After a frustrating day, I had a no-choice choice. Ambivalent about staying to watch the play-off game between the Patriots and the Jaguars, and having tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Saturday night, Series A (not knowing that the Patriots would be in play-offs much earlier) it became a Symphony night. A superbly proficient Norwegian pianist ( Leif Ove Andsnes) played Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor. It was as magnificent a piece as I have remembered from the 40's movies from which the song Full Moon and Empty Arms was stolen.
The program was conducted by the Spanish conductor, Rafael Frubeck de Burgos and, for the first time I saw people being seated in Boston Symphony Hall during the performance of a piece, after the usher forced half an aisle of people to get up to let two people through to be seated while the orchestra was playing; and for the first time I saw a gentleman get up, move several people in a row to get out during the middle of a piece and return to do the same thing before the piece was finished. Symphony has been lowering standards but I have not seen them fall so low. That people clapped after a movement was less startling, though nevertheless jarring.
Dashing out at intermission to find out the game scores, Sid, chief of staff , told us the score was 7-0, Patriots, first Quarter. He wouldn't open the door to let us out as the guest artist graciously offered to play a solo, whose title I didn't get. It, too, was a musical delicacy. By the end of intermission the score was 14-7, Patriots in the second Quarter.
The second concert half was devoted totally (50 minutes) to Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony. I regretted not having thought to bring my Itouch (silent without earphones) to keep up with the scores (assuming Symphony Hall has Wi-fi) but I will be wiser should a similar situation arise in the future. The car radio provided the rest of the 3rd Quarter, in brief moments without too much static to understand what was being said We reached home in time to watch the game ending after which we saw the 5th Quarter wrap up, enjoying a snack.
The program was conducted by the Spanish conductor, Rafael Frubeck de Burgos and, for the first time I saw people being seated in Boston Symphony Hall during the performance of a piece, after the usher forced half an aisle of people to get up to let two people through to be seated while the orchestra was playing; and for the first time I saw a gentleman get up, move several people in a row to get out during the middle of a piece and return to do the same thing before the piece was finished. Symphony has been lowering standards but I have not seen them fall so low. That people clapped after a movement was less startling, though nevertheless jarring.
Dashing out at intermission to find out the game scores, Sid, chief of staff , told us the score was 7-0, Patriots, first Quarter. He wouldn't open the door to let us out as the guest artist graciously offered to play a solo, whose title I didn't get. It, too, was a musical delicacy. By the end of intermission the score was 14-7, Patriots in the second Quarter.
The second concert half was devoted totally (50 minutes) to Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony. I regretted not having thought to bring my Itouch (silent without earphones) to keep up with the scores (assuming Symphony Hall has Wi-fi) but I will be wiser should a similar situation arise in the future. The car radio provided the rest of the 3rd Quarter, in brief moments without too much static to understand what was being said We reached home in time to watch the game ending after which we saw the 5th Quarter wrap up, enjoying a snack.
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