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Recapitulation of symphony-going escapade
Mar. 5th, 2006 03:50 pmThis past week was a bit of a blur between rowing and school and other extracurriculars. On Thursday, I hurried home from teaching, changed into pretty clothes, and went to the symphony with T, A, S, and E. That had been one of the longstanding plots on the plot list, but unfortunately the other STRUDLs had frisbee commitments on Thursdays and were unable to attend, so I am unsure if it can really be checked off. On the other hand, I am strongly inclined to abandon the plot list at the moment due to other circumstances, so perhaps it does not really matter after all.
In any case, the performance was splendid. We first heard "Musica Celestis for String Orchestra" by Aaron Jay Kernis, a contemporary composer. After that was "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18" by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and then "Symphony No. 4 in F Minor" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Listening to classical music--especially live--evokes a lot of extensive memories for me. Mostly, I was reminded of the incredible performances I used to go to at Tufts--most of them were free and some of them were some of the most astounding performances that I have ever heard. But of course they were classical performances, so they were largely ignored by the general Tufts population. Then I thought of my friend Ehren, who was an incredible pianist (and person in general), but who I lost touch with after graduation. Then I thought of the last symphony I went to, with annikus, in the brand-new, forest-like Benaroya hall in Seattle. After that, I mostly just thought about what it is like to establish a finely honed relationship with a musical instrument. Musical training is a fantastic skill for a person to acquire because many of the elements of musical training translate into other, wide-ranging disciplines, be they mathematics or sports or medicine or art. I also remembered a long-forgotten music theory course I took at Tufts, which opened up many previously unexplored perspectives on music. I always regretted not taking music theory earlier, but the practice of music has always been sort of a secondary element in my life. I love it, but cannot be wholly consumed by it.
In any case, the performance was splendid. We first heard "Musica Celestis for String Orchestra" by Aaron Jay Kernis, a contemporary composer. After that was "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18" by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and then "Symphony No. 4 in F Minor" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Listening to classical music--especially live--evokes a lot of extensive memories for me. Mostly, I was reminded of the incredible performances I used to go to at Tufts--most of them were free and some of them were some of the most astounding performances that I have ever heard. But of course they were classical performances, so they were largely ignored by the general Tufts population. Then I thought of my friend Ehren, who was an incredible pianist (and person in general), but who I lost touch with after graduation. Then I thought of the last symphony I went to, with annikus, in the brand-new, forest-like Benaroya hall in Seattle. After that, I mostly just thought about what it is like to establish a finely honed relationship with a musical instrument. Musical training is a fantastic skill for a person to acquire because many of the elements of musical training translate into other, wide-ranging disciplines, be they mathematics or sports or medicine or art. I also remembered a long-forgotten music theory course I took at Tufts, which opened up many previously unexplored perspectives on music. I always regretted not taking music theory earlier, but the practice of music has always been sort of a secondary element in my life. I love it, but cannot be wholly consumed by it.
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