[Criticism] Morning Star

Morning Star (2000)

composed by David Maslanka

I don't want to criticize the all American composers and their works, but sometimes I just cannot figure out where the interest of them. For example, David Maslanka, I never reject that some of his work is really wonderful and amazing, like his "Tears," "In Memoriam," "Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano," and "A Child's Garden of Dreams." They are all interesting!

Now, the concert in late August this year, I have to play his work "Morning Star," which nerves and excites us by its highly technical require all around the piece for the exciting and nervous feelings of our audience by our adventurous job when they are listening to. But it must be something without aesthetic perception for me.

First comes to its form, the regular sonata formed with some variety, but it doesn't possess any kinds of logical relationship between the unity and variety, or any kinds of pleasant surprises. The characteristic of the theme dosen't allow itself to be well developed, and often appear without any change but only its accompaniment in the work. Too many parts link us to the other composers' language or melodies, which we are already familiar with.

The variations of the first theme are monotomous in the exposition and lost the nature of variation. In the development with the psalm-liked melody, not only boring but also deformed by the suddent stop without well developed theme. The accompany here is an antediluvian which has nothing new and unusual to report. It dosen't display the interesting of agitation or animation of the development in the musical language. In the recapitulation, with a small different in form, using the montage technique to combine the themes and elemnets of the previous part, because of the much similarity between these two themes, it becomes boring again as the exposition and develoment.

In the "bridge" sections, the most difficult part in composing, which connect each part, without any kind of innovations or suprising well-designation which appears the most common failling of the American contemporary composers who ignore to use the most basic techniques in the traditional training handy and adequately like Mozart or Bethoveen.


OK, done!
I'll start to read the modern physics for my final examination.