May 17th, 2013: Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1

Yesterday's concert was an all Shostakovich program. It opened with the Festive Overture, which was followed by the cello concerto featuring Julian Schwarz. The second half contained the 11th symphony. Gerard Schwarz conducted.

We sat in the second tier for this concert, in the first box on the left side of the stage. Not long after we took our seats a lovely couple joined us and introduced themselves. It turned out to be Charlie Staadecker and his wife. Staadecker is running for mayor of Seattle in the August election, and I had heard good things about him. It was awesome to be sitting with them.

Schwarz took to the podium for the Festive Overture, which was very festive indeed. The orchestra kicked off the concert in high spirits, delivering a fantastic and triumphant performance of the six minute work. Afterwards, the strings customarily left the stage to allow for the rearrangement for the concerto. Then Julian Schwarz came on followed by his father. He took his seat on the little pedestal thing and after a few moments began the concerto. It was a good performance. He played well. He was particularly strong in the high registers, and the sound got a little muddled sometimes in the lower register, but he held the piece together. It was enjoyable to listen to.

The principal horn player who was situated amongst the strings for the concerto due to the very involved solo horn part also played very well, although he did flub a note during his solo duet with the cello towards the end of the first movement.

After the concerto was over the Staadeckers immediately got up and told us they'd see us after intermission. I was hoping to get a picture with Charlie at some point, but as intermission was coming to an end they returned to the box just to retrieve their belongings and inform us that they were moving downstairs to sit with some friends for the second half, so I never got the picture.

We noticed one or two of the disaster subs from May 4th in the orchestra tonight. For the most part everyone was actual Seattle Symphony musicians, but one I noticed in particular was the one who looks like Edith Crawley and who never uses more than three inches of bow. She was sitting about four stands in in the second violin section. There was also a new cellist at the back of the cello section who looked about eighteen years old, and a new violist at the back of the viola section who looked like Gérard Depardieu. And now that I think of it, maybe it actually was him, since he recently became a Russian citizen and this was a program of Russian music.

In any case, I assume they had some of these people there just to fill out the sound, especially for the 11th symphony. With all the solid players dominating the sections, it certainly had little to no negative impact on the quality of the tone. Though Efe Baltacigil was not there leading the cellos, and he hasn't been for quite some time. The last time was saw him was either April 13th or April 20th I think. Not cool.

After intermission Schwarz returned to the podium to conduct Shostakovich's 11th symphony. This is a piece I really like. It's frightful, dark, violent and dramatic. The entire first movement is slow, quiet and icy, describing the winter morning that will precede violent massacres. They played it magnificently. The tone from the very opening was like pure ice. The character was that of a hushed pianissimo, but the sound was delivered firmly and clearly to the ear at the same time. Truly excellent string playing. The trumpets were impeccable throughout the movement as well, with their calls and echoes. The entire brass section had their mutes on for the whole first movement, to chilling effect.

The second movement begins with roiling gestures in the strings, again executed excellently and to tremendous effect. This movement builds to very loud heights before dying back down again before the depiction of the massacre. All gets quiet and icy, and finally fades out almost completely before the snare drum comes punching in loudly, bringing along with it new curt and violent gestures in the lower strings that are eventually traded off throughout all the sections as the music begins to rise violently.

Definitely my favorite part of the piece, the ensuing section is a seemingly endless, overwhelming mass of death, destruction, terror, and literal sounds of machine gun fire. The music builds and builds to a point where suddenly, under the umbrella of a massive symbol crash it thunders into a section that is propelled endlessly forward by the violent rat-tat-tat of the snare drum, a thundering, relentless bass drum and other percussion instruments. Atop this, the rest of the orchestra blasts out a ceaseless barrage of notes that here seems to take on a tonal form of depiction of machine gun fire, punctuating itself in a tuplet meter against the duple time of the cataclysmic percussion.

This was another world class performance from the Seattle Symphony. The intensity with which they performed this music was absolutely thrilling. When all the thundering apocalyptic sounds finally faded out abruptly, what was left was the same backdrop of the icy day, depicted by the upper strings as in the beginning, but this time with the added twist of trills on the notes to make it even colder.

