The Arts in New York City
The evening started with me getting lost a wee bit too close to Harlem. When I eventually found the theater, which looked nothing like a regular Y, it was about five minutes past eight. The ticket-taker told me that I would have to wait for the end of the first piece before I could go in and take my seat, so she directed me to the waiting area. In this area, I watched the entire first piece on a high definition TV with extreme close-ups of the quartet. The sound quality was fantastic, and it was amplified. To top it all off, I was sitting on a small couch in an air-conditioned room. It doesn’t get much better than that. The ticket-taker then told me that I was clear to enter the theater. I walked into the stifling hot theater and found my seat amidst the rest of the geriatric ward. It was more difficult to hear, harder to see, and it had to be about seventy degrees in there. Without a doubt, this was one of those things that was worse live because of the theater conditions. Slow classical music itself does not really interest me, live or not, but it definitely was better outside of the theater in the waiting area. The music was so slow and it was so hot, that it was difficult not to fall asleep. I honestly can say that even when the music got fast, and more to my liking, it ended so quickly that it wasn’t enjoyable. The only truly good part of the performance, in my opinion, was the last five minutes of the performance, the allegro molto vivace. Much like the Italian translation suggests, the last five minutes are cheerful and lively; therefore, it was the only part that I enjoyed. The music and the surroundings were so depressing, that during the performance, I temporarily lost the will to live, but the end of the performance lifted my spirits, much like Christmas music, and I went on my merry way, cheerful and lively.
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Out of curiosity, would it also be better if you listened to the same music by computer/mp3? The seats we had did made it seem it would be difficult to hear the music. I have to agree with how slow the music was at times; when the pace picked up, it would sometimes be more dramatic, sometimes be more lively, and ultimately, more interesting. However, that wasn’t seen for much of the time. In fact, I agree it was depressing at some parts, and I actually spent much of my observations on the musicians’ arm movements rather than the music that came out of them. Overall, when comparing this event to the others, this event is probably one of my least favorite events I have went to.
I completely agree that watching the quartet inside the waiting area was a far better experience than watching it inside the actual auditorium. Just like with The Cherry Orchard performance, being able to see the performers up close added to my enjoyment. I was able to see the musicians’ facial expressions and body movements much more clearly on the television screen than in person. Also, I was a lot more comfortable in the waiting area because thankfully, not too many people come late. However, even though I was in an airy and less crowded room, I feel that a lot is being lost when you are not a part of the audience. I was happy to be able to enter the auditorium after the first piece because I enjoy observing audience reactions to performances. There are advantages to both locations, and due to our tardiness, we were lucky enough to experience a combination of both. Who knew being a little late could lead to something good, right?
Being a few moments late was probably the best mistake that I ever made, as the experience of the waiting room was infinitely more enjoyable than sitting in the theater. The heat and small amount of space made it very inconvenient to sit in the theater. I did enjoy the music slightly more than what you describe, however. I found that it was very interesting to pay attention to the body language both of the performers and of the audience. The end of the performance was also my favorite, as I felt that it brought an energy that is needed in order to enjoy music. That is not to say that I lost the will to live, as I think that is a bit excessive as a reaction to what I think is a boring genre of music.