10 hours ago
Tickets on stage left behind the percussion. This performance was nearly sold out. I gifted Stacy tix to this last xmas. It was so good that we are contemplating investing in season tix next time.
Carnival Overture, Antonin Dvorak - As the title implies, this was bombastic symphonic circus music. It was a loud audacious start by Daniel Stewart was having a blast conducting it. Woke us up.
Khaenoncerto for khaen and orchestra, Jaron Lanier. There was actually 2 by Lanier - this and another short piece. Both were canons, which for those of you who don't know, means a repeated music phrase overlapping each other - think row, row, row your boat. The first piece was based on some music on the cover of Scientific American. I don't remember all the context but it was explained. The second piece was based on a khaen, which for those of you who don't know, is a traditional Laotian mouth organ made from bamboo. It has a slightly discordant sound, reminiscent of a bastard half of bagpipes and a pan flute. Lanier was there, a white dreadlock dressed in a Cruz clown suit that he claimed he bought downtown several decades ago and had never worn until today. I was dismissive of him because he came off kinda goofy when he spoke, but it turns out he's the guy who coined the term 'virtual reality' and is considered one of the top 25 influencers in tech.
The #9, one of my fav symphony's of all. It was the first Ludwig Van that I fell in love with, and I confess it was due to Wendy (then Walter) Carlos' soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. Everyone knows the 5th, at least the first 4 notes. The 2nd and 4th movement of the 9th are so beautiful, and that opened me up to all of Beethoven's symphonies. 9 is still the best, but I'm very partial to 3. It's rare for me to say this but we were too close to the kettle drums, which overwhelmed the delicacy of the 2nd movement. Stay and I debated about whether he missed a few beats. We both agreed that the symphony was fumbling in the 1st but rallied in the 2nd and rose to the challenges of the piece delivering many fine moments throughout the rest. The 5 standing basses were on the opposite side of the pit, but they faced us so their sound was turned up. Nothing like the depth and warmth of 5 basses. Baritone soloist Edward Tavalin killed it. We had a yoga friend in the chorus which was nearly 200 people strong. A joyous sound. as Ode to Joy should be.
Bravo.
Going from EDM on Friday to #9 on Saturday was a massive ear gear shift. Such a blessed weekend.
Carnival Overture, Antonin Dvorak - As the title implies, this was bombastic symphonic circus music. It was a loud audacious start by Daniel Stewart was having a blast conducting it. Woke us up.
Khaenoncerto for khaen and orchestra, Jaron Lanier. There was actually 2 by Lanier - this and another short piece. Both were canons, which for those of you who don't know, means a repeated music phrase overlapping each other - think row, row, row your boat. The first piece was based on some music on the cover of Scientific American. I don't remember all the context but it was explained. The second piece was based on a khaen, which for those of you who don't know, is a traditional Laotian mouth organ made from bamboo. It has a slightly discordant sound, reminiscent of a bastard half of bagpipes and a pan flute. Lanier was there, a white dreadlock dressed in a Cruz clown suit that he claimed he bought downtown several decades ago and had never worn until today. I was dismissive of him because he came off kinda goofy when he spoke, but it turns out he's the guy who coined the term 'virtual reality' and is considered one of the top 25 influencers in tech.
The #9, one of my fav symphony's of all. It was the first Ludwig Van that I fell in love with, and I confess it was due to Wendy (then Walter) Carlos' soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. Everyone knows the 5th, at least the first 4 notes. The 2nd and 4th movement of the 9th are so beautiful, and that opened me up to all of Beethoven's symphonies. 9 is still the best, but I'm very partial to 3. It's rare for me to say this but we were too close to the kettle drums, which overwhelmed the delicacy of the 2nd movement. Stay and I debated about whether he missed a few beats. We both agreed that the symphony was fumbling in the 1st but rallied in the 2nd and rose to the challenges of the piece delivering many fine moments throughout the rest. The 5 standing basses were on the opposite side of the pit, but they faced us so their sound was turned up. Nothing like the depth and warmth of 5 basses. Baritone soloist Edward Tavalin killed it. We had a yoga friend in the chorus which was nearly 200 people strong. A joyous sound. as Ode to Joy should be.
Bravo.
Going from EDM on Friday to #9 on Saturday was a massive ear gear shift. Such a blessed weekend.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse