As a reward for getting this quilt done a bit, not a lot, ahead of deadline, I took myself to Tanglewood for the end of BSO season concert. First off, I took a rather back roads route. Part of it was winding and steep but it was fun in the Fiat! The car in front of me, a mini-cooper, suddenly turned off into a steep driveway marked “honeymoon cottage”.
Traffic was backed up at the main entrances to parking but nothing serious. In a couple minutes I was parked and walking towards the box office. Another couple minutes and I had picked up my ticket and then I was in my seat reading the programme.
First up, “Koussevitzky Said” This commission must have been quite a challenge – write something 6 minutes long, with the same orchestration as Beethoven’s Ninth – GO! Yeah I get to write something to open for Beethoven’s ninth… just possibly the greatest piece of music ever written. GO!
I enjoyed it. I had read a bit about it and was ready for something modern. It wasn’t over the top modern but it was new and light and frothy in some ways and quite classic in others. I felt bad when it was over. Six minutes wasn’t enough.
And then, without much of a pause, the opening phrase of the Ninth.
I have quite a number of recordings of the Ninth. Slower, faster, newer, older. Like the 7th, each version is slightly different in color and emphasis but the big picture is the same. I could barely breath as it started. I’ve not been to many live performances of music. This one was a biggie.
I found it overwhelming at first. I realized I’d had no idea how tied the Ninth was to the weeks and months and years after September 11th. I listened to the Ninth a lot while I was driving to work, or while sewing in those days.
I wondered what it was like the first time I listened to the Ninth. This felt a lot like a first time. I’ve read about the premiere of the Ninth. Beethoven was very deaf that close to the end of his life. I would love to meet him someday and ask about how his process worked.
The sound of the BSO was interesting. At times it sounded like some big, round, rich-sounding organ. Rolling at times, high contrast at others, nicely quiet, good and strong at others, beautiful clear pauses.
As is often the case, the end of the last movement acquires a life of its own as it joyously runs to the last chorus.
I walked out to my car with the millions. Well, maybe not millions. I figured there was no hurry getting to my car but in fact it wasn’t too long a time out of the lot and back on the road to home.
A good time was had by all and I look forward to next year’s Ninth!