The third and fourth movements were performed at the same excellent level, and were as timeless as the first two. I really felt like I could have heard another hour of this symphony and not gotten bored. After the final dramatic punctuations of the last movement, I immediately stood up to applaud. Something became clear to me last night after Schwarz existed the stage for the second time and the intensity of the applause did not waver. When the orchestra is present and spirited, it really affects the audience, and they keep clapping. Calling a performer back for a second bow is common courtesy in Seattle; it doesn't indicate anything about how much they actually liked it. It's when the applause holds firm even after that second exist that you know they were moved. And this always coincides with those clearly outstanding performances.

The next concert we have tickets to is the season finale on June 29th, though we may be attending the Britten War Requiem on June 13th or 15th as well.

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May 10th, 2013: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5

Forming a pair with the May 9th performance, this one again featured Vladimir Feltsman in a Mozart piano concerto, and a Tchaikovsky symphony in the second half. Gerard Schwarz conducted.

The program opened with Mozart's Symphony No. 35. I have to admit I was rather bored, but not more so than I would have been listening to a great recording of the piece. It's just not a very great piece to my ears. I've never been very convinced of Mozart's later symphonies outside of the final three from the summer of 1788, No. 39, 40 and 41.

Once that was over the piano was moved on stage and Vladimir Feltsman returned for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17. He displayed the same mastery of the music as he had the previous night in the 23rd. I'm not as familiar with this concerto as I am with the 23rd, but both Feltsman and the orchestra seemed to display a similar kind of skill and subtlety in the performance.

Towards the very end of the third movement of the concerto, the piano plays the main theme one last time almost as an afterthought, in a humorous, careless manner, and Feltsman drew that out by actually doing a very animated shrug right after the phrase ended. It was absolutely wonderful.

After intermission Schwarz conducted Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. It was a performance on par with that of the Symphony No. 4 the night before. Brilliant, bold, fiery. It was such a privilege to hear these two symphonies back to back played at such a high level.

Next up is an all Shostakovich concert on May 17th!

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May 9th, 2013: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4

This was a thoroughly enjoyable concert of fantastic repertoire, led by the Seattle Symphony Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz. It is the first of a four concert series this year called "Russian Spectacular" taking place on Thursday and Friday across two weeks, all conducted by Schwarz.

The concert opened with Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 4 in G major, "Mozartiana." Following that was Mozart's exquisite 23rd piano concerto, featuring Vladimir Feltsman as soloist, and then the second half consisted of Tchaikovsky's epic 4th symphony.

The hall was not very well filled unfortunately, which surprised me. However, the dress code was again on the better side, probably due to all the traditional Schwarz affectionados who were no doubt in attendance.

The orchestra played fine throughout the Tchaikovsky suite. Schwarz commanded a stern grip over the players, but it was clear that they had gone through it once at most in rehearsal. They did a superb job of faking a well rehearsed performance, but of course not superb enough to completely mask the reality. Demarre McGill's flute solos in the piece were impeccable though, more so even than those of concertmaster Alexander Velinzon, who admittedly had a very difficult part to play. 

The fast passages in the last movement that alternate speedily between first and second violins were by no means smooth in terms of ensemble, and often during difficult passages one could see the unsettled nervousness of the orchestra, focusing more on playing the right notes at the right time than anything else. The prayer movement was extremely beautifully played though, and as the muted strings soared through Tchaikovsky's rendition of Mozart's heavenly music, the emotion was overwhelming. However, the most obvious example of the lack of rehearsal took place at the end of that movement. It ends very quietly with the first violins holding very high notes for a long time, and their bows were out of sync, and Velinzon kept looking at Schwarz and re-arranging where he was in his bow, trying to predict when Schwarz will cut off the last note so that he could finish at the tip.

This didn't bother me in the slightest, because really, what kind of orchestra would spend a lot of time in rehearsal on a Tchaikovsky suite when you've got a Mozart piano concerto and a Tchaikovsky symphony to prepare as well? I had no doubt they'd be much more solid in the next two works.

After a brief pause for stage rearrangement, Vladimir Feltsman graced the stage, followed by Schwarz. The former took his seat at the piano, the latter his stance on the podium. The music of heaven commenced at the downbeat given by the maestro. Mozart's 23rd piano concerto, along with all his other late piano concertos, sit at the very top of all human artistic achievements. And difficult as they are for an orchestra to perform at a high level, we were in for a treat this evening. The subtlety of the phrasing in the strings was the first thing that stood out to me as exceptional during the orchestral introduction. The tone was beautiful and unified, and the phrasing impeccable, serving to deliver the music effortlessly to the listeners ear. This was no mere succession of notes that they were playing. They had connected the dots at a very deep level of understanding. Adding to this was the sublime wind section, who rounded out the ensemble with gorgeous, seemingly effortless playing. Demarre McGill, as usual, brought a golden touch to the sound with his immaculate and superb flute playing which soared angelically over the orchestra.

Then suddenly, during the orchestral introduction, Feltsman began playing keys on the piano. He was playing harmonies along with the orchestra. I was very surprised, but it was actually kind of interesting. At first I thought that maybe he wanted to warm up to the feel of the piano before his solos began, but he continued to do that during the orchestral tuttis throughout the piece. It looked as if he wanted to be as connected to the music as possible, and stay completely plugged into the ensemble.

When his first solo began, his mastery was immediately self-evident. This was the first great pianist we have seen, and the sound was distinctly different than those we have heard before. His playing was completely natural and refined at the same time. It was extremely enjoyable to see him and hear him play. Additionally, there were never any togetherness issues between him and the orchestra. In fact, they were so absent that I didn't even notice it until just now as I think back on it.

The second movement was astounding. Feltsman began at a slow tempo, and did everything I could have possibly hoped for in a performance of this other-wordly movement. It was beyond description. His execution of the opening piano solo was enchanting, and the entrance of the orchestra under Schwarz's masterful leadership was such that I was held completely transfixed, scarcely able to breathe. This first orchestral passage of the second movement is some of the most beautiful music ever written, and as it soared out from the stage I felt ascended. I felt in the hands of masters. Feltsman outlined the divine harmonies on the lower end of the piano as the orchestra descended chromatically, even further clarifying the incomprehensible genius of the composition.

The entire second movement continued as such, executed masterfully by both soloist and orchestra. It was an experience I won't soon forget. As soon as the second movement ended, Feltsman launched almost instantly into the brisk final movement, again displaying his crisp, playful side in a wonderful performance. The concerto was over all too soon, and Feltsman got a well-deserved standing ovation. I personally didn't stand up because of a few technical blips and missed notes in his playing, but in retrospect I should have.

During intermission we wandered out to the lobby balcony and bumped into some friends of mine that I had spotted in the audience before the concert began. We chatted with them until most of the audience had already returned to their seats, and then we made our way back to ours. The stage was jam packed with musicians, a full forces ensemble ready to take off with Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. There was a bustling energy on the stage which gave me a really good feeling about the performance to come.

Gerard Schwarz returned to the podium to enthusiastic applause, and then began the symphony. The brass introduction was taken on the slower side. Slow and powerful. The fateful call of the horns was clear and precise, and as the line descended and was joined by the lower brass and the trumpets, the effect was chilling. I was pinned to my chair. Throughout the first movement I was really amazed by the level of the playing. This was yet another example of the Seattle Symphony's ability to play at a world class level. The first movement of this symphony is perhaps the piece I am most familiar with out of all the concerts we've attended so far this year. I've played it twice in orchestras, listened to it over a hundred times, and even learned a good chunk of it on the piano at one point. My desires for what it can be were set by Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic. And in last night's concert I found nothing wanting; nothing at all. I sat back and enjoyed the roller coaster ride of that incredibly dramatic and beautiful movement, absolutely thrilled by the intense presence and quality of the performance. The development section in particular was incredible; the brass deafening, the strings like wildfire. From beginning to end we were presented with a masterful execution of the movement, which ended with such a cataclysm of drama that one could sense the audience's burning desire to clap. But impressively they did not do so.

The second movement was gorgeous. Ben Hausmann's oboe solo at the beginning did exactly what Tchaikovsky intended, summoning feelings of nostalgia and homesickness. The strings were like a warm velvet bed throughout, supporting the various wind solos, providing a beautiful oasis as a reprieve from the fiery drama of the first movement.

Musically, the third and fourth movements are not exactly a revelation of any kind. The third is acoustically intriguing in its use of all string pizzicato, but I haven't found much else very memorable in it. And the fourth is musically hollow, riding entirely on its use of loud percussion and fast string runs. The symbol crashes were deafening, and the strings were again like wildfire as they raced through the blazing music. It was certainly entertaining, if a bit too loud sometimes. After the final crash the audience came to their feet again, this time us included. This was a really amazing, first-tier performance of Tchaikovsky's symphony. It's the performances like these that keep us coming back.

Tonight we again hear Vladimir Feltsman performing Mozart's 17th piano concerto, with Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony occupying the second half. The program begins with Mozart's Symphony No. 35.

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May 4th, 2013: Mozart & Haydn

Yesterday evening's program consisted of Haydn's Mass in B-flat Major (the "Little Organ Mass"), Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 1 and Haydn's Symphony No. 98. Christian Knapp conducted.

It was immediately evident that many of the key players in the orchestra were missing, but I didn't pay it too much heed during the Haydn Mass, as the organ, choir and soloist were the focus of that piece. Maria Mannisto sang a beautiful solo in the Benedictus of the mass, and the choir was lovely to listen to.

However, it became clear once the distractions of singers and organists were out of the way, that something was very wrong with the orchestra. There were whole clumps of violinists that we had never seen before. And the sound of the orchestra as they accompanied John Cerminaro in the Horn concerto was weak and slightly amateur sounding. We began to notice more and more faces that we hadn't seen ever before. Alexander Velinzon was there at the head of the first violins, but none of the other key players were anywhere near. The second violins were missing all their key players. Both bassoon players were unrecognizable.

During intermission we asked one usher who all these players are and why they're masquerading as the Seattle Symphony. She said "well, it's the Seattle Symphony of course. There is a gallery of photos of all the players downstairs, you can go take a look." I didn't believe her. We went to ask the ushers on the other side of the tier. One of them admitted that he had also noticed a lot of faces he had never seen before. We spoke with that usher (his name was Jim) and another usher throughout most of intermission, speculating on what might be going on. We were told that they would look for answers during the second half, and that we'll get to speak with Keith, the house manager, after the concert was over.

Things got even weirder during the symphony in the second half. More winds, brass and percussion joined the orchestra, most of them people we had never seen before. There was a flute player who looked like a nervous student, an unrecognizable timpanist, and a few brass players who again, were not part of the Seattle Symphony.

The situation in the strings was particularly bad. There was a cluster of non-SSO players at the back of second violins who looked like bad students. This one lady who looked like Edith Crawley from Downton Abbey never used more than about four inches of bow, and she was often playing over the fingerboard. There were at least two or three foreign players in first violins as well, including this guy with golden hair sitting at the back, again bringing the demeanor of a nervous student. The entire tone of the strings was flat, limp, and in many places they were not quite in sync with each other. The young guy on the flute had a tone that even the most brilliant sound engineer couldn't bring close to the sound of Demarre McGill. And the alien players in the brass section came in late at times, and their tone occasionally cracked.

By the end of the symphony we were determined not to leave until we got answers. Was the orchestra on strike? Do a chunk of the regular players dislike Knapp? Or Cerminaro? Who were these players on the stage, and why was this billed as a Seattle Symphony concert when at least half the players did not belong to the Seattle Symphony?

We met up with Jim afterwards, and he gave us the obvious answer that I should have realized earlier. The Seattle Symphony was in the pit at McCaw hall that evening, for the opening night of Suor Angelica/La Voix Humaine. Many of the players on stage were "subs." Their names were not listed anywhere in the program. I guess the symphony hopes that most people in the audience won't care or notice that they're not actually getting to hear the Seattle Symphony on an evening like that.

Jim suggested that we go meet Keith, the house manager, which we did, and I expressed my view that it was dishonest for this concert to be billed as a Seattle Symphony concert, and that even if most people can be fooled, it's not fair to those who aren't. We spoke with him for a few minutes, and he took some notes and my subscriber ID, and said he'd pass on the message. He was a very nice guy.

Anyways, so that's it. Yesterday evening was an interesting experience. It really gave me a new appreciation for the quality of the Seattle Symphony.

Next up is Mozart and Tchaikovsky with Gerard Schwarz on May 9th!

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April 25th, 2013: Hilary Hahn Plays Sibelius

Last night's concert was one of the best we have been to yet this year. Excellent repertoire and excellent performances made for a very enjoyable evening. Months ago I was able to snag four seats at the front of the second tier for this concert, so I gave the second pair to my brother, whose birthday was Wednesday. He brought his girlfriend, and the four of us took our seats at about 7:20 for the 7:30 concert.

