A dialogue of music

    GCSU faculty, Dr. Lisa Lombardo and Dr. Richard Mercier, interwove classical tones and jazz strumming melodies to showcase superior musical inventiveness while entertaining the Max Noah Recital Hall audience.
    The duet consisted of Lombardo on bassoon, accompanied by Mercier on piano.
    Gernot Wolfgang’s piece, “Moods in Blue,” set the base for what the concert was built around. The German jazz guitarist collaborated sounds of jazz and classical music, which inspired Lambardo’s musical selection of the evening.
    According to Mercier, bassoons are most commonly found in orchestras and are often thought of as an unusual instrument for solo performance.
    Originally, Lambardo was hesitant to combine the pieces of the recital without the accompaniment of an orchestra; however, she embraced the challenge.
    “I strive to make every recital entertaining while making it interesting, especially since the bassoon is not a regular recital instrument,” Lambardo said.
    And the twosome did just that.
    Lambardo and Mercier took the stage with a confident bow, ready to display a fun and demanding performance.
    The recital showcased four pieces with an array of moods, character, lyrical technicality and song melodies. All four pieces produced pleasant melodies that allowed the bassoon to play at a constant quick pace backed by block chords of the piano, allowing the bassoon to be the focal point of the recital and not fight for the attention of the audience.
    Mercier did take control of the stage briefly during each piece, allowing Lombardo a moment to catch her breath. With a smile and nod the musical alliance would reconvene.
    As Lambardo and Mercier composed the unfied sound of bassoon and piano, they did more than just execute technically proficient music they allowed their talents to serve as a mode of communication between them
    “There is something special in going out there with another musician that you don’t experience when you are performing by yourself. There is dialog,” Mercier said.
    With each note, chord and smile shared amongst the musicians, the audience was drawn deeper into a joyful trance.
    As the night came to a conclusion, Lambardo and Mercier were honored with a roaring standing ovation.
    Their pieces of strong lyrical technicality touched with melancholy provided ample satisfaction for the crowd and their ears anxious for an encore performance.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 21 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry