Mini Analysis: Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Dynamics)
Work: ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5’
Composers/Creators: Johannes Brahms
Performers: WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Cristian M?celaru
Live Performance: Beethovenfest Bonn (2022)
Listen to this excerpt and describe the character or mood of this performance.
Is the character consistent, or does it change throughout the excerpt?
As you listen, also consider the dynamics choices made by the performers. Does the performers’ choice of dynamics impact the overall character or mood of each section of this excerpt?
Listen again? Replay from the start as many times as you like! Here are some suggested answers…
| OPENING | MIDDLE | FINAL |
| – character = jaunty & playful – dynamics = Forte, with small, sudden dramatic crescendos | – character = alternates between jaunty & playful and brooding & disconcerting – dynamics = phrases begin pp & crescendo quickly to f | – character = dramatic & energetic but also unnerving & unsettled – dynamics = returns to Forte |