The first thing I noticed was that, just as in the open rehearsal that Christine and I went to on Tuesday, several of the key principal players were missing. Alexander Velinzon was not to be concertmaster for the evening, and Efe Baltacigil was also missing from the cello section. Demarre McGill was there though, sitting among the winds with his golden flute.

The short but powerful Xian Zhang opened the program with Sibelius' Karelia Overture. I wasn't familiar with it at all, but it was a nice piece, and very well performed. I again got the suspicion that the acoustics in the second tier are ever so slightly better than on the first tier.

Then Hilary Hahn came out to perform the famous Sibelius Violin Concerto. She got a warm greeting from the almost-sold-out hall, and then Zhang cued the violins to commence with the incredibly quiet beginning of the concerto.

Hahn played the first movement very well, with a broad range of dynamics and musical expressivity, as well as impressive virtuosity. However, very uncharacteristically of her there were a few places where she fumbled ever so slightly, or even landed on a long note slightly high or slightly low and had to slowly slide into the correct pitch. This is the first Thursday evening Masterworks concerts we've ever been to, so perhaps as my brother Oliver suggests, things are generally more polished and put together on the Saturday evenings. For the most part though, her playing was very engaging, and her tone was rich and full. The orchestra supported her playing with a full, velvety sound, and came off brilliantly during the orchestral tuttis.

Just before the cadenza of the first movement, when the hall was completely silent, somebody in the audience made a very loud noise that sounded like a combination of a gasp and a cough. I started laughing quietly, and looked at Christine, who apparently would have been okay if she hadn't noticed me laughing, but with things as they were, she began to lose it as well, and we had a rather dangerous, contained laughing fit which lasted for a good chunk of the cadenza. It was particularly unpleasant because during the cadenza there are moments of silence all over the place, so there's extra pressure to laugh as quietly as humanly possible, or ideally not at all. These can't-stop-laughing-during-a-concert stories are sure fun to tell later though.

I have never been a huge fan of the second movement of this concerto, except for the part where the low strings have a repeated driving rhythm on a low note, and the solo violin has this beautiful, twisting passage filled with double stops that descends atop it. Unfortunately, there was a disagreement as to the tempo during this passage, with Zhang lagging the orchestra badly behind Hahn's playing. By the end of the passage they were back in sync, but it sort of ruined it. This is probably something that will be fixed by Saturday. I originally had tickets for both nights, but a gig came up Saturday night, so unfortunately this is all I get of this concert.

In the third movement, Hahn was in top form. She had warmed up to the stage, or the audience, or whatever, and played the stunningly virtuosic third movement almost impeccably. Those absurd passages that the vast majority of even the great violinists can't quite pull off, she pulled off just like in her recording of the piece. There seemed no end to how long she could sustain blazingly fast passages with impeccable intonation and a full, clear tone for every single note.

Something interesting happened right at the end though. Something very understandable too. As Hahn climbed up the last rapid passages towards the final note of the piece, an air of caution seemed to gather around her, and the gusto with which she had been playing was exchanged for a carefulness to hit all the notes perfectly, particularly the last one. Right before the very last short high note of the piece, she seemed to almost pause ever so briefly to make sure her finger was in the right place, and then she played the note rather quietly and shortly, but it was there and it was in tune.

I think we all know the reason for this is because even if she played absolutely perfect for a full eight minutes, if she had missed the last note all those eight minutes would basically get thrown in the garbage in the experience of the audience. I was surprised by the degree of caution she took though; it was quite noticeable.

She got an almost instantaneous full standing ovation, returned to stage a few times, and then played an unaccompanied Bach piece for an encore. I couldn't say which movement of which sonata or partita it was, but it was beautiful and haunting as Bach always is.

Intermission followed the Sibelius concerto. We sat for a little while in our box, and then wandered around the lobby a bit. We also went up to the third tier and peeked at the view of the stage from all the way in the nosebleed section. The thing I liked best about the view from up there is that you can see a beautiful aerial view of the layout of the boxes along the sides of the hall.

After intermission there was a U.S. premiere of The Battle of San Romano by Pascal Zavaro, followed by Beethoven's 7th Symphony. The Zavaro was pretty good for a work composed in 2012. It was very much like film music describing a battle, though not quite as tonal as most film music would have been. But it is certainly indicative of the modern return from the complete insanity in modern composition that was reached during the 20th century.

