Marriage License by Norman Rockwell
Click the picture for an unonbstructed view
Source: Art.com
Featured:

CC's Random Thoughts
Franklin, TN, USA Manila, Philippines

           Temperature:

As of :           

           Temperature:

As of :           
Click for Franklin, Tennessee Forecast Click for Manila, Philippines Forecast

Background pictures illustrate current weather conditions

               CC's Tweets


Sunday, December 05, 2004

Beethoven's Ode to Joy LIVE

Current Mood:

Oh MAN if you ever have the chance to listen to a full orchestra perform Beethoven's Ode to Joy (Oooh THAT one) you HAVE to take advantage of it!

Steve and I went and watched the Iris Chamber Orchestra's dress rehearsal (actual show tickets were too expensive at $45 a head; dress rehearsal was only $10 and you get to wear jeans :-)).

Oh man, it was FABULOUS!

I'm not exaggerating when I say that hearing that composition played in a theater, with the pure sound of a live orchestra, literally takes your breath away. There were parts where you naturally held your breath because the music kept building.

There were two other pieces in the program--one was another Beethoven piece (Elegiac Song for Chorus and Strings), and the other was a composition by Dr. Jonathan Leshnoff (Forgotten Chants and Refrains). The Leshnoff piece was premiering at the concert later that evening.

The difference between a contemporary piece and a classical piece was like night and day. I'm not saying it wasn't nice, but you put anything next to Beethoven's Ode to Joy and there's no contest. The orchestra's entire mood changed--the conductor was so much more passionate and animated, and you could tell the musicians truly enjoyed themselves as they played the piece.

And to think Beethoven's been dead for almost 175 years and he was DEAF when he composed this.

It was also a rare treat to see an orchestra perform in casual wear. You saw them as individuals working together instead of people dressed in black working together. There was a much more human element to the whole thing :-).

It was also kind of neat seeing the conductor react when something kept sounding wrong or out of sync. He didn't get angry at anyone--instead, he would respond by stretching. He'd curl up his arms then stretch them outward. It almost looked paternal--the way a father would respond if his child accidentally knocked over his cup of coffee :-).


Posted by Unknown | 4:53 AM | 0 Comments |
Write or read comments about this entry