with angry cadences, sharp rhythms, and harmonic irregularity this magical group of four told the ripped emotional level behind the impression of a story on a person. The feeling, the sway created a tangible aura of feeling. Dissonant mercurial anti-harmonies rumbled by turns scraping and screeching, clanking and clinking. The swoon and slither of the quartet was at once an un-dead twitch, a hypnotized swirl, and and electric eel. Following the tides of change, the antagonist of the queued bows pulling to fire at the ready and embezzled the mind of its proper sultan. Envy, pure rage, trust, and nerves all entered stage left as the man’s physical being overwhelmed the listener with the man’s physiology. I wanted–i don’t know–to faint? It was like if great pressure on your chest coded as feeling itchy all over the skin. But somehow still i was quite completely transfixed by that feeling. it was dark and erotic and it was eating glass. The feeling transfixed me, and as i got dinner with my visiting mother, the feeling decrescendo’d and subsided. the feint and the pale removed itself to a warmer shade, and i felt better.

Momenta Quartet provides a refreshing look at chamber music that not only cherishes the old-world splendor of classical composers, but also champions the new and innovative work of up-and-coming composers. These four incredible individuals have worked hand-in-hand with these composers, commissioning pieces and performing their work in world premiers. Now this may be ignorant, but I had no ideas that such partnerships even existed between musicians and composers. Although maybe that’s because most of the music I’ve played is by men who have long since passed… Either way, seeing this partnership was actually quite inspiring and opened my eyes to a whole other dimension of music.

I’ll preface this next section by saying that, while I’d like to believe I’m a musician, I realistically know a few good songs and the difference between major and minor. Music theory has never really been my thing. I was very excited, however, when the group touched upon something that I had been wondering for years: what about the notes in-between notes? As it turns they have a name – a name which I cannot currently recall, but now thats just as much your problem as mine (you’re welcome 🙂 ). That aside, these unicorns of music aren’t just theories, but real functioning musical devices. In fact, Momenta played a piece for us that used these intermediate tones extensively. I will admit that it wasn’t the most pleasant of sounds – the performance was prefaced with a statement about how the instruments may sound out of tune – but I can still appreciate the thought behind its composition. Being able to compose something resembling a song using tones so inherently dissonant is quite the feat, and I thing that goes for the musicians as well in their ability to play said pieces.

All in all, I was thoroughly impressed by the Momenta Quartet, and I was actually very disappointed I couldn’t attend their actual concert. Bravo.

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing the Momenta quartet. When I saw this as one of the events for that week I just knew that I had to attend. Stringed instruments have always held a special place in my heart because I played the violin from 6th grade all the way through high school. I enjoyed tackling new tasks such as vibrato, 2nd position and much more. I always attempted to improve my tone and quality of playing, all of this came with time because I practiced every week day at school. Stringed instruments are not only important to me, but to my family. My brother and sister play the cello, my cousin plays the viola, and another cousin plays the violin too. So when I get the chance to see anyone play, especially professional I am tickled with pleasure. My favorite thing about watching professional orchestral groups is the pleasure of watching their left hand. The left hand that moves across the finger board, creating the dynamic tones, while the right hand is used to steer the bow. The left hand is where I truly get to see all the delicacies and skills of being a talented musician.

The group really intrigued me because they told a story of a troubled man, it was definitely much more than just any old piece. I loved hearing the intensity build and where you could tell that the man was on the train and when he supposedly killed his wife. I enjoyed watching the group’s mood change as those scenes of intensity took place. I really appreciated the background that they gave us on the composer. I also enjoyed how they made the composer’s life story easy to relate and even inspirational. The composer did not reach his prime in writing until later on in his life. Most famous classical composers such as Beethoven wrote their best works of art in their youth.

I enjoyed the groups dedication to playing contemporary pieces. I find it noble that a majority of the group’s music is that of living composers. I have only heard of another orchestral group that does that. Black violin is that group. Black violin is a contemporary group of violinist that compose their own music, and even tour with the likes of Alicia Keys.

Last Friday, I attended an amazing quartet rehearsal by the Momenta Quartet. From elementary school through high school, I was very involved with orchestra and I loved to play the violin. I haven’t played at all through college, so it was very refreshing to listen to a live string performance. The group started their rehearsal by telling us about the piece they were playing, Janacek’s String Quartet No. 1, which was based on a novel. The novel told the story of a man who suspected his wife was cheating on him with a piano player she was working with, and aspects of the stories climactic moments were present in the different movements of the piece. The Momenta Quartet had two violinists, a violist, and a cellist; however during their performance it sounded like there many more musicians playing.

After the performance, I got a chance to talk to the musicians about how they got started with music and how they became a group. All of them had been playing since a very young age and knew that they wanted to pursue a career involving music. They formed their quartet gradually over time, and Adda, the second violist, was the last to join in 2009. They have grown closer over time through rehearsing and preforming together, as they all share a strong passion for music. I really enjoyed my time playing violin, so it was a great experience to listen and talk to this quartet who love what they do.

