Rave Reviews

The Jasper String Quartet is Caramoor's 11th Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence. Somers High School participated in this year's Student Strings program. Below are some essays written by the students who experienced working with the quartet and their reaction to the concert. 

Review #1 - The concert amazed me! I was surprised by my reaction to the music. I enjoyed it more than I expected. I enjoyed the wonderful music, the skills of these musicians and the stories behind the music.

I love the second piece! I can get the idea that it was written by a composer who was sand and depressed. It was dark and deep with a lot of crescendo in it. It’s a lot different from Beethoven’s music. There’s a lot of pp and subito forte in it. The cello gave a strong support while the violinist played the main melody. It became happier and brighter toward the end.

As an audience, I prefer the third piece of music. It’s from “The Life”. It has three movements. This piece is not as dramatic as the second piece. It’s easier to hear the melody of the music. It has a more narrow range than the last one. Most of the notes concentrate in the low-pitch area. In addition to the lower pitch, there’s more weight put on the cello. It makes this piece of music more powerful and energetic than the last one. The middle part of the second movement gives me a sense of comfort with humor and happiness.

I have been to a lot of concerts before. But these four musicians make me believe that music is not only an organized sound, but also a way to express emotion, share one’s ideas and tell a story.

Review #2 - I was very surprised at the concert. Usually when I thought of violins and cellos, I thought that it would be boring to listen to. But, it wasn’t as boring at all and I actually really liked it. The music was a lot brighter and more intense then I thought it would be. I also thought that the way the musicians performed very enthusiastically really brighten up the whole performance. I thought it was really cool how the musicians were able to use their instruments to sound like ice, a train, or like the accordion. I never knew how exciting the violin, cello, and viola really are. I thought I wouldn’t like it because it would be too classical for me, but I actually really enjoyed it.

Review #3 - When I walked into the auditorium, I expected an okay or so, so performance. When they began to play, I was blown away by their talent. This was the first time that I’ve seen a string performance up close. The energy and passion for playing was greatly shown when they were into the song. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. It was an amazing and remarkable performance that I will remember for a long time. To me, the four musicians looked like they had a special and unique connection when they not only played with each other but when they were speaking to the audience. I would love to watch them play again. Music to them isn’t just their job, it’s what they are passionate for and their career. Mrs. Harris, I am glad that you gave me the opportunity to watch the Jasper String Quartet perform.

Review #4 - This concert was not what I expected it to be because it was more interesting than I thought. I was surprised by the music because they played their song on the bridge of the instruments. I enjoyed it more because when I think of a concert I think of being bored, but they played some exciting things than I expected. I enjoyed the song where they played on the bridge because that gave me the feeling that I was experiencing what was actually happening.

Review #5 - The concert was much more interesting than I had originally thought it would be. It was very intense, I always pictured a string quartet as very dull and lifeless, however now, I see it as very emotional. I enjoyed the story aspect of it. I hate when I hear music and I just can’t grasp what it’s talking about. This quartet was like a journey. The man telling the story prior to the piece was also helpful. I would have to say that my favorite thing while listening to a piece like this is layering such as when the cellist plays a long, low note and the violins/violas are playing high, piercing ones, almost like notes that are dancing around. This was shown early in this piece.

Review #6 - The music was somewhat what I expected. I expected classical music but I didn’t know how much I’d like it. My reaction to the music did surprise me, due to the meanings of the songs but it made me happy. It was someway in which they played this supposed to be sad music in a happy way. I loved how they moved with such passion while playing. Also, how they were like a sports team; they worked together.