After a slight roller coaster ride, I was able to be totally entertained by Yo Yo Ma! We were told that they oversold tickets and there will not be any seats for us volunteers!!! Boooo Hissssss..... I arrived in the morning, still hopeful that maaaaaaaaybe there would be ONE little chair, in the corner that I can grab!! I discussed my disappointment with a fellow volunteer and she waved her hand, saying, "Oh, we put our coats in our chosen seat anyway!!" So, after carefully considering this, I decided to join them! YES!! The majority of the volunteers are in their 70's and 80's, gotta LOVE this crowd! They are not going to take no for an answer!! hahahaa.... So, I grabbed my chair, in the back this time, and was THRILLED!!!
Wow! Can he ever play! He plays that cello with his entire body!! It was INTENSE! I was afraid the man was going to have a heart attack!!! Seriously!! Was wearing me out - in a good way!! ;)
I was not thrilled with the selection - Cello Concerto No. 2 Opus 126 (1966). Hmmmm, 1966? Yea, not one of the better classical years, in my humble opinion. But, still a thrill to watch him make that 1733 Montagnana cello or the 1712 "Davidoff" Stradivarius SING! I am not sure which one he played, nonetheless, it was perfection at its highest!
One thing I learned, he is Chinese but was born in Paris, France in 1955! Interesting!
The added bonus today was Michael Tilson Thomas was conducting! Everyone refers to him as MTT....he has quite a resume and has been the SF Symphony's Music Director since 1995. Everyone LOVES working for him and he has done so much to reach ALL walks of life in the area. This was my first time watching him conduct, and boy was it a TREAT! As a musician myself, I found his conducting to be VERY interesting. He did not count every beat of the music, which I thought was different. He also uses much of his body. When he feels like kicking his foot, well, he does! Bouncing? He'll do it! He was at the same time, very graceful. He talked a little bit to the audience and was very likable.
They ended with Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2 - Little Russian (1872 - 1879). I could not help but think of the artists of this era that we just saw at The Getty. It was fun imagining the clothing of the time period, how would they dance to this, etc.
Another bonus were the HARPS!!! The cello and harp can make such sweet music. It was pure delight and again, I pinched myself during the concert. The clarinet solos were crystal clear, along with another favorite of mine, the french horn. I am in AWE of these musicians and their knowledge of their instruments.
The next Open Rehearsal is February 24th - Mozart, Symphony No. 36 Linz and Bruckner, Symphony No. 6. CORRECTION!!!!! I just happened to look at the schedule and noticed!! It is February 10th!!! WOOT WOOT!!! We have it TWICE in February!! On the 10th it will be a program titled, "Planets" with guest appearance from the Women of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus! Another treat in store for sure!
2 comments:
what a GREAT Blog Barbara!!! It was written so very interesting. It sure give one the great feeling of how intense and thrilled and amazed at the classical side of you. So proud of your and all your accomplishments in this field and all the others you have done in your life. We are VERY proud of you. Sometimes we don't say it enough!! love you lots
Aw, thanks Mom, you are my number 1 fan!!! Much appreciated, love you too!!!!
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