La Musica
Our guide had mentioned that in the month of September, Zurich was keeping all the museums etc. open late. They were also featuring free live music performances at the Operhaus. I got there in time to get a good seat for the 7PM performance, which turned out to be a run through Mendelssohn’s 3rd Symphony (“Scottish”). Despite Zurich’s tourist aspect, this was a show for the locals, with all the performers (sadly no redhead cellists) wearing jeans and waving to their kids in the audience.
It was a rollicking piece with lots of nice basso-rumble and Billy the Kid style rhythms. The conductor was a young American who really got into his role, using his whole body as the baton. Seeing this made the whole concept of a CD seem silly.
After the run-through, the conductor went through some rehearsal action with the group. I thought the performance was gold to begin with, but I had to agree that his suggestions (from ‘play that section a little more clearly’ to ‘its sad, but not that sad, more like a distant memory’) were spot on. The only one I didn’t buy was when he told the timpani to play ‘a little crisper’. Cucumbers are crisp buddy, timpani just bOOm! In any case,the 'behind the scenes' peak was rather interesting to watch.
Prior to my trip, a friend suggested loading the ipod with some Beethoven to get ready for Vienna. A good suggestion, but I actually find myself drawn more to another piece, one that I picked up for one of those “The Year You Were Born” collections I often promise to people but never seem to deliver. (Only two have actually reached distribution) It’s Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15 Op. 144 and it is as sad and heavy as a lonely mountain. I like it for its minimalist nature and the echoes of 'Psycho' that filer through. If I can figure out how to post some empee-threes, I'll put the march up for everyone to enjoy. If not try and imagine what a Russian composer contemplating his own death would come up with. Yup, a spoonful weights a ton.
It was a rollicking piece with lots of nice basso-rumble and Billy the Kid style rhythms. The conductor was a young American who really got into his role, using his whole body as the baton. Seeing this made the whole concept of a CD seem silly.
After the run-through, the conductor went through some rehearsal action with the group. I thought the performance was gold to begin with, but I had to agree that his suggestions (from ‘play that section a little more clearly’ to ‘its sad, but not that sad, more like a distant memory’) were spot on. The only one I didn’t buy was when he told the timpani to play ‘a little crisper’. Cucumbers are crisp buddy, timpani just bOOm! In any case,the 'behind the scenes' peak was rather interesting to watch.
Prior to my trip, a friend suggested loading the ipod with some Beethoven to get ready for Vienna. A good suggestion, but I actually find myself drawn more to another piece, one that I picked up for one of those “The Year You Were Born” collections I often promise to people but never seem to deliver. (Only two have actually reached distribution) It’s Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15 Op. 144 and it is as sad and heavy as a lonely mountain. I like it for its minimalist nature and the echoes of 'Psycho' that filer through. If I can figure out how to post some empee-threes, I'll put the march up for everyone to enjoy. If not try and imagine what a Russian composer contemplating his own death would come up with. Yup, a spoonful weights a ton.
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