The symphony season starts
Our local symphony orchestra started their 2009-2010 season last weekend. I invited minisylf to join me, but she turned me down. ○| ̄|_ It was still an enjoyable concert.
Barber of Seville by Rossini – one of the most popular classical pieces ever. I’m not a big opera fan, so this is just like any other piece. It’s still fun and exciting piece. It’s a nice season opener. I’m sure most people know this melody:
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 “Scottish” – This is a piece that I’ve listened maybe once in my life time. There are some moments of excitement. Some sound resemblance to his Fingal’s Cave Overture was fun to notice. (No wonder, they both have Scottish theme in them.) But otherwise, this was a low point of the night for me.
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 – Of four piano concertos that Rachmaninoff wrote, no. 2 and 3 are better know than the other two. No. 2 is more popular in Japan (I think that’s why it was included in Nodame). No. 3 seems to be more popular in many other regions (and that might be why it was featured in Shine). In fact, Shine was where I heard this piece for the first time. As I watched this, I was thinking of Nodame’s concert hall debut with Stresemann. Naturally, this pair of soloist and conductor were making this piece together too. Yes, the pianist’s technique was amazing (and it was so good to be able to see it from the 3rd row). But more than that, the whole ensemble was just amazing. Sound wise, it was a pitty that I sat so close to the stage – the blend between the piano and the orchestra wasn’t the best.
p.s. The excerpts of each pieces were taken from the orchestra’s homepage.