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silverflight8) wrote2014-10-10 10:29 pm
silverflight8) wrote2014-10-10 10:29 pm
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Dvořák New World Symphony
I went to the symphony to hear Dvořák's 9th symphony (his New World one) last night.
It was honestly blow-your-mind good. Oh my god. It was really, really, really good. Words fail me. I've never gone to a bad symphony because they're really good, but some concerts are just good1 and then you have the kind where you float home on the subway. Or at least I do. I texted one of my friends on the way back to tell her she had to go see it if she could get tickets (there's one more concert.)
I was not familiar with the first movement but you can hear the theme of the Largo in it, actually. And for once I could actually follow the themes, to some extent. I studied music history and a lot of famous pieces and so of course you end up learning about stuff like sonata form (exposition--development--recapitulation) but for all the theoretical bits, I have never been very good at actually listening for the themes and hearing them get developed. All the music just goes by me like a big river of sound.
The Largo was amaaaaazing and we went from the third movement right to the fourth which startled me (I wasn't watching and thought maybe the conductor fell off his podium for a minute, there was such a crash of sound.) Or at least, I assume that's where the movement ended. I never did study this symphony. But the second and third movements were like musical catharsis. I love that theme so, so much. Oh my god. It's like hope and discovery and everything wonderful all mixed up together in sound. I've listened the later movements before, but hearing them in person was beyond everything.
It was just exquisite and almost silent, and then huge and all-encompassing other times. And sweet. The conductor was lots of fun to watch (he jumped!) and just really good at coaxing out that kind of contrast. There was also like six double basses and I could really hear them supporting the whole thing. The brass sounded like they were having fun; when they go off they can drown out the strings almost entirely.
Before intermission and the symphony they also had Oscar Morawetz's Carnival Overture which was tons of fun (this is a composer I need to hear more of) and Sibelius' violin concerto.
But the New World symphony, it was the highlight. It completely made my week.
*___*
1 Like I went to one a few weeks ago (Beethoven's 9th! Huge choir for the last movement) and confirmed that despite the amazing pianist soloist, I'm not a fan of Rachmanioff. I don't know what it was. Not the first time I've listened to him and I feel nothing except hope it'll be over soon and onto something more exciting.
It was honestly blow-your-mind good. Oh my god. It was really, really, really good. Words fail me. I've never gone to a bad symphony because they're really good, but some concerts are just good1 and then you have the kind where you float home on the subway. Or at least I do. I texted one of my friends on the way back to tell her she had to go see it if she could get tickets (there's one more concert.)
I was not familiar with the first movement but you can hear the theme of the Largo in it, actually. And for once I could actually follow the themes, to some extent. I studied music history and a lot of famous pieces and so of course you end up learning about stuff like sonata form (exposition--development--recapitulation) but for all the theoretical bits, I have never been very good at actually listening for the themes and hearing them get developed. All the music just goes by me like a big river of sound.
The Largo was amaaaaazing and we went from the third movement right to the fourth which startled me (I wasn't watching and thought maybe the conductor fell off his podium for a minute, there was such a crash of sound.) Or at least, I assume that's where the movement ended. I never did study this symphony. But the second and third movements were like musical catharsis. I love that theme so, so much. Oh my god. It's like hope and discovery and everything wonderful all mixed up together in sound. I've listened the later movements before, but hearing them in person was beyond everything.
It was just exquisite and almost silent, and then huge and all-encompassing other times. And sweet. The conductor was lots of fun to watch (he jumped!) and just really good at coaxing out that kind of contrast. There was also like six double basses and I could really hear them supporting the whole thing. The brass sounded like they were having fun; when they go off they can drown out the strings almost entirely.
Before intermission and the symphony they also had Oscar Morawetz's Carnival Overture which was tons of fun (this is a composer I need to hear more of) and Sibelius' violin concerto.
But the New World symphony, it was the highlight. It completely made my week.
*___*
1 Like I went to one a few weeks ago (Beethoven's 9th! Huge choir for the last movement) and confirmed that despite the amazing pianist soloist, I'm not a fan of Rachmanioff. I don't know what it was. Not the first time I've listened to him and I feel nothing except hope it'll be over soon and onto something more exciting.