04-30-2022, 10:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-30-2022, 11:19 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Man, did we need this show. Stacy rallied her health back just in time. I’ve been wallowing in depression struggling with my mom so much that I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. I would’ve been crushed if she couldn’t make it after she caught my cold.
The performance began with an extra - the Ukraine national anthem. Have the audience (including us) stood in respect. This concert was proposed before the pandemic - it’s eerie how relevant it became with the final movement.
[b][b]Josef Sekon [/b][/b]: The Aptos Sound Project, World Premiere
Sekon is a local composer and this piece was 5 movements based on the Cruz - the final piece was Halloween on Pacific ave. Enjoyable soundtrack music but I lost track of thr movements and wish I had a guide about what was what.
[b][b]Bruch [/b][/b]: Kol Nidrei Jonah Kim lead cellist was the soloist and he was simply electrifying. He’s a bit overdramatic when he plays but when you can play like that, that’s totally allowed. Such virtuosity and I’m in awe that his mind can hold that entire composition without sheet music. It was a soulful piece that took me on a emotional journey reflecting upon my current situation to escaping into the music. This was worth the price of admission.
[b][b]Saint-Saens [/b][/b]: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso Julian Rhee violin soloist. He’s like that nerdy kid with glasses that constantly slide down his nose who everyone picked on because he has awkward social skills due to spending his life practicing violin. But damn. He can play. He soloed with his first symphony at age 8. Now he’s 19 and can do things on a violin that just defies physics. This piece was designed for violin theatrics, only giving orchestral breaks that sound so saint-saens but who cares? It’s all about Rhee. This was also worth the price of admission. Two mind blowing soloists back to back.
[b][b]Mussorgsky/Ravel [/b][/b]: Pictures at an Exhibition The Promenade chorus splits 10 movements 5 times - each of the ten being themed on a picture in an exhibition. It’s a commonly quoted piece - Tomita, Tangerine Dream, et al ad nauseam have quoted it. Originally composed for piano by Mussorgsky (Bald mountain) it was expanded for symphony by Ravel (Bolero) and like Bolero, each reprise of Promenade gets more bombastic until the finale where it’s all booming kettledrums and crashing gongs. The final movement - that climax - is the picture the Bogatyr Gates in Kiev. Achingly relevant, hopeful and triumphant. I’m glad I had a guide for this piece. Knowing what the titles meant helped me stay present. Cattle was my fav because I could hear the losing moo cows, and see their advance across a field and watch them pass by in the theater of my mind. The piece is one of those where each part of the orchestra has its moment to shine, but it’s not a piece I’d seek to hear again. Some pictures work better than others, and it’s the expanding Promenade that is the backbone of this. But still, glad to have heard it. It was fun to watch the orchestra tear into this and they all seemed to be having a grand time with that bombastic finale.
Twas a good night - best show of this season and one of the top performances we’ve seen. The house wasn’t even near full - maybe a fifth full - which I was saddened by because I want the symphony to thrive but happy for because I detest potentially infectious crowds.
The performance began with an extra - the Ukraine national anthem. Have the audience (including us) stood in respect. This concert was proposed before the pandemic - it’s eerie how relevant it became with the final movement.
[b][b]Josef Sekon [/b][/b]: The Aptos Sound Project, World Premiere
Sekon is a local composer and this piece was 5 movements based on the Cruz - the final piece was Halloween on Pacific ave. Enjoyable soundtrack music but I lost track of thr movements and wish I had a guide about what was what.
[b][b]Bruch [/b][/b]: Kol Nidrei Jonah Kim lead cellist was the soloist and he was simply electrifying. He’s a bit overdramatic when he plays but when you can play like that, that’s totally allowed. Such virtuosity and I’m in awe that his mind can hold that entire composition without sheet music. It was a soulful piece that took me on a emotional journey reflecting upon my current situation to escaping into the music. This was worth the price of admission.
[b][b]Saint-Saens [/b][/b]: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso Julian Rhee violin soloist. He’s like that nerdy kid with glasses that constantly slide down his nose who everyone picked on because he has awkward social skills due to spending his life practicing violin. But damn. He can play. He soloed with his first symphony at age 8. Now he’s 19 and can do things on a violin that just defies physics. This piece was designed for violin theatrics, only giving orchestral breaks that sound so saint-saens but who cares? It’s all about Rhee. This was also worth the price of admission. Two mind blowing soloists back to back.
[b][b]Mussorgsky/Ravel [/b][/b]: Pictures at an Exhibition The Promenade chorus splits 10 movements 5 times - each of the ten being themed on a picture in an exhibition. It’s a commonly quoted piece - Tomita, Tangerine Dream, et al ad nauseam have quoted it. Originally composed for piano by Mussorgsky (Bald mountain) it was expanded for symphony by Ravel (Bolero) and like Bolero, each reprise of Promenade gets more bombastic until the finale where it’s all booming kettledrums and crashing gongs. The final movement - that climax - is the picture the Bogatyr Gates in Kiev. Achingly relevant, hopeful and triumphant. I’m glad I had a guide for this piece. Knowing what the titles meant helped me stay present. Cattle was my fav because I could hear the losing moo cows, and see their advance across a field and watch them pass by in the theater of my mind. The piece is one of those where each part of the orchestra has its moment to shine, but it’s not a piece I’d seek to hear again. Some pictures work better than others, and it’s the expanding Promenade that is the backbone of this. But still, glad to have heard it. It was fun to watch the orchestra tear into this and they all seemed to be having a grand time with that bombastic finale.
Twas a good night - best show of this season and one of the top performances we’ve seen. The house wasn’t even near full - maybe a fifth full - which I was saddened by because I want the symphony to thrive but happy for because I detest potentially infectious crowds.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse