The Konzerthaus

The past couple of days, I have had the opportunity to attend the rehearsals of the Wiener Symphoniker. It was pretty amazing. Let me tell you all about it.

On Wednesday, February 1, I went to the rehearsal in the afternoon in which they were rehearsing Shostakovich's Festive Overture and Cello Concerto No. 1.  I also went back again today to hear them rehearse Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 5, which is one of my favorite symphonies ever. It has been a while since I have attended a professional orchestra concert, the last time being The Rite of Spring with the Utah Symphony.

There was just something amazing about listening to them play. There was just something about the way that they were playing that literally sends chills down my spine. Sure, I have listened to these pieces several times before but hearing it live was very special. There is something about the pure sound of the instruments, unadulterated by digital devices and equipment (electronics, headphones, amplification, etc.). It was just me, my ears and the raw sounds of the orchestra in the Konzerthaus in Vienna. It was a beautiful experience and I wish that everyone that reads this could have witnessed and felt what I did while listening to them.

Also, to top this whole experience off was how beautiful it was inside of the concert hall. Don't worry, I have some pictures for you. I would love to play inside of here some day.

  

Utah Symphony :: The Rite of Spring

(I love this sculpture at Abravanel Hall)

So, this post is a long time coming. I wrote down the title of this post and slapped a picture on in hopes of writing the actual post few days after the event. Well, a few months later, I have finally come around to write this post.

To end the 2010-11 season of the Utah Symphony, they played the Rite of Spring, by far, one of my favorite pieces of all time, by one of my favorite composers of all time, Igor Stravinsky. 

The performance was very exciting and well done. I loved the whole thing. There is such passion and power in this music. This is the reason that I took to classical music. I remember listening to this for the first time when I was 12-years old. It was unlike anything I had even heard before in my life until that point. All I knew was Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. That was all I listened to. The Rite of Spring was a revelation to me. It was a whole new sonic world full of so much color and excitement. 

Going to this concert brought back so many wonderful musical memories and rekindled my love for classical music. I have always had a love for classical music, it just sometimes get lost in our crazy fast world. 

There is nothing in music like the opening of this ballet. It opens with a solo bassoon at the top of its register. It is quite amazing and so beautiful. Then later, the pulsing and accenting low strings are exciting, eerie, unpredictable, powerful, uncertain and determined all at the same time. So. Cool. In order to keep this post to a reasonable length, take a listen to it yourself an let me know what you think! An absolutely amazing piece.

Tchaikovsky... Mmmm....

So, this semester has been crazy busy and I have not had any time to do anything fun, like blog. You may find that I am blogging... I just decided to take a moment and post something to get away from everything that I'm supposed to be doing, and so that those who may care about me in this world know that I am not dead. :)

Coming up this Thursday, the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, in which I play, is putting on a concert. In this orchestra, we play "the big stuff." No movie music. No cheesy popular stuff. We play the pieces that have been forgotten over the years by the general public. The pieces that are deemed "classical" by our current generation. We resurrect the timeless pieces of the past by the world's greatest composers who dedicated their lives to such music.

We will be performing Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. For anyone that finds the classical genre boring or uninteresting, try this symphony on for size. Tchaikovsky was known for his profound lyricism and melodies. His music, though it does not have words, penetrates and speaks to the very soul. He presents a wide range of emotions, feelings and aesthetics: anger, frustration, adoration, beauty, anticipation, mourning, surprise, hope, light, determination. All of these and many more are found in this one piece of music. I grew up on this kind of music and it holds a very prominent place in my heart. This symphony is so profound, moving and so very beautiful. By far, one of my favorite symphonies of all time.

My favorite moment of the entire piece is the very beginning of the second movement. The cellos and violas come in as quiet as they possibly can. They are playing in the lower tessitura of their instruments which gives it a rich, dark sound. It feels really gloomy, dark and sad, but as the music progresses, there is a gleam of hope that changes the mood of the music. The French horn (my instrument! Of course this is my favorite part. Totally biased), as a solo, then comes in with the melody which is beautiful and heart-wrenching! It just pulls at the heart strings as it constantly builds tension and relaxes the tension as it resolves. I love it so much! This is one of the many reasons I play the French horn.

This kind of music is so rich and deep. If you get the chance, try separating yourself from the mainstream music of today and expose yourself to some of the "classics." You may be surprised by what you hear.