Joshua Bell will be performing tonight, Friday (matinee), Saturday, and next Tuesday in a series of concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I broke down and decided to go at least this Tuesday and Saturday’s shows, since he will be performing one of my two favorite violin concertos: Brahms, D Major, Op. 77. Instead of waiting in line for an hour or more for the certainly popular rush tickets tomorrow night, I decided to buy a $20 under-40 ticket. Among my seat choices was an excellent orchestra seat, dead center in row Z, or a third row first balcony seat, also in the center. While I’d rarely pass up that wonderful orchestra seat, I’ve seen all but one show from the orchestra and have not spent any time on the first balcony. Since all of my rush and student tickets so far have been in the orchestra, I opted for the first balcony seat, where I will certainly have another unique perspective on the power of Bell’s solo violin carrying throughout Symphony Hall. On Saturday night, my seats are stage left orchestra seats, so it will be an interesting experiment in acoustics to see how similar (but not identical) performances sound from different seats. I can already hear the low hum of the side vents in those orchestra seats, however ….
Unfortunately, Sir Andrew Davis was not able to be with us for this series of concerts, and Yan Pascal Tortelier will serve as his replacement in his BSO debut at Symphony Hall. Along with this change, instead of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, the BSO will do Stravinsky’s 1945 Firebird Suite, which I think will be quite a treat.
I plan on attending the pre-concert talk on Tuesday that will be given by Elizabeth Seitz, but I am not planning on staying for the signing of Bell’s new album, At Home With Friends. It’s not that I do not wish to meet Mr Bell, which I would like to do perhaps one day, but there’s something incredibly objectionable to me to stand in line in order to meet someone and have them scribble their name onto the liner notes of a CD. There is only one celebrity reporter in Florida with whom I would love to spend time at any opportunity.
I have several of Bell’s albums and particularly enjoy his performances of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (my other favorite) and Kreisler violin pieces. Having never heard him play the Brahms, I will be interested in his and the BSO’s interpretation.
Update: I’ve written concert reports for both the first Tuesday and the Saturday performances.
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[...] the Brahms came and went all too quickly for me, but not without leaving an indelible mark on my understanding of the piece — again. [...]