Musings on music
Jan. 22nd, 2006 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jan_andreaOn Thursday night, the night before the BSO Beethoven Missa Solemnis concert, I used my MP3 player to listen to music instead of the audiobooks I usually listen to (being halfway through "The Ionian Mission" by Patrick O'Brian). We'd just had our first new orchestra rehearsal at UNH that night (as the old orchestra was split into a daytime session for the students, and a nighttime session for us oldsters), and read through Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony (no. 41) and a Handel Concerto Grosso (no. 5). So I listened first to those. Fun, but not particularly demanding or meaningful as such. Mozart is enjoyable to play, but reasonably soporific to listen to, and Handel... ugh, don't get me started on Handel. 18th century elevator music, for the most part, though I'm probably missing something. So then I moved on to the Missa Solemnis. OMFG. I have a bad recording of not the whole thing (because when we did it in orchestra, we di only a few movements), and even with that, it was friggin' amazing. I adore the Gloria, which embodies the word in its exhuberance, and the opening of the Sanctus made me cry. Brilliant stuff. Incredible. And then, because I wasn't sleepy yet (who knows why; it was about 1 am by that time), I switched over to my favorite Schubert quartet, "Death and the Maiden", which I used as a significant portion of the plot of one of my short stories half a lifetime ago (warning: I was 16 when I wrote the story, and it's awfully melodramatic and overwrought). It had been ages since I last listened to it -- several years, at least -- but I had listened to it so many times when I was in my late teens that I still knew every note. Except for the last movement, which got mangled by the MP3 converter and sounded like crap, it was still everything I remembered and loved it for. Anyway. Finally I dozed off. Then it was Friday, and I had a ton of sewing to do, and the kids had to watch their movies on the computer, so I didn't get to listen to anything that day, until the concert.
My trip to the BSO was actually only the second I've ever made. The first time was a field trip with David's "Philosophy of the Arts" class when we were still merely cohabitating -- that must be at least 12 years ago. Drove down, took the T to Symphony, and I was practically floating -- couldn't wait to get inside, couldn't keep the grin off my face. I must have looked like a maniac, taking the stairs two at a time and looking for any opening in the (not insignificant) crowds, trying to guess by looking at them who was going to the concert with me and who was just getting off for something else. I had feared that since I'd changed my ticket, it would have gotten lost in the shuffle, but they had it at the box office, and I went right to my seat (row RR, seat 30, the far left-hand corner of the back of the hall). Once I'd found it, I went back out and wandered around for a bit. An usher asked me if I needed any help, and I said, "No, it's just my first time here" (which is true, I hadn't wandered around before, just gone straight into the hall with David's classmates), and he smiled. There was still 15 minutes til showtime when I sat down, so I skimmed through the program notes, which are quite substantial. Found Eryk's name in the Tanglewood listing, and thought about pointing it out to the middle-aged Asian fellow sitting next to me, but decided he probably didn't care :) On my other side appeared a rich family of three, who spent five minutes talking about how the first time they'd heard this piece, they'd been in Prague (rich Americans, bet they had fun :P ). The father, a very large man, sat next to me, and we were doomed to spending the performance wishing for bigger, better-spaced seats.
It was fun watching the musicians warm up. The concertmaster came out about 10 minutes before the show started, and practiced the opening of the "Gloria"... most of the others seemed to be doing the same thing. That amused me, since it's what the UNHSO did, too. He also ran through a lot of his solo... omg, amazing. The vibrato he had going with his little finger was just to die for, and while you could see him change bows, you never heard it. I suppose that's to be expected if you practice 8 hours a day for your whole life, but still. Finally the chorus came on stage -- it took me a while and lots of squinting to find Eryk because of my seat's lack of proximaty, but finally I found him on the end of the 2nd row from the top. Yay, Eryk! Then *James Levine* (omfg, I was in the same hall as James Levine and the BSO!!!!) took the stage, and they started.
