Salzburg is perhaps best known for its classical music. (Sorry, folks, but The Sound of Music is for tourists.) I knew that before we came, of course, but only after attending several concerts did I see why: the people here value it. Every concert in the city sells out, every night. In four concerts by different groups in different venues, I have yet to see an empty seat. One example: I took Cornelia to a Sunday matinée concert of Mozart and Brahms, expecting the usual 200-300 people in plaid and denim that you'd see at a similar Sunday event in Waterloo. Not so. The hall of 2,500 was filled to the last seat, everyone in formal attire, champage served at intermission. Cornelia and I found our seats and wondered why no one had taken our tickets yet. Did we skirt the gate without knowing it? Oh no, it's honor system, explained the couple seated next to us. Just like the bus system. I love this country.
After the performance I chatted with one of the performers, whom we know from church. I asked her what other gigs she does during the week. "Oh, this is it," she said. This orchestra is full-time?! That a city of barely 140,000 can (and will) support a 100-piece orchestra at full-time salary is hard for a Canadian mind to fathom. And there's about ten such groups in the city, with innumerable small groups in between. There is, however, no hockey team.
The performance itself was wonderful. I was worried Cornelia might be bored with the long, ponderous program, but she had a great time. She was amused by the peculiar tradition of holding applause until the end of the final movement of a piece. Perhaps it's a symptom of the age demographic in the room and its corresponding health issues, but we both laughed at the pent-up communal coughing fit that ensues at the close of each movement. In her words, "Oh, so you cough after movements 1, 2 and 3, and clap after movement 4?" You got it, kid.
The middle piece of the program was by Fazil Say, a "modern" composer. And we all know what that means. ("Get the cat off the piano!") I made myself stay open minded, and the effort was worth it. The eclectic mix of percussion and a host of instruments I'd never heard before — ever heard a theremin? It's apparently the only instrument that you play without actually touching it — made the piece fun for me, though still challenging for a 9-year-old. The latter observed, "It sounded like five different composers wrote five different pieces and played them all at the same time." Thankfully the final symphony by Brahms was beautiful (as only Brahms can be) and refreshingly normal.
sounds wonderful!! rachel and i went to the an orchestra concert this weekend, too. no champagne, though.
ReplyDeleteYour girls are fun! I wish I had 3 just like them.
ReplyDeleteCornelia's words will echo in my head the next time I'm at a concert and have an urge to cough and/or clap! I love that - very funny!
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