivkOgnCqk
• Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique — Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Sym. (52:00)
[discussed in Todd, p. 323 ff. and Listening Map 45]
• Frédéric Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 2 (plus a solo encore) — Anna Fedorova (piano), Yves Abel,
Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (39:00)
© David Johnson 20245
• Giuseppe Verdi, Requiem — Marin Alsop, Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment, soloists, chorus
(1:24:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZlxDaVZiJTJzKNSE9LQRIt6v82tEFtB7Hg7
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme — Pablo Ferrández (cello), Elim Cham,
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (22:00)
• Claude Debussy, La mer — Marie Jacquot, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (24:00)
• Gustav Mahler, Symphony no. 4 in G major — Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Christina
Landshamer (soprano) (57:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 374]
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZexBTVZDujr67Peh3y9x9RuIvaH7bemt4o7
• Maurice Ravel, Bolero — Gustavo Dudamel, Vienna Philharmonic (18:00)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto no. 3 — Khatia Buniatishvili (piano), Neeme Järvi, Verbier
Festival Orchestra (40:00)
• Igor Stravinsky, Suite from The Firebird — Peter Oundjian, Toronto Symphony Orch. (22:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 404]
• Darius Milhaud, La Boeuf sur le toit (“The ox on the roof”) — Alondra de la Parra, L’Orchestre
de Paris (18:00)
• Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Concerto no. 3 — Martha Argerich (piano), Andre Previn, London
Symphony Orchestra (27:00)
© David Johnson 20246
• Bela Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra — Bernard Haitink, National Orchestra of France (46:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 426; excerpted in Ch. 43 Professor Discussion]
• Arturo Márquez, Danzón no. 2 — Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (9:30)
• Philip Glass, “The Window of Appearances,” from Akhnaten — Metropolitan Opera (9:00)
• Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra: The Inaugural Concert — with various composers/compositions
[recorded February 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine] (1:50:00)
http://metopera.org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=810004202924
________________________________
2. SMALL-SCALE EVENTS (75 minutes required)
Again, this is only a tiny sampling. The umbrella term “chamber music” usually indicates small-scale.
• Small-scale events — YouTube
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Sicut cervus — The Marian Consort (6:00)
[a motet, published posthumously in 1604; text and translation link:
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZEhjV0ZWtsUJG0XRcV1Y1Gt9oitCpyFiySV]
• J.S. Bach, various chamber works, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
[some are discussed in Todd, p. 160 and Listening Map 17]
– Orchestral Suite no. 1 in C major, BWV 1066 (21:00)
– Orchestral Suite no. 4 in D major, BWV 1069 (17:00)
– Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 (16:00)
© David Johnson 20247
– Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052R (22:oo)
– Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (11:00)
– Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 in G major, BWV 1049 (15:00)
– Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 (21:00)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Quintet in E-flat for Piano and Winds, K. 452 (25:00)
• Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet no. 9 in C major, Op. 59 no. 3 (“Rasumovsky”) —
Leonkoro Quartet (32:00)
[from the composer’s experimental “middle period”]
• Anna Fedorova (piano) — (various composers) (35:30)
[a more intimate performer-audience configuration than usual]
• Clara Schumann, Three Romances for Violin & Piano — Janine Jansen, Denis Kozhukhin (10:00)
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZKjuaVZ1Bg0frFnvjVlua4u1X2kWLb6bqxX
• Johannes Brahms, Piano Trio no. 1 in B major, Op. 8 — Trio Gaon (34:00)
• Anton Webern, Five Pieces, Op. 10 (6:00)
[Webern is discussed briefly in Todd, p. 414]
• Steve Reich, Different Trains (28:00)
[mentioned in Todd, p. 509]
© David Johnson 20248
• Heitor Villa-Lobos, Bachiana Brasileiras no. 9 — Sphinx Virtuosi (8:30)
________________________
Jean Rondeau is a young artist whose harpsichord artistry I really enjoy. A few brief suggestions:
• J.S. Bach, Harpsichord Concerto no. 1, movement I only — Jean Rondeau, et al. (7:30)
[recorded in the studio; this is a keyboard version of the Violin Concerto in D minor, above]
• Solo harpsichord works by various composers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzxlMfUzqIM (6:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mrBLU9CEoo (7:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yyBP3t7g90 (4:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMbBYR_lplE (6:00)
• Small-scale events — The Berlin Philharmonic
