After Hours: Thursday Edition
We had a nearly full house for the Thursday concert, which was an incredible thing to see for such a new concert series! Thanks to everyone who showed up, and I hope we'll see you all (and a few of your friends, maybe?) at our spring concerts. For now, though, this is the place for those of you in the audience Thursday to chime in and tell us what you thought of the show, and what you'd like to see more (or less) of in future concerts. Just click the Comments button below, and have at it...
Labels: after hours, audience feedback
posted by Sam at
9:25 PM
9 Comments:
A good experience. Eduard Hanslick's letter was extremely amusing. Peter McGuire was very good, although there were a few mistakes in some of the runs and the high g-IV shift near the end of the 3rd movement. I've played violin for 7 years though, so I know what can happen in a performance. lol The canzonetta was particularly well done. Can you ask Peter why he didn't do the con sordino two thirds of the way through the 2nd movement? I know there is only a dotted quarter rest to but it on, but still....... j/k
"to PUT it on"
sorry
I really enjoyed this concert. The first half was very interesting and even a little kitschy. I really appreciated that the similarities to Tchaikovsky's other pieces being brought to attention, as well as the different ending styles of the movements. I am a huge fan of the concerto and I've heard it enough times to be able to anticipate each note, which makes for a very different experience. I found Peter's rendition to be divergent from the version that I usually find myself listening to on my iPod (Budapest Symphony Orchestra), but it's nice to see a new perspective on a piece that I have in my mind so concretely. I did catch those few mistakes, but I doubt most other people even noticed. I also found that there were parts that were slightly slower and drawn out than what I am used to listening to. Nonetheless, it was nice to be surrounded by other ears that appreciate the complexity of the piece. A truly moving performance.
I think that's a great point about hearing different perspectives of a piece we know a version of so well in our heads. That's actually what made me such an instant fan of Osmo - the first couple of times I saw him were doing pieces I know extremely well - at least from a particular version I happen to keep listening to - I'd go back and try to find the scores and realize there are things I'd never really even heard before. Even with something as common as Beethoven's Fifth, I hear things I'd never heard before, perhaps due to what Sam had blogged a few months back about 'Detail Work'. It almost seems like his aren't really "interpretations", but more "presentations" of the written page. Sam, would you say that's a fair assessment?
I think that's a good way of putting it, Steve. Osmo is one of a number of prominent conductors who believes in more or less absolute fealty to the composer's instructions, so a lot of what some people here as "new" interpretation is actually Osmo doing things the composer's way, rather than the way some conductor who made a famous recording in the mid-20th century did it.
It was a splendid concert - thank you all (especially Peter) for a terrific evening.
A very inspiring performance! Even though I know the piece well, and have heard it many times, both live and on recording, it is always an emotional high to listen to the fast-paced interplay between soloist and orchestra when it's well done, as it was last night.
And a fun first hour as usual. You two do a splendid job of mixing humor, information and performance in a well-wrapped-up package. Considering you're only doing two performances of each ITC, rehearsed while you're all doing other orchestral stuff, in impressive.
Did you notice that not only were you playing to a fuller house, but the number who stayed behind for the Q and A was larger than ever?
Two questions:
1. Are you doing this again next season (I hope, I hope), and do you have a schedule for it yet?
2, How are soloists from within the orchestra, such as Peter McGuire, chosen, and is being chosen to be a soloist an onerous heavy extra workload, an honor or both?
Don
Thanks for the kind words, Don! The answers to your questions are: 1) Yes, the series will absolutely be returning in 2008-09 (and you'll be seeing us roll out the lineup of concerts in the next few weeks,) and 2) Peter was chosen by the team that plans the series both for his musical skills and the fact that we were fairly sure that he'd be comfortable with the additional hoops he had to jump through on the first half. Not every musician is comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, but we knew that Peter would be great at it.
And soloing is definitely both a burden and an honor. Mostly the latter...
Okay, so I'm not quite the professional musicians that appear to be 'blogging' here. However, that said, I thouroughly enjoy these concerts! I come from a musical family, and have actually performed a few of the pieces I have heard. So from an "average" participant in all this, I LOVE these concerts. I enjoy the first half where the two of you explain the pieces so incredibly well, while also giving examples from various pieces. Then to put it all together in the second half is the icing on the cake! I also LOVE seeing a lot of younger faces in the audience. Now....don't get me wrong about this comment. It's just good to get 'new blood' into these concerts so we are always sure to HAVE an Orchestra to come and hear. Music will never die out as long as you continue to perform as well as you all do. And I adore watching the two of you - the humor and knowledge is a perfect mix. I can't wait for the new season. Thank you to all who participate!!
Susan
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home