Last Friday we attended a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall along with a couple friends of mine. I had purchased tickets for seats in the fourth row. I have never been that close to the stage before, and I will never buy tickets that close again!
It was interesting to be so near to the conductor. We could see every expression on his face, and James Gaffigan, who was guest conducting, was very much "into" the music. If we were any closer, we could have read the sheet music of the front row of musicians, but unfortunately we could not see the entire orchestra. When the orchestra chorus came out to sing in the second number, I could only see a few faces in the gaps between the instrumentalists.
The concert was supposed to begin with noted violinist Hilary Hahn performing two concertos by Bach. However, she was forced to cancel on the advice of her physician. In place of the violin concertos, an orchestra ensemble and a guest vocalist performed a Bach cantata... not exactly my cup of tea. One of my friends dislikes opera... so you can imagine that listening to a soprano singing in German for 25 minutes was not his idea of fun. His unhappiness. however, was nothing compared to the two ladies who sat on the other side of me. They had driven for over five hours from Toronto, Canada, to hear Hilary Hahn perform! They were not pleased!
Fortunately, the rest of the concert was enjoyable. There was a nice choral piece by Brahms, and the program concluded with a spirited performance of Mendelssohn's "Reformation Symphony". In spite of everything, it was another great evening.
I felt sorry for the two ladies who drove all the way from Toronto, I suppose the violinist cancelled at the very last minute. Attending concerts of classical music is not very common here, but your post has inspired me to attend the next that takes place, even if it's a small one. I know I'll enjoy it and I'll be doing something completely different with my free time.
ReplyDeleteI felt sorry for them too. However the cancellation did not occur at the very last minute, since the programs were printed with the cantata instead of the violin concertos.
DeleteI hope you have a chance to go to a concert. Does Monterrey have a symphony orchestra?
¡Saludos!
It does! It's unfortunate that they're scheduling this season's concerts for Thursday nights (the University concert hall is far from my home), but I'll try anyway. http://www.osuanl.com/portal/
DeleteI hope that you have a chance to attend one of the concerts. I don't know your musical tastes, but when I select a concert to attend, I usually avoid concerts that include contemporary composers that I do not know. Some of the serious music being written these days is quite awful... more like noise than music.
DeleteAh, the whirlwind of Cleveland life. Who knew? Sounds like fun in any case, though I'm sorry you didn't get to hear Hilary Hahn.
ReplyDeleteSaludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we should try to get to the symphony now that it's the season again.
Believe me, my life in Cleveland in not usually such a whirlwind... it's just when Alejandro comes to visit that my social calendar is so full. LOL
Delete¡Saludos!