Concert-filled weekend
The Superbowl was great (the last quarter made it a truly exciting game, and I'm so happy for the city of New Orleans!), but what really made my weekend was a pair of concerts, both in Orchestra Hall, both of which reminded me why I love what I do, and why it is so important.
Saturday night found me at the Hall taking in the last of the subscription concerts this week, featuring Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and principal second violin Gina DiBello. Gina's Mozart 3 was fantastic; direct, unfussy, with a keen ear for phrasing and a gorgeous tone quality. And the second movement of that concerto - well, it's one of those sublime Mozart slow movements that's absolutely transporting.
After intermission came Brahms' Third Symphony, which I was looking forward to - Stan is known for this repertoire. And the performance certainly didn't disappoint. It's astonishing how different an orchestra can sound under different conductors, and I've noted in the past how Stan elicits a lush, über-romantic string sound that's a distinct contrast to the more direct, lean sound that Osmo favors. And Stan's take on Brahms was very much reflective in his approach to sound; generous tempos, ample rubato, a much more wide-arc vision of the symphony. If Osmo turns corners at breakneck speed, Stan slows down and takes the outer lane.
And I love both. Because it's up to the individual to make dots and dashes on a page come to life, and every individual is different. And every performance is different. And it can mean different things to different people at different times...and really, isn't that what we do this for?
Sunday took me back to the Hall (this was a really, really unusual weekend for me - no concerts, no travel, something I experience only a handful of times a year!) for performances by the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.
Watching 4 ensembles of nearly 300 students to a Hall packed with family and friends giving standing ovation after standing ovation - pretty cool. You could see the seriousness of intent on every performers face, and the excitement was buzzing backstage. And some really serious music was played; Minnesota Orchestra principal trumpet and Minnesota Youth Symphony co-director Manny Laureano led the senior ensemble through Strauss' Rosenkavalier Suite, and challenge for any orchestra. I'm always impressed with what kids can accomplish given the right structure and leadership, and it's obvious that Manny and his colleagues at MYS provide that in spades.
And it reminded me of one of the important lessons we learn in playing in an ensemble; a concerted group effort produces results that are impossible to come by individually. As a culture we place such emphasis on individual goals and achievements, I sometimes wonder if we skew too far towards the cult of self-determination (although, as a woman in what is still very much a man's world, I'm not knocking the importance of self-determination). It's just that we sometimes forget that some of the more extraordinary things in life are accomplished by working in unity with others towards an agreed-upon goal - and those students yesterday, moving together onstage, were a shining example. Food for thought.
Saturday night found me at the Hall taking in the last of the subscription concerts this week, featuring Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and principal second violin Gina DiBello. Gina's Mozart 3 was fantastic; direct, unfussy, with a keen ear for phrasing and a gorgeous tone quality. And the second movement of that concerto - well, it's one of those sublime Mozart slow movements that's absolutely transporting.
After intermission came Brahms' Third Symphony, which I was looking forward to - Stan is known for this repertoire. And the performance certainly didn't disappoint. It's astonishing how different an orchestra can sound under different conductors, and I've noted in the past how Stan elicits a lush, über-romantic string sound that's a distinct contrast to the more direct, lean sound that Osmo favors. And Stan's take on Brahms was very much reflective in his approach to sound; generous tempos, ample rubato, a much more wide-arc vision of the symphony. If Osmo turns corners at breakneck speed, Stan slows down and takes the outer lane.
And I love both. Because it's up to the individual to make dots and dashes on a page come to life, and every individual is different. And every performance is different. And it can mean different things to different people at different times...and really, isn't that what we do this for?
Sunday took me back to the Hall (this was a really, really unusual weekend for me - no concerts, no travel, something I experience only a handful of times a year!) for performances by the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.
Watching 4 ensembles of nearly 300 students to a Hall packed with family and friends giving standing ovation after standing ovation - pretty cool. You could see the seriousness of intent on every performers face, and the excitement was buzzing backstage. And some really serious music was played; Minnesota Orchestra principal trumpet and Minnesota Youth Symphony co-director Manny Laureano led the senior ensemble through Strauss' Rosenkavalier Suite, and challenge for any orchestra. I'm always impressed with what kids can accomplish given the right structure and leadership, and it's obvious that Manny and his colleagues at MYS provide that in spades.
And it reminded me of one of the important lessons we learn in playing in an ensemble; a concerted group effort produces results that are impossible to come by individually. As a culture we place such emphasis on individual goals and achievements, I sometimes wonder if we skew too far towards the cult of self-determination (although, as a woman in what is still very much a man's world, I'm not knocking the importance of self-determination). It's just that we sometimes forget that some of the more extraordinary things in life are accomplished by working in unity with others towards an agreed-upon goal - and those students yesterday, moving together onstage, were a shining example. Food for thought.
posted by Sarah at
9:00 AM
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