Wednesday January 27, 2016: the 260th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Also on a smaller scope, but life-changing to us: the night we saw the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg. What a night. By far the best orchestral performance I've ever seen or heard. It's difficult to say what I found most spectacular about this orchestra, but one thing that really impressed me was the togetherness of the orchestra. Nothing was overstated, and no one musician ever stuck out. You could tell they knew that the sheer power of precision of the orchestra overpowered any volume. And then when the moment came, the volume and energy was spectacular. The best way I can summarize my reaction to this performance last night was understanding. Seeing this orchestra helped me understand precision, dynamics, style and teamwork. The night began with Mozart's Haffner-Symphonie (we were celebrating his 260th birthday after all). What a celebration this was. It's astounding to think that Mozart composed this masterpiece almost as an afterthought, by favor to his father to commemorate their family friend, Sigmund Haffner. Even thought he claimed to be overworked, Mozart created this wondrous work that displays his versitality of style and inspiration drawn from his years spent in Vienna. Following the Mozart was a starkly different work: Henri Dutilleux's Concerto pour violon et orchestre. What I appreciated most about this piece was the way it beautifully depicted the various colors capable of the orchestra. I can't think of another orchestra who may have presented this in quite the same way. There were many moments transitioning flawlessly from violin solo to bassoon or trombone, and colors created within the woodwind choir that were so well balanced I wondered if the Europeans had a different orchestration of instruments (which they did not, they just played with incredible sound). I didn't ever hear a flute, clarinet and oboe, or other combinations, but I heard a fantastic sound creation of unexplored color. Phenomenal. Aside from the unique beauty of the piece itself, I think it really shows something about the versitality of this orchestra in their ability to put on a world-class performance of each of these pieces that were very opposite style of one another. To conclude the evening, we heard Mendelssohn's Italienische symphony, that synonymous with its name, depicts his impressions of visiting Venice, Florence and Rome in autumn 1830. When working on this work, Mendelssohn claimed, "It will be the jolliest piece I've written so far." And what a jolly performance it was. The piece treks through Nature, religious processionals and ends with a folk dance that surges into a powerful, concluding upbow that left me stunned for a long moment after the conclusion, awakened only by the roaring applause from the audience. A night I will never forget. Thank you, Vienna Phil, for re-energizing my dreams and teaching me so much in the short couple hours we spent in the magnificent Festspielhaus commemorating music and one of the greatest, Wolfgang Mozart, in his hometown. What a miraculous experience.
Photo: post-concert, dreaming of one day sharing a stage with these phenomenal musicians.
Photo: pre-concert group photo. Student seats were in row 5-6 last night. Pretty great, I say.
Well, last stop of this journey: we are off to Vienna! I've wanted to see this city for a great number of years, and I figure if it is even half as magnificent as its orchestra, we are in for a real treat.
Salzburg may just be my favorite city we've seen so far, but can't wait to see what awaits in Vienna!
Bis Dann,
Lyndi
No comments:
Post a Comment