The Vienna Philharmonic

While in Salzburg I got to hear the best ensemble playing I've ever heard. The Vienna Philharmonic played together with such precision and technical mastery that it was hard to even tell they were trying at all. Watching them play together was like watching a ballerina dance flawlessly (another thing I got to witness during this trip!) -- there was a simple elegance to their ensemble sound that was nothing short of extraordinary. I honestly don't believe that any conductor needed to be in front of them; they breathed together, watched each other, moved together, made phrasing together, and instantaneously made musical decisions from across the ensemble.

I've heard many professional bands and orchestras that play well together, but it seems like they either have a homogenous sound, where they blend their tones together to make a singular 'orchestra' sound, or that they play as a collection of tambral soloists with each instrument/instrument group coming out as individual parts of the whole. There is nothing wrong with either of these qualities, and there are groups that will switch between the two styles within one performance. But the Vienna Philharmonic can do both at one. At the same time, they can be playing with a homogenous sound and have soloistic voices weaving in and out of the woodworks. It's amazing, and I have no idea how they do it. As a future music educator, I can only hope that I figure out what it is that makes this sound possible within an ensemble, and that I can even come close to getting my students to make these sort of musical interpretations and decisions together.