After the Zavaro, the stage was reset for the Beethoven. Now poor Demarre McGill got kicked off the stage as well to join the other dejected male principal musicians. It was my girlfriend who pointed out that all the missing principles were male (upon later reflection Ben Hausmann was also missing on Oboe) and made a connection between that and the fact that Zhang and Hahn, the conductor and soloist of the evening, were both female. All the people sitting in place of the regular principles were female. Was there perhaps a radical feminist agenda imposed by Zhang for the evening? Why would all these fantastic principal musicians, most of them new hires under Morlot, be made absent on the evening of the best sold show of the season?

In any case, the woman who was put on principal flute for the Beethoven sounded flat and dry compared to McGill. She's a fine player, she's good. But McGill is great, and it would have been nice to have him on flute for the Beethoven symphony (not to mention Velinzon, Baltacigil and Hausmann on violin, cello and oboe).

Regardless, Zhang was able to lead the orchestra in a very enjoyable performance of one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It was a timeless performance, gripping from moment to moment with vivid cohesion. The ensemble was incredibly well put together; everything seemed incredibly finely polished, and the tone was unified, loud and clear. A good sign of a high quality performance of this symphony is that you're not impatient for the second movement to come. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the first movement.

Without much of a pause after the first movement, Zhang gave the downbeat for the second movement, and the I6/4 chord from the winds and brass rang out like a haunting bell. Then the low strings, working absolutely as a single unit, began what is probably the most famous piece of classical music ever written. Zhang commanded a complete focus from every player, and the music grew and grew, rising in pitch and volume, as the beautiful, intertwining melodies strove upwards. Every entrance from a new string section was impeccable, gliding perfectly into the existing texture, and as the music approached the first climax I got goosebumps.

The beginning of the third movement burst out from the stage like an eager stallion too long held in a stable. The staccato gestures galloped along with crisp, bright joy, and before too long the movement was over.

Interestingly, Zhang was conducting this symphony memorized. It must be a favorite piece of hers, or one with which she is extremely familiar. She showed incredible energy and involvement in her conducting. My brother's girlfriend commented at the end that it looked like she was going to fly off the podium. Indeed, with no stand or score to deal with, she was free to move about with wild gestures and passionate motions, which she did.

The fourth movement followed suit, with the endless driving figures in the strings relentlessly pushing the music forward. During this movement I was reminded of the last movement of Mozart's 39th Symphony under Jun Märkl back in January. There was a similar sense of excitement and transcendence emanating from the stage. I again wished it wouldn't end.

And that brought to an end an incredibly well-played and enjoyable concert. I feel it lived up to all the hype that I gave it. I'm very sorry to be missing Saturday.

Next up is Mozart and Haydn on May 4th!

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April 23rd, 2013: Seattle Symphony Open Rehearsal

Today we went to observe an open rehearsal of the Seattle Symphony. Guest conductor Xian Zhang worked with the orchestra on the first two movements of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, which is being performed on Thursday and Saturday this week in the concerts featuring Hilary Hahn performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

The invitation stated that they would be rehearsing Beethoven and Sibelius, and I assumed the Sibelius referred to the Karelia overture which will open the concert. However, Zhang was pleased with the orchestra after an hour of Beethoven rehearsal, and let them go early.

It was open-house seating on the main floor only, which meant we had to choose between close/bad-viewing-angle/bad acoustics, medium/good-viewing-angle/bad acoustics, and far/great-viewing-angle/good acoustics. This is why I always sit in the tier when I can. We sat in what are considered the "prime" orchestra seats, about fifteen or sixteen rows in on the isle. The view is decent (though too far for my taste), but it's a bit like there's a wall of styrofoam blocking the sound from fully getting to you.

Before she even began the first movement with them, Zhang noted to the trumpets that she had changed their notes in a couple places, moving them down an octave. Sorry Zhang. You can't change Beethoven.

The orchestra sounded wonderful throughout the first movement. Very beautiful, professional playing. Zhang did some technical work with them in a few places, mostly on issues of ensemble and togetherness. She didn't say anything remotely deep, philosophical or engaging about the music though; she merely did some technical tweaking, very similar to what a sophisticated computer might have been able to do.

