Name: Tas’Zhane Jabbaar
Course: The Enjoyment of Music
Date: March 20, 2016
Concert: Lomazov Rackers Piano Duo
Type of concert: Piano Duo Recital
General Reaction: I was impressed by the length of talent and technique. The wonderful
changes in timbre thorough out each piece brought excitement to the performance. Marina
Lomazov and Joseph Rackers captivated the audience with so many emotions by using call and
response.
Composition I liked best: The piece I enjoyed the most was from The Garden of Eden,
Serpent’s Kiss by William Bolcom, and the third movement of a four-movement suit, with each
movement having some reference to the famed story in the Old Testament. The mood in “The
Serpent’s Kiss” moves from demonic to carefree to frantic. A sophisticated work that is
permeated with hidden meaning and complex relationships with chromaticism, dissonance, and
extended techniques (stomping, whistling, tapping on the piano, etc.). While playing adding
excitement to the composition as well as keeping the performer on his toes.
Ragtime is music characterized by a syncopated melodic line and regularly accented
accompaniment, evolved by black American musicians in the 1890s and played especially on the
piano. Lomazov and Rackers exceeded everything ragtime is they connected with each other on
a personal/professional level that made the piece that much better. They did a pieces that were
meant to be played by multiple people and they pulled it off with just two people. Ragtime gave
the piece more adventure and excitement, it made the music turn into a story. The Allusion this
piece gives off lets people think out of the box and travel to a different world. Through Eden’s
