Wow

A few nights ago, we were treated to what was the most special concert I have ever seen and possibly will ever see. It was Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela and, let me assure you, it was even more magnificent than it sounds. This was a group I was particularly excited to see before the concert began because it is the highest orchestra of the El Sistema program, which, as a Music Education major, I really admire. To me, this program is a wonderful embodiment of the benefits music can bring to high-risk students and I, along with a few others on this trip, actually volunteer with a program modeled after it back home called AMP. Thus, before the concert even began, I was anxious to see just how transformative this program is through a performance by its highest achieving students, directed by a former student himself.

If I thought I had high expectations before the concert began, they were absolutely blown out of the water from the first note to the end of their second encore. The concert consisted of music from two of Stravinsky's most famous ballets, Petrushka and the Rite of Spring. I actually had the pleasure of playing Petrushka myself a couple years back and it has remained on of my favorite pieces ever since. I love the way Stravinsky layers different themes, so a melody that starts out light and joyful gets layered with previous melodies as the piece goes on until, and I can think of no better way to see this, everything spirals into hell before pulling back at the last possible second. The piece is also very fragmented and sounds disjointed at times. The various styles and motifs switch so quickly that it almost feels like listening to many short melodies from different pieces combined together, which is one of the strange quirks I love about it. The Simon Bolivar orchestra could not have pulled off these tricky transitions any better. Their technique was impeccable and they really captured the personality shifts well. Listening too it almost felt like reality was being bent which is an important underlying theme in the ballet itself. 

I think what pushed this performance above many others that Ive seen was the pure energy the ensemble had. They played with such passion and took the risks necessary to really pull off a Stravinsky piece. This was particularly evident in the Rite of Spring. You could feel the electricity coursing through the piece from the beginning bassoon solo (which was so beautiful and well-interpreted it had my jaw nearly on the floor) to the two timpanists beating out their infectious rhythm to the very last chord. I feel like, in this case, their young age was really an advantage for the players of the audience. I have heard from professionals that your first run playing a piece of music is always particularly special. I am assuming that, for many of these students, this tour was their first run of performances on these pieces and this made the performance all the more special for them and for their audience. Then there was Dudamel himself who you could tell has an unusual connection with the performers because he came through the same program. Even during the bows, Dudamel never took his own bow, preferring instead to stand with the students, walking into the orchestra to point out players, chatting with some of the string players, or putting his arm around the concert master. This connection was obvious as they played and really enhanced the performance. Dudamel also conducted with rare energy and passion that really matched the performers. 

Finally, the orchestra ended with not one but two encores. The most impressive of these was the finale of Stravinsky's Firebird, which had me tearing up from the beginning horn solos and gave me chills later on. I'm not sure that my words can really encapsulate how beautiful and special this concert was. I feel very privileged to have gotten to experience it and it is a memory that I will cherish with me and use to inspire me musically for a long time.

Lieben,

Megan Cummings