Virtuosi

Tonight I attended a concert titled "Virtuosi", which was in reference to the players. It could just as easily have been in reference to the composers and arrangers of the works, of course, since all were phenomenal.

This was the line-up:

1) Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor -- played by 6 French horns! This arrangement is by Kerry Turner, and if you can find it, listen to it. It will blow you away. The way that the different notes are divided among the different French horns is just incredible. The effect is better live, of course, but if you miraculously find a 6 channel recording and have 6 speakers, that might mimic it :)

2) Ravel's Introduction and Allegro - this was a gorgeous, flowing piece, very French. It reminded me why French music from the late 19th/early 20th century is my favorite genre. There are so many colors there. For me, it's like an audible representation of Monet's paintings - beautiful and varied, sweeping and smooth, lilting among different colors that are just slightly different than normal, an idealistic vision of nature. This piece featured a harp (set off over top of a flute, clarinet, two violins, a viola, and a violincello), which was played by a faculty member here. Picture the typical celestial sound of that instrument, and you can see how it would fit right in with a Monet painting.

3) Bozza's Scherzo from Opus 48 - For this piece, a flautist, oboist, clarinetist, bassoonist, and French horn player all took the stage. They stood in a semicircle without music stands and played the relatively short piece in an unbelievably organic fashion. The line that one instrument would start, another would pick up or echo. This work moves very fast, and the whole energy of the piece was reflected in the bouncing joy of the players. They received huge and well-deserved acclaim afterwards.

4) Piazzolla's Two Tangos (Verano Porteno and La Muerte del Angel) - Played on a classical guitar, these were a nice, mellow way to open the second half of the program.

5) Mozart's Serenade in C minor (the Allegro, Andante, Minuetto, and Allegro) - This work involved a medium-sized chamber ensemble - two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, and two French horns. What impressed me was that the duplicate instrumentalists could seamlessly mimic their counterparts. In other words, the one oboist would play, and the other would echo the line. But for their position on the stage (so you could tell where the sound was emanating from), you often would swear it was the same instrument. I have to say, though, I find Mozart a little boring. He's just too conventional for me. I know he was radical in his day, but now we are so used to those turns of phrase which form the background for so many movies and advertising and the foundation for so much of modern music. So for me, this was the least exciting piece of the night. Still, it was very well-played, and I can definitely respect that!

I love that I get to attend all these incredible concerts here! And it's all free! It's so amazing, so vibrant to hear music live. You get something completely different than if you just listen to a recording. The possibility that someone might make an error and the delight when they don't, the richness of sound that comes from not having certain layers stripped as they are on CDs, the immediacy of watching someone play in real time, and the connection with the rest of the audience as you listen to them discuss the performance or watch them be captivated - it's all so wonderful. And the shared experience, being able to walk out in a community with those other people and know that you all are tied together by this unique event that will never happen in the same way again - it's a great expression of humanity.

I hope you get a chance to see some music or a play live soon, too.

~Hope