I attended a performance by the Serenade Duo with Michelle LaPorte playing flute, and Gerry Saulter on Classical guitar. The program was called “From Brazil to Barcelona” including pieces from Brazil, Argentina and Spain. I originally wanted to attend a Pink Floyd tribute show, but the time wasn’t there, so I attended this without knowing much of what to expect.
The concert was held in our auditorium at the Eastern Campus of Suffolk County Community College. It is a nice, big room with comfortable chairs that wrap around the stage in a half crescent. I sat in the furthest row directly in the middle where I had a great view of the performers. The setup of the auditorium, along with the silence of the audience, allowed the music to be heard loud and clear by all. Surprisingly, there were not many people in the audience: a wide age range of a few students and familiar teachers that I have noticed go to music events on campus. People dressed casually as it took place during common hour on an average school day. The performers however were dressed very elegantly. Michelle LaPorte wore a very nice, black dress as Gerry Saulter played in a sharp, grey suit. The audience behaved as most would in a small, formal set up as such. At the end of each song, I wanted to give a standing ovation, but my fear of embarrassment being the only one stopped me from doing it, which I regret.
The performers had a great introduction and got to know the audience. They continued by teaching us a little about the origins of the music. Before the start of each song, they gave us interesting facts on the inspiration for how the pieces were written as well as insight on how they were received by the audience at the time. LaPorte played the flute standing up on the left as Saulter played his nylon acoustic sitting down next to her. They collaborated very well by taking turns speaking to the audience, and even better as they played together. Although they didn’t have any extras, such as light shows or dancing, the music being played was enough to transport the audience somewhere culturally diverse and peaceful. I enjoyed the show immensely and I will now consider going to more Classical shows.
This was the first time I experienced a duo with guitar and flute. The word that comes to mind when I think of the music is beautiful. Although it sounds corny, the music was soul-touching, and I believe every audience member had some emotion tapped into by each piece played. There were no lyrics in any of the songs, but with the introductions to each song and the performance to back it up, everyone understood the song and how it could portray its title. For example, the piece called “Nuages,” which means clouds in Portuguese, painted a vivid picture of wonderful scenery full of nature and happiness created by a slow-paced and relaxing rhythm. The last piece, “Progessiones para Pauline,” was about a woman the original writer knew, who passed away fairly young. He described her as a friendly, helping and loving woman. The piece was touching as the audience was placed in the life of Paulina, which had an overall upbeat and positive feel to it.
I was extremely fond of how Saulter utilized his guitar differently during some parts to make a distinct sound. This was demonstrated by his tapping on the guitar to provide a beat and what looked like bumping the strings to partially mute them for a moment. That gave the performance an exciting push that somewhat wowed the audience. I also paid much attention to LaPorte, since I am not used to watching flute players. I was really surprised by how long she could hold notes and play her music while making it look easy and fun. She continued to smile throughout playing and I could tell she was enjoying herself, which made it easy for me to enjoy it as well.
I would definitely attend another concert that includes flute and guitar. My experience with that genre of music is not much, and it left me with a different perspective on music in general. Classical music is the ultimate form of a universal language that speaks directly to emotions and other aspects of what makes us human.
-Leonardo Figueroa, Spring 2014
