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Porgy and Bess
Feb. 27th, 2011 05:04 pmI had a concert last night. My school orchestra (we call it the Philharmonia) performed excerpts from Porgy and Bess. I've been enjoying playing the pieces, as they are quite different from the usual Classical fare, and extremely well suited to the story they portray. George Gershwin knew what he was doing when he wrote this, and did it well with this opera.
Performing this piece reminded me of why I enjoy playing with a large group so much. As we went through the beginning of the first act, there is a classic buildup in volume and speed. One of the themes of the opera is the music imitating a train, which is a lot of fun. So here we are, piano leading to choir giving way to brass and finally joining in with strings. The moments of that were almost perfect in their synchronicity. Everyone was playing the same music, listening to each other, and watching our conductor for the beat. The feeling of collective gathering was palpable to me, and the music was so clear. The first time that ever happened to me I got chills, a large emotional reaction, and was rather scared of it, actually. It took me several years to understand that these rare moments of clarity in music are something for which to strive.
It is a shame we cannot do that more often, but it is a college orchestra that tends to disappoint those with high expectations more often than not. Still, though, we had it that time, and that will encourage me until I feel it again.
Greeny
Performing this piece reminded me of why I enjoy playing with a large group so much. As we went through the beginning of the first act, there is a classic buildup in volume and speed. One of the themes of the opera is the music imitating a train, which is a lot of fun. So here we are, piano leading to choir giving way to brass and finally joining in with strings. The moments of that were almost perfect in their synchronicity. Everyone was playing the same music, listening to each other, and watching our conductor for the beat. The feeling of collective gathering was palpable to me, and the music was so clear. The first time that ever happened to me I got chills, a large emotional reaction, and was rather scared of it, actually. It took me several years to understand that these rare moments of clarity in music are something for which to strive.
It is a shame we cannot do that more often, but it is a college orchestra that tends to disappoint those with high expectations more often than not. Still, though, we had it that time, and that will encourage me until I feel it again.
Greeny
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