Have A Good Sandwich

This past Sunday, I spent the afternoon taking in a really enjoyable afternoon at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Jonathan Mayes of the PSO was kind enough to invite a number of bloggers from the community to take in a concert and then blog their subsequent thoughts and feelings at an after-symphony reception.

While I had every intention of sitting down afterwards and blogging immediately, I had some great conversations with some bloggers and non-bloggers alike and never got time in front of my laptop. Sri has already posted an excellent recount of our experience with the PSO.

Music is an abstract medium and full of interpretations. I’ll set right out that I am quite the uninstructed soul when it comes to symphonic music. I can pick out the instruments and recognize many classical pieces, but I always feel like I’m “pretending” when I listen. Someone once told me though that it’s not important that you know what period music is from or which particular movement of a symphony it may be… it’s that you enjoy the music and that it impacts you in some way.

Pre-game

The talk by Greg Sandow before the concert really gave one a sense of context about the featured composer, Shostakovich. I had never heard of Shostakovich before, and it was fascinating to hear about his life behind the Iron Curtain. I imagine no worse fate could befall an artist than being forced to use your talent to support something you do not believe in… just as Shostakovich was under Soviet rule when he was compelled to write rousing Soviet anthems.

After the talk, the contingent of bloggers were led on a guided tour through Heinz Hall. From the outside the hall looks huge, and generally speaking it is. It has many large open rehearsal areas backstage… and of course the main concert hall is open and gorgeous. Yet there are areas that felt very claustrophobic in the narrow halls. The most interesting things I saw included the elaborate weight system that’s used to manage the stage and the music library, which is more expansive than you would probably think.

The concert

The performance opened with The Suite from The Bolt, which I remember most vividly for the piccolo performance and the swaying strings in the first played movement.

A moving piano performance by Vladimir Feltsman, highlighted with Charles Lirette’s trumpet made the Concerto No. 2 in C Minor a very enjoyable piece. I remember the occasionally playful quality of it, along with the rich sounds of two harp players. As I commented to Cindy at the Intermission, it’s amazing how one can have so many reactions in the midst of a played piece. Further, I was surprised how I would gravitate to either certain sounds or instruments, such as the harps or the bass ensemble. They were absolutely tremendous.

The concert finished with the very well done Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, with a building ebb and flow that eventually reaches a satisfying conclusion in the triumphant finale.

Post-game

The PSO was a very welcoming host for everyone who attended. Jonathan, who obviously had a number of things to deal with on a concert day, took time out of his busy schedule to give us our tour and also greet us at a reception at the conclusion of the performance. Greg was kind enough to speak to us once more about blogging symphonic music. Kevin DeLuca made sure we had wireless available for blogging, and the PSO gave us coffee and treats.

My normal regimen on a Sunday in the Fall is to take in a long afternoon of football. I thank the PSO for giving me the opportunity to experience something different, and become a little more cultured in the process. It was a wonderful time!

Technorati Tags: Shostakovich, Pittsburgh symphony

Posted on October 11th, 2006 under Society • Tags: Society. •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback