Detroit Symphony Blog: January 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Confessions

Okay, for those of you who haven't made it to one of this weekend's concerts, --- get your keisters out there! Hearing Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was one of the most exciting concerts I've been to in years, ending with such tumultuously insane ferocity that I found myself cackling out loud uncontrollably in what I could only imagine an equestrian High would be like. Or at least, maybe that opiate induced dream evoked so tastefully in the first movement.

I confess that I was at both the 10:45AM and 8:00PM shows today, and if I had my druthers, I'd be there tomorrow night, too. Even if you (unbelievably) don't fancy the sometimes perverted and obscene character of the actual work, this concert is a must-see, if only for the piece's historical value, not to mention the madly intoxicating timbral effects crafted by Berlioz, so beautifully articulated by the great artists of the DSO. Literally immortalizing his passions for Harriet ('O, Harriet!') Smithson in the music as the idee fixe, Berlioz creates a constellation of emotions and inner conflict so real that it revived every limerent object from my past. ('O, Charlie!') Yeah, those 'col legno' skeletons get me every time...

Let's not forget the brilliant Jean-Philippe Collard, who played with such strength and virtuosity. Rumour has it that he lost sensation in his right hand for twenty years, propelling him to learn the repertoire for the left hand, regaining full dexterity only in the past five years! He was utterly inspiring.

So, my Dahlhaus and Lippman have been sitting peacefully at the bottom of my bag, having been moved to practice the prescribed 4 hours today instead of reading up on music theory materials like I'd meant to. Speaking of books, if you haven't picked it up yet, 'The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz' (Cairn translation) is a brilliant piece of literature.

Also, here's a version of Berlioz's own program for Symphonie Fantastique:
http://employees.csbsju.edu/gwalker/Classes/Honors/Berlioz.html

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Forget Dior - J'adore DSO

It was something like finding Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets today as I unsheathed what only a double-take could ascertain were Box seats - many thanks to Shannon!. As our ungainly, green strides must've exposed, we were nothing less than stoked. Being so close to the orchestra, conductor, not to mention the phenomenal James Ehnes was a very different acoustic experience, and a serious treat (Box C's perimeter picks up the cheque for the closest I've heard my teacher in action since the Mozart Quintet event of 2002). Moreover, being able to witness the channels of communication within the individual sections, the orchestra as a whole, and especially between James Ehnes and Peter Oundjian brought a new level of intimacy to the DSO experience.

After days of sub-stellar rehearsals and practicing sessions, it's easy for music students to become disenchanted and even to sometimes forget why we 'chose' this lot. In fact, a friend and I were reminiscing about the moments when we realized music was our calling today, and both realized that it had been at symphony concerts. Yes, even though it's Thursday, and yes, a higher percentage than normal of people seem to have a wicked cough, tonight was still incredibly inspiring. But that's the thing you start to understand about the DSO after discovering yourself week after week coming back for more: the experiences are so cathartic and nourishing that they become the stuff of pabulum for music students - the realized ideal right before your ears!

All expat nationalistic duties aside, I personally love James Ehnes for all of his artistry and colouristic nuance, and was a little disappointed to see the Barber met with such ambivalence. The aptly titled and perhaps somewhat esoteric Presto in moto perpetuoso, though not exactly in the strain of populist gods Daft Punk, had a groove all its own that truly resonated with me. Naturally, I found some other admirers in line waiting for signatures at intermission. : )

Clearly perceived as (politically) relevant today, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 was met with great admiration, the applause ensuing for several curtain calls. His savory orchestration called for a wall of 10 horns (!), and such delicious timbral combinations as Eb clarinet and English horn, and the timelessly satisfying contrabassoon and bass clarinet flavour. In what some have elicited as Shannon Orme's debut, her bass clarinet solos in II. and beyond were fantastic, bringing to the fore a gorgeous tone that blended so well with the wondrous palette of the clarinet section. The apotheosis of clarinet playing, Ted Oien's subliminal solo in the Adagio was so buttery it evoked for me mornings of baguette-with-fresh-butter-cream of a certain Parisian vintage (and I'm not just talkin' cane, here). Also receiving a bow at the end was Jeff Zook; if fantasy orchestra leagues existed, he would no doubt be in my roster.

Forgive me my woodwind-centric and epicurist tendencies. It was a sobering image, walking into my apartment in disarray as my roommates cleared the kitchen for fumigation tomorrow. Bereft of pots, pans, not even a friendly appliance, my 3AM munchies have set in with nothing but Clif bars and a solitary glass of wine to appease their grumbles.
::SIGH:: Back to being in college, and the reality of living in the Cass corridor...

Links of interest:

New Music Detroit's much anticipated performance next Sunday at the DIA: http://dia.org/calendar/programs_and_events/event.asp?eventid=2608

: ) Michel Gondry's excellent Daft Punk video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPBmXEO3yUU

Sunday, January 6, 2008

2008! So it goes...

After the flurries of the holidays, I finally found myself back in Detroit today after having spent the past few weeks in the homeland and in various states visiting friends. Throwing my bags down on my bed, I ambled over to Orchestra Hall at around 2:30, thinking I might finally be able to resume my perch in the mid-balcony. What with grad school applications, finals, and portfolio crafting, it's been over a month since I've been to the DSO, but I'd marked down this weekend's performance since last season and knew I should really try to make it. Besides, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed; as a clarinetist, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (read: scherzo) is something I've known for essentially a decade and never heard live before.

As usual, I found myself enamored by the great string and horn sections during the Overture. It was really lovely to see the mother-son duo of Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Bella Davidovich, whose interpretation of the Schumann Concerto was sensitive and inspiring. This was particularly interesting for me to hear, since Wayne State will be performing the first movement in March. Don Baker and Larry Liberson's solos resonated with me especially, and the woodwind section in general sounded as solid as ever.

Equally sensitive was Sitkovetsky's performance, who both conducted while performing J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto No. 1. Unfortunately, an imbalanced diet of late nights, my tween-aged circadian rhythms, and the soporific power of MSG (mandatory Sunday dim sum) demanded more effort on my part for active listening. (It probably hasn't helped either that for the past month, I've been listening to essentially all new music!) However, Sitkovetsky's elegance and musicianship won me over in the tenderness of his Andante.

Finally,... the moment I had been waiting for! At first, I was somewhat disappointed not to see my teacher, Ted Oien, playing principal clarinet, but the woodwind section played marvelously. Karl Pituch, principal horn, was fantastic in the Nocturne, as well as the plucky bassoons. The scherzo was taken at a pretty hair-raising tempo, with the possible conclusion that the "effortless flight" was a little seasoned, but of course after a lifetime of idolization-cum-fetishization of the Cleveland Szell years, I'm left with the distinct impression that I've probably just heard the same recording too many times. And who wants to be stuck in the past muttering something belated about 'back in the day' anyway? Leading into the "Wedding March", I was amazed by the great texture, and what felt like the orchestra unleashed. It was quite glorious to hear the march live, thrilled by the awesome cymbal sounds of Ian Ding and the resounding splendor of the DSO brass.

Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that I'll be around a lot more often now, and can't wait for next week's schedule of all-Canadian heroes Peter Oundjian and James Ehnes. I will definitely have to find time this semester to hear the DSO more often...