A trip to the symphony
Sep. 17th, 2006 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zalenaDad had last minute comps to the symphony last night. It's been years since I've gone to see him in the symphony. I was really touched he remembered that I love The Firebird and thought to offer one to me. Music has always kept us connectd, even in the years where we were barely speaking at all.
His "ladyfriend" was there, chaperoning two teenagers from an area boarding school. They weren't explained to me, so I spent the entire night trying to figure out their relationship to my father and his ladyfriend.
Ladyfriend and I got along amiably. This is clearly a relationship that is going to take some work. We had an interesting conversation about gem-stones. I made sure to relate everything back to my dad, thinking that it is a common point of interest and a chance for her to learn more about him.
"Dad knew someone who did high-altitude gem collection with oxygen tanks and everything. He had baggies of gemstones all over his house. I seem to remember visiting him when I was a little girl and being allowed to play with the stones, but you will have to ask Dad for more details."
The program was nice. I love that the audience so often doesn't know what to expect when they go to the symphony. The Overture to Romeo & Juliet ellicited snickers when the theme finally arrived. And of course the Firebird suite is very jumpy. It did make me wonder how I ended up being a Stravinsky fan. (It probably has to do with liking the pictures on the front of the records.) My question is how could you not? [Insert funny story about taking a friend to the symphony for the first time. Rite of Spring was on the program. Afterwards I asked, "What did you think?" They politely replied, "It's not what I expected.]
There was a mezzo doing Mahler's Songs of the Wayfarer. It was lovely. I think I'm going to pursue seeing more performance of art song. I'm finally old enough to appreciate it, and sentimental enough to tolerate all the romantic nonsense. (Still, why can't singers move well? This has always bothered me, the senseless gesturing that feels like a puppet instead of an organically motivated movement. I'd almost prefer they just stand.)
The experience of seeing a live symphony was also wonderful. I'd forgotten the visceral experience of live performance. It engages the senses in totality, whereas a recording offers just sound.
A few weeks ago when my therapist took me out to the garden and I stood in the late-summer sun eating tomatoes fresh off the vine, I realized that what is missing from my life is these total-sensory moments. I need to be engaged more totally in my daily life. I want to have those moments of immersion, to be inside the experience instead of detached from it. For some reason I believe this will help me to better value my life.
Anyway, today is the Squareville studio tour. I am planning to go to a few studios, including the glassblower's down the lane.
His "ladyfriend" was there, chaperoning two teenagers from an area boarding school. They weren't explained to me, so I spent the entire night trying to figure out their relationship to my father and his ladyfriend.
Ladyfriend and I got along amiably. This is clearly a relationship that is going to take some work. We had an interesting conversation about gem-stones. I made sure to relate everything back to my dad, thinking that it is a common point of interest and a chance for her to learn more about him.
"Dad knew someone who did high-altitude gem collection with oxygen tanks and everything. He had baggies of gemstones all over his house. I seem to remember visiting him when I was a little girl and being allowed to play with the stones, but you will have to ask Dad for more details."
The program was nice. I love that the audience so often doesn't know what to expect when they go to the symphony. The Overture to Romeo & Juliet ellicited snickers when the theme finally arrived. And of course the Firebird suite is very jumpy. It did make me wonder how I ended up being a Stravinsky fan. (It probably has to do with liking the pictures on the front of the records.) My question is how could you not? [Insert funny story about taking a friend to the symphony for the first time. Rite of Spring was on the program. Afterwards I asked, "What did you think?" They politely replied, "It's not what I expected.]
There was a mezzo doing Mahler's Songs of the Wayfarer. It was lovely. I think I'm going to pursue seeing more performance of art song. I'm finally old enough to appreciate it, and sentimental enough to tolerate all the romantic nonsense. (Still, why can't singers move well? This has always bothered me, the senseless gesturing that feels like a puppet instead of an organically motivated movement. I'd almost prefer they just stand.)
The experience of seeing a live symphony was also wonderful. I'd forgotten the visceral experience of live performance. It engages the senses in totality, whereas a recording offers just sound.
A few weeks ago when my therapist took me out to the garden and I stood in the late-summer sun eating tomatoes fresh off the vine, I realized that what is missing from my life is these total-sensory moments. I need to be engaged more totally in my daily life. I want to have those moments of immersion, to be inside the experience instead of detached from it. For some reason I believe this will help me to better value my life.
Anyway, today is the Squareville studio tour. I am planning to go to a few studios, including the glassblower's down the lane.
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symphony
Date: 2006-09-18 03:13 pm (UTC)I like Stravinsky- but I usually find the Russians a bit much- Prokofiev always seems reasonable to me. Mahler's Wayfarer is great. I think my favorite, though is Beethoven: the 6th spoke to me from a very young age...
Re: symphony
Date: 2006-09-18 04:05 pm (UTC)I generally like the Russians, and definitely prefer Prokofiev's R&J to Tsychovsky's. I get cranky about Shostakovich who I believe has attained greatness due to the political situation at his time and will probably be lost to history.
Still, the more I think about all the pieces that go into creating a symphony, the more impressed I am. As a child I took music for granted because I was surrounded by it. Now I realize how precious it is.
Is your dad still around? Maybe you could go to the symphony with him again.
Re: symphony
Date: 2006-09-18 06:15 pm (UTC)I got my first Beethoven's 6th when iw as very young- I don't recall if there was an occasion, other than that my Dad wanted to introduce me to it early (growing up, we often listened to KVOD, which used to be the FM classical station, as well). I remember listening to it incessantly on my little toy record player.
Dad's retired, and living in the old homeland (Southern Colorado)-so while it wouldn't be impossible, it would be hard to make a date to see a concernt with him now...