I spent the next I don't know how long in turns enraptured, enthralled, and enwishing I'd brought a cushion for the seat, but mostly the first two. It was just beyond words, so amazingly gorgeous, complex and etherially simple by turns. I think Eryk put it best when he mentioned that only someone who'd lost his hearing could write somethng like that. A lot of it was new to me, since I didn't have it in my awful recording, and I'm sure if anyone had been looking at me, they would have been amused when my jaw dropped, esp. in the Credo and the Agnus Dei. The soloists were incredible, the chorus blew me away, the orchestra was the friggin' BSO so that goes without saying, and the music was just fucking amazing. I really, really need to get a good recording of it, hopefully of the BSO :) I took Eryk home after the show and I think we were both practically high -- the T ride (30 minutes) seemed to be over in seconds, as we relived the evening.
I so want to go to more performances like that! The BSO/Tanglewood are doing Beethoven's 9th in March, and I don't think I can miss that -- LIVE, for fuck's sake. I mean, Christ, how often do you get a chance like that? They're also doing the 7th, his triple concerto, and about a dozen other things I'd love to see, but it does get pricey! I'd love to live closer to Boston, though, so I could get to more live concerts; I've been in a lot of them at UNH, but only very rarely have I been able to really get lost in the whole of the score instead of concentrating on the 2nd violin (or first, or viola) part, and come on, I can't even compare the UNH orchestra to the BSO, as much as I love playing. It was just so incredible.
Today I got out my violin for the first time in months (totally out of tune, and not half as nice-sounding as my viola, though the Coda Conservatory bow I have coming should help somewhat) to run through the Handel concerto grosso. In the oldster's orchestra, there are only 4 violins (3 first, 1 second) without me, and 3 violas if I did viola, so I'll be playing second violin for the Handel and viola for the Mozart. I asked Bob (Eshbach) at the rehearsal if I could, and he said I could do whatever I wanted -- I have tenure :) I tried reading the Handel 2nd violin part on my viola at the rehearsal, but I really needed an E string. Need to figure out a way to carry both instruments to practice. I briefly considered a case that would hold both, but they're very expensive, and for something I only need once a week, too much a luxury. I think it'll be fun playing both. Anyway, I practiced both parts this afternoon while the kids watched TV in the next room, and then tried to do some of the "Death and the Maiden" parts from memory. I could do some of it, but I think I need to actually find the music somewhere. There's probably a MIDI version out there I can use to make parts with using Finale.
I've been on a low-music diet for too long (not purposely, just didn't bother getting out CDs and listening to stuff, and NHPR stopped playing classical music when Stephen was still just a toddler). Now I have realized that I must not let that happen again. Great music should be a part of daily life.
My trip to the BSO was actually only the second I've ever made. The first time was a field trip with David's "Philosophy of the Arts" class when we were still merely cohabitating -- that must be at least 12 years ago. Drove down, took the T to Symphony, and I was practically floating -- couldn't wait to get inside, couldn't keep the grin off my face. I must have looked like a maniac, taking the stairs two at a time and looking for any opening in the (not insignificant) crowds, trying to guess by looking at them who was going to the concert with me and who was just getting off for something else. I had feared that since I'd changed my ticket, it would have gotten lost in the shuffle, but they had it at the box office, and I went right to my seat (row RR, seat 30, the far left-hand corner of the back of the hall). Once I'd found it, I went back out and wandered around for a bit. An usher asked me if I needed any help, and I said, "No, it's just my first time here" (which is true, I hadn't wandered around before, just gone straight into the hall with David's classmates), and he smiled. There was still 15 minutes til showtime when I sat down, so I skimmed through the program notes, which are quite substantial. Found Eryk's name in the Tanglewood listing, and thought about pointing it out to the middle-aged Asian fellow sitting next to me, but decided he probably didn't care :) On my other side appeared a rich family of three, who spent five minutes talking about how the first time they'd heard this piece, they'd been in Prague (rich Americans, bet they had fun :P ). The father, a very large man, sat next to me, and we were doomed to spending the performance wishing for bigger, better-spaced seats.
It was fun watching the musicians warm up. The concertmaster came out about 10 minutes before the show started, and practiced the opening of the "Gloria"... most of the others seemed to be doing the same thing. That amused me, since it's what the UNHSO did, too. He also ran through a lot of his solo... omg, amazing. The vibrato he had going with his little finger was just to die for, and while you could see him change bows, you never heard it. I suppose that's to be expected if you practice 8 hours a day for your whole life, but still. Finally the chorus came on stage -- it took me a while and lots of squinting to find Eryk because of my seat's lack of proximaty, but finally I found him on the end of the 2nd row from the top. Yay, Eryk! Then *James Levine* (omfg, I was in the same hall as James Levine and the BSO!!!!) took the stage, and they started.