I was very pleased again with the orchestra's performance in the famous second movement. The lower strings began with a rather short stroke, which Zhang lengthened fortunately, and as the music built up, the strings displayed engaging expressiveness and a tight ensemble. Beethoven's other-worldy music spoke clearly from the stage. Zhang did some important work with them in this movement, tightening the ensemble in the fugue-like section in the middle of the movement where the strings are very exposed, leading back into the explosive recap of the main theme.

Overall, it was very enjoyable to see them in rehearsal, however I was disappointed with Zhang's lack of depth as a leader. The way she interacted with the orchestra was no different than many memories I have of sitting in youth orchestras. There were no revelations or insights of any kind brought forth from her. Just purely technical work.

Thursday evening we attend the concert!

April 20th, 2013: Stravinsky's 'Firebird' Suite

This was an exquisite and exciting concert. It was one that I passed over for a long time due to the lack of pre-20th century music on the program, but as the date got closer, I realized that I couldn't miss out on seeing HK Gruber live. HK Gruber is one of the most extraordinary human beings alive, and he conducted last night's concert. He is a composer/conductor who is most well known for his work "Frankenstein," which he performs with orchestras around the world.

Last night's program opened with A Jazz Symphony by George Antheil, which was followed by Rough Music, a concerto for percussion and orchestra composed by HK Gruber himself. The second half contained Bernstein's Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.

Seeing HK Gruber live was everything I had hoped it would be. From the minute he first came on stage to conduct the Antheil, he was emanating an incredible passion and zest for life. Every glance, every motion of his, seemed to suggest that he felt this night was the highlight of his career. Everything seemed the most exciting thing ever to him. It was very inspirational to observe.

He led the orchestra through A Jazz Symphony with unbounded exuberance, clearly in love with every single note. The orchestra, inspired by his enlightened presence, seemed to take flight in their performance, matching the brilliant intensity brought forth by their leader. Even having never heard Antheil's work before, I was entranced from beginning to end. When it was over, Gruber did something extraordinary. After he had the orchestra stand up, and after individual acknowledgments were over, he held up high the score of the work so that the audience could directly applaud Antheil as well. It was the first time I'd ever seen that done, and I thought it was wonderful.

Michael A. Werner, the Seattle Symphony's principal percussionist, was the soloist for Gruber's concerto. And as the stage was reset for the second piece, Gruber and Werner took up microphones to address the audience. I was very excited to get to hear Gruber speak. He was out of breath from conducting the Antheil, but he spoke very highly of Werner, and then passed the spotlight to him to explain to the audience what it's like performing Gruber's work. Werner spoke for a little while, very engagingly and humorously, about the roles of the various percussion instruments in the piece. He even asked Gruber why he included cow bells in the work, to which Gruber replied that he was inspired by Spike Jones.

The work was very enjoyable to hear and observe. Werner frequently had to travel quickly between the various sets of instruments, but he always stayed on top of it. The piece was at times loud and violent sounding, and at others very lyrical and beautiful. During some particularly thorny (rhythmically) passages for the strings, many of the violins, including the concertmaster, were unable to keep up perfectly, and shortly after a "yikes" look passed over Velinzon's face, a complete discombobulation of the bowing was noticeable throughout the first violin section. Not long after that, Velinzon again found himself falling off the horse slightly, and after grimacing, he looked cautiously over at Gruber on the podium, to see if he had noticed.

Intermission followed the percussion concerto. Something interesting that I noticed last night (even from before the concert began) was that the dress code was considerably better than average. There were a handful of ties visible throughout the audience, which is normally not the case. Also, in Box F on the left side of the tier, there was a pair of older gentlemen who looked exactly like psychologists from the 19th or early 20th century. One of them had a top hat, a three piece suit and a pair of spectacles, and the other had a similar appearance. They looked like Freud and Jung sitting together at the symphony. It was really great.

After intermission Gruber conducted the Bernstein and the Stravinsky. I was never bored throughout the works, courtesy of Gruber's intense presence and the orchestra's excellent playing, but regrettably I am extremely unfamiliar with both compositions, so I cannot comment on any particularities of Gruber's interpretation of them. After each in turn, he again held up the scores for the audience to applaud, this time kissing both the Bernstein and Stravinsky, something he had not done with the Antheil. The Stravinsky in particular got a roaring applause when he held up the score. Perhaps I should get to know it better.

This coming Thursday we go to hear Hilary Hahn perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto!

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