Having never been to a quartet rehearsal, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Overall, it was a very enjoyable night with some good music and interesting conversation. My favorite string instrument is the viola, because I played it when I was younger, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to see a professional play it.

I especially enjoyed the beginning, when the musicians explained the origin of the music, which was inspired by a book which in turn was inspired by a piece of music. I really liked hearing about the background of the piece, because it made it more interesting to interpret and appreciate the story of the music. I also liked that the musicians attempted to explain some of the technical aspects of the music, and though I do not entirely understand what microtones are, I appreciate the effort.

This past Friday I attended the Momenta Quartet open Rehearsal. It was a chance to hear some great String’s music in first person, and I jumped at the opportunity. Although I am not a music lover, nor do I have any musical talent, I really enjoy peaceful strings/classical music. It does a great job of making my worries go away.

One think I really enjoyed about this open rehearsal was that it not only played great music, but also shared a little bit of the history of the piece. They discussed how it was supposed to include a train, as well as a climatic scene where someone may have been murdered. While listening to the music, I could definitely pick up on those elements. There were some very rhythmic parts that sounded like the train, and some very high energy parts where it felt like dozens of people were playing.

By closing my eyes while I was able to listen, I felt transported to the scene described. It was not only exciting, but also quite peaceful to be able to listen to such a talented group perform right in front of me.

I fully recommend this type of event to anyone in the future.

that was some kind of something.

as is my habit, i foolishly read only the title of this event before i went to it, so my perception of what i thought was going to happen was very different from what happened. “momentum quartet open rehearsal,” to me, sounds very posh and baroque. something bethovan-y. what the quartet actually played was decidedly not bethovan, but was instead janáček’s manic musical interpretation of tolstoy’s manic literary interpretation of a bethovan piece. i pulled up the wikipedia article on the piece and it reads, “using a principle of thematic montage, the quartet almost abandons the fields of traditional harmony, homophony and counterpoint and instead makes free with the varied sonic factors typical of janáček, including his characteristic modal inflections.” that bit about janáček blowing off what a traditional string quartet is supposed to sound like is very accurate. the song sounded like something out of a p.t. anderson movie, or maybe just a fever dream. the whole piece was incredibly dissonant, eratic, and incongruous. watching the momentum orchestra seize and twitch their way through the the quartet, the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up–all four musicians looked possessed. it was really quite unnerving.

i loved it.

it’s such a great feeling when music (or film or literature or any artistic medium really, but i think this is especially true of music) surprises and challenges you. the song really did sound quite like the tolstoy story, which is about a man riding a train and contemplating his wife’s possible infidelity. at the end of the story he may or may not kill his wife–it’s left ambiguous. the quartet did a great job at evoking those themes and feelings. for instance, the violins traded the the inhuman, mechanical screech and chug of the machinery on the train the narrator rides, and the viola and the cello swerved and spun by turns franticly and woozily, like the pulse of someone raked with anxiety and frustration. the whole piece was completely psychotic–and an awesome ride.

i award this event 10 spooks out of 10 and i’d recommend it my top ten tweakiest friends.

It’s not uncommon for classical music to convey a portrait. In fact, impressionist composers such as Debussy and Ravel create scenes out of flooding melodies that all come together to form one landscape interpreted by the listener. Personally, that is my favorite style of classical music, and to listen to Momenta Quartet’s performance of Janacek was reminiscent of impressionism yet totally novel to me. The group prefaced the piece by explaining the composer’s intent of conveying a dialogue. Whether it was due to foreshadowing or the clarity and power of the composition itself, the intense interactions between each of the four parts was very clear. Rather than melting all together to form one piece, it seemed like each part was a sharply distinct melody that wove — sometimes sweetly and sometimes chaotically — into the other bold voices. While the separation of voices is a common theme in musical performance, the focus on this separation in the composition itself created a beautiful and sometimes even painful piece. Among many other aspects of the stunning performance, the contrast between communicating parts stood out to me the most. Also, the hosts gave us cookies. That was cool too.

Tonight we had the honor of watching the Momenta String Quartet in an open rehearsal. Before they played, they talked about the piece they were going to be playing, Janacek’s String Quartet No. 1, also known as the Kreutzer Sonata. They told us that it is one of the few musical pieces to be based on a book (by Leo Tolstoy) which was based on a song (by Beethoven). I always love when art is meta and self-conscious, so I definitely thought that was very interesting. The artists also told us what to listen for in the piece, such as the sounds of trains and conversations. I found that incredibly helpful, and it gave me a whole new perspective as I listened to the music. I definitely felt like I was able to pick out conversations and envision a storyline throughout the piece. According to the artists, the piece does not tell the story linearly, but rather in fragments. As an English major, I really like the idea that Janacek decided to not be predictable and simply transcribe the story into the music event by event, but instead mix it up and keep the audience guessing as to which part was being conveyed.