The Alexander String Quartet provided a completely different experience than the China Festival’s Class of 78’ performance did at Carnegie Hall. Even though the concert hall at Carnegie Hall was lavish and intimate, I actually felt closer to the performers at the Baruch Performing Art Center. It was the first time I had seen the recital hall and was pleasantly surprised. As I continue to become accustomed to Baruch, I am always finding aspects of the building's architecture that I admire. Upon entering the recital hall, I thought the acoustics would be terrible because the hall’s primary construction was that of concrete. When we had attended Carnegie Hall, I vividly remember discussing acoustical engineering and what aspects of its construction made music sounds the best. The lady speaking to our group told us that Carnegie Hall’s Main hall had been constructed in a very traditional European way with the ceilings and the walls arched and curved. Since she said that Carnegie Hall was known to produce the best sound of any New York City Concert Hall, the square and concrete construction of the Baruch Performing Arts center made me confused. My initial thought was completely disregarded  when the string quartet began. The quartet’s performance was a Mendelssohn and Schumann’s 200^th Anniversary special. I particularly enjoyed the String Quartet in the A minor, Op. 13 piece by Mendelssohn. The playbill revealed that Beethoven had largely inspired Mendelssohn’s music. When the quartet played, I could hear the traditional European influence in his work. Unlike the class of 78’, the music was audibly recognizable. I cannot specifically state whether this was due to certain note formations or scale use, but I knew that there was something about this music that I had heard. The playbill noted that half of the Mendelssohn music performed was in an adagio or a slow tempo. This quality of the music produced a very tranquil atmosphere. Yet, the high pitch of the strings also gave the music a light and airy quality. At some points, I almost felt lethargic. The pieces, however, sounded ominous as well. The juxtaposition of the light and ominous qualities in the music kept me engaged. As strange as it might sound, I envisioned this music to be played moments before the iceberg hit the titanic. This vision is most likely a combination of that joyful atmosphere that flooded the ship moments before destruction hit.