The Arts in New York City
People have always said that classical music is an acquired taste. Personally, I never quite understood that. I have always liked classical music, even when I didn’t know who the author was or what the name of the composition was either. Most people when they think of classical music, a stuffy concert hall filled with extremely elderly, high society socialites, all listening to classical music playing ever so softly by a snooty conductor. However, nothing could be further from the truth. My first musical concert featuring a classical piece, Missa Solemnis written by Beethoven was very memorable and completely deviated from the stereotype.
The height of our seats in the concert hall put the height of our seats at the performance of The Elixer of Love to shame. Regardless, however, we could still see the performers. Looking around, the spectators were people of all ages which instantly debunked the stereotype. The lights dimmed and the performers walked onto the stage, followed by the conductor welcomed by a round of applause.
The concert hall became pin drop silent as the conductor picked up his baton. With quick flicks of his wrist, the orchestra began to play. Despite being seated in the back, we could hear every note crystal clear. Instantly I was drawn into this alternate world of musical notes and melodies. I could not tear my attention away from the performers. Each melody contained a simple face value appearance and complex inner mechanisms at the same time, smoothly transitioning into the next melody. I would try to follow along and predict the melody but each time I would try, there would always be a subtle yet noticeable change. The voices accompanied the music perfectly. What was really mesmerizing was the precision and unison which each section moved in. The violins in the string section moved in perfect synchronization. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my very first classical concert. It was nothing like I ever imagined it would be.
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The voices accompanied the music perfectly. What was really mesmerizing was the precision and unison which each section moved in
Hi Tanmai,
I thought your perception of the performance was actually really interesting since it was completely different from my own. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of classical music so I did not enjoy the performance nearly as much as you did. I found the music monotonous at times due to the repetition, although I do agree that the musical quality of the performers’ voices, as well as the sound dynamics at the venue, were quite impeccable. I chuckled at how you mentioned the stereotypical perception of a concert hall, relating it to my own view of what Carnegie Hall would be like from my own prior experiences and what I imagined a classical music performance would look like. I was also surprised that so many young people, our age and even younger, came out to witness the performance. I, too, found the performance engaging somewhat as I was drawn to the orchestral musicians and the precision with which they played their instruments. They were indeed very in sync with one another and played as if they were merely smaller parts of a single, larger instrument. However, that does not mean I necessarily enjoyed the performance as much as I would have liked to and I felt the music got tedious to the point that I no longer wanted to pay attention as the choir’s voices droned on and on.
I completely agree with you about the stereotype that some people have of “classical” music. The idea that five hundred years of musical innovation – spanning many cultures and encompassing the whole range of musical emotion- is something that you can simply “like” or “dislike” is absolutely ridiculous. If people really took the time to listen, then they would be able to hear everything that you wrote about in your review – the beauty, complexity, and expressiveness unique to every piece.