I spent the next I don't know how long in turns enraptured, enthralled, and enwishing I'd brought a cushion for the seat, but mostly the first two. It was just beyond words, so amazingly gorgeous, complex and etherially simple by turns. I think Eryk put it best when he mentioned that only someone who'd lost his hearing could write somethng like that. A lot of it was new to me, since I didn't have it in my awful recording, and I'm sure if anyone had been looking at me, they would have been amused when my jaw dropped, esp. in the Credo and the Agnus Dei. The soloists were incredible, the chorus blew me away, the orchestra was the friggin' BSO so that goes without saying, and the music was just fucking amazing. I really, really need to get a good recording of it, hopefully of the BSO :) I took Eryk home after the show and I think we were both practically high -- the T ride (30 minutes) seemed to be over in seconds, as we relived the evening.
I so want to go to more performances like that! The BSO/Tanglewood are doing Beethoven's 9th in March, and I don't think I can miss that -- LIVE, for fuck's sake. I mean, Christ, how often do you get a chance like that? They're also doing the 7th, his triple concerto, and about a dozen other things I'd love to see, but it does get pricey! I'd love to live closer to Boston, though, so I could get to more live concerts; I've been in a lot of them at UNH, but only very rarely have I been able to really get lost in the whole of the score instead of concentrating on the 2nd violin (or first, or viola) part, and come on, I can't even compare the UNH orchestra to the BSO, as much as I love playing. It was just so incredible.
Today I got out my violin for the first time in months (totally out of tune, and not half as nice-sounding as my viola, though the Coda Conservatory bow I have coming should help somewhat) to run through the Handel concerto grosso. In the oldster's orchestra, there are only 4 violins (3 first, 1 second) without me, and 3 violas if I did viola, so I'll be playing second violin for the Handel and viola for the Mozart. I asked Bob (Eshbach) at the rehearsal if I could, and he said I could do whatever I wanted -- I have tenure :) I tried reading the Handel 2nd violin part on my viola at the rehearsal, but I really needed an E string. Need to figure out a way to carry both instruments to practice. I briefly considered a case that would hold both, but they're very expensive, and for something I only need once a week, too much a luxury. I think it'll be fun playing both. Anyway, I practiced both parts this afternoon while the kids watched TV in the next room, and then tried to do some of the "Death and the Maiden" parts from memory. I could do some of it, but I think I need to actually find the music somewhere. There's probably a MIDI version out there I can use to make parts with using Finale.
I've been on a low-music diet for too long (not purposely, just didn't bother getting out CDs and listening to stuff, and NHPR stopped playing classical music when Stephen was still just a toddler). Now I have realized that I must not let that happen again. Great music should be a part of daily life.
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-22 10:04 pm (UTC)I hope you can get tickets for the Beethoven 9!
You're right: it's easy to let music-listening lapse, and not to realise just what you're missing. That's part of what I'm so grateful to my iPod for: the chance to have wonderful music around me all the time. I hope you can keep it up.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-23 01:07 am (UTC)I think I need a smaller digi player for around the house. I have one of these (http://www.digmind.com/store/index_500.html) that's great for bedtime listening and even in the car, but it's not so great for just wearing around the house. I can't get an iPod because most of my music files are in OGG format, and I was under the impression iPods would only play Apple's proprietary format, though I may be wrong :)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-25 08:55 pm (UTC)iTunes/iPod can handle several formats, I think, but I don't think OGG is one of them. Looking at the help files, they mention MP3, MP4 AAC, and WAV, and an 'Apple Lossless' encoding. So yeah, you really don't want to have to re-do all the stuff you have already.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-22 11:41 pm (UTC)Actually, you get quite a few chances like that, as I'm pretty sure the BSO does the 9th annually. ;) But yeah. I used my "I joined the choir so I could go to concerts" line on a nice older couple on the subway after the Saturday show, and they got a kick out of it.
Final nitpick - the "only a deaf man" thought is actually Levine's, not mine. But I stand by it. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-23 01:08 am (UTC)Thanks for the ref. re. deaf man :)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-23 01:55 pm (UTC)Glad you got to go!
no subject
Date: 2006-01-23 06:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-23 11:52 pm (UTC)