I picked up G's symphony tickets this year, and the first show of the season was this past weekend. S and I were running right on time, which is to say that we sat down just as they dimmed the lights.
The first piece was Lutoslawski, Chain 3. I was not a fan of this one at all. It was loud and discordant and I had a difficult time following it. If anyone can enlighten me as to what I should have gotten out of it, I would appreciate it.
The title piece was Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor. It was a lovely piece, especially the first and third movements. The loudness I mentioned in Chain isn't necessarily a bad thing in classical music, as long as there is some melody, and Dvorak managed to put those two pieces - volume and melody - together in a lovely way.
S and I headed for the Met Bar (which, I learned, was once installed at the Met in NYC -- hence the name) and scored one of the coveted tables overlooking the lobby, which allowed us a lovely 15 minutes to enjoy our drinks.
Post-intermission, Stravinsky's Petrushka ended the show. I particularly liked the first movement, The Shrove-Tide Fair, but overall I very much enjoyed how well the music told the story of the poor, doomed Petruska, heartbroken over the princess and the moor.
At the end of the show, S was kind enough to help an elderly gentleman out to his car when his younger date was only interested in leaving him behind. S's good Samaritanism scored us two free drink tickets for our next show -- everybody wins!
Way to go